George Woodson

The standoff over loose leaf pickup in Riverhead has escalated: The Town Board Wednesday approved a resolution ordering Highway Superintendent George Woodson to conduct loose leaf pickup by the end of the month.

The Riverhead Town Board will “direct and require” Highway Superintendent George Woodson to perform loose leaf pickup this year in a resolution to be acted on during a special town board meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m., according to a meeting notice posted on the town's website today.

A standoff remains between the town highway superintendent and the town board over loose leaf pickup in Riverhead.

The Riverhead Highway Department has occasionally violated the town’s procurement policy and procedures and has inconsistent documentation for certain equipment and purchases, according to an audit report by the town’s internal audit committee.

After 36 years at the highway department, the last 13 as its chief, Superintendent George "Gio" Woodson is not seeking re-election and will retire at the end of this year.

The already-fraught relationship between the Riverhead highway superintendent and the town board — whose differences have already landed in court — has further deteriorated with disputes over hiring, equipment purchases and accepting new town roads without the highway chief's consent.

Following months of wrangling with the town board, Highway Superintendent George Woodson has agreed to pick up loose leaves for a three-week period beginning Nov. 30.

Leaves may be falling but the fate of loose leaf pickup in Riverhead is still up in the air. Highway Superintendent George Woodson has been seeking to end the highway department's loose leaf pickup in Riverhead for more than a decade.

After being told a COVID-related hiring freeze prevented him from filling vacant truck driver jobs because the positions were "non-essential," Highway Superintendent George Woodson warned the town board his current staffing level can't handle the department's snow-plowing duties next winter — and would cause long delays in clearing the roads.

A message from Riverhead Highway Superintendent George Woodson about snow operations.