Riverhead Highway Department

Friday’s snowstorm, while not a major snow event, was enough to complicate things mightily for the Riverhead Highway Department and its newly installed superintendent.

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.

While the emergency pick-up of debris from Tropical Storm Isaias is taking longer than anticipated due to the volume of material to be collected, the operation continues and Highway Superintendent George Woodson hopes to have it wrapped up this week.

Sections of Middle Road, Park Road, Roanoke Avenue and Sound Avenue are scheduled for paving Tuesday and Wednesday. Roads will be closed to all but local traffic.

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.