Calverton Aviation and Technology

Calverton Aviation & Technology says it is exploring rail freight uses for the Calverton rail spur refurbished and by town at a cost of $3.5 million in 2010-2011.

A crowd of 92 people attended the Greater Calverton Civic Association meeting Friday night to learn about "Warehouse Breeds" at Riley Avenue Elementary School, where community members presented information about how traditional warehouses have evolved into distribution and fulfillment centers to accommodate online retailing.

With Calverton Aviation & Technology set to present its plans for the Calverton Enterprise Park Wednesday evening at the Hotel Indigo in Riverhead, we thought this a good time to provide a timeline of milestones in the history of the deal, now in its seventh year.

The public is invited to an informational meeting about warehouses and logistics centers tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Riley Avenue Elementary School in Calverton, hosted by the Greater Calverton Civic Association.

Despite signing on as a joint applicant for financial assistance from the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency, Town Board members say they didn't see Calverton Aviation & Technology's plans for the site until they were presented to the IDA in September.

“This informal forum is intended to provide an opportunity for the CAT team to update Riverhead residents on their vision for the proposed project at EPCAL while the agency continues its due diligence" on the company's application for financial assistance, the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency said in a press release announcing the forum.

Featured letter: CAT has no approved site plan, no zoning approvals, no required permits and its plan has not undergone the review mandated by the State Environmental Quality Review Act. It should not even be considered for taxpayer-funded support.

Editorial: A lot of big projects are heading to the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency for "benefits," collectively millions of dollars in tax exemptions. It's important for residents to understand what the IDA does and why. The agency, which lacks transparency, must do a much better job to provide public information to the public, or it does not deserve the public's support.

The Town Board put the Riverhead IDA in an impossible situation. The IDA should 'just say no' to tax breaks for CAT's massive project. That will put the ball back where it belongs: in the hands of the Town Board, which should walk away from this deal as fast as it can.

The six-figure influx of revenue in fees due from CAT would come as the cash-strapped agency finds itself facing “substantial doubt” about its “ability to continue as a going concern,” according to its audited financial statements.