Riverhead Justice Court

Former town supervisor Laura Jens-Smith says Riverhead officials’ repeated use of the same developer for major projects — without open bidding — undermines transparency and could cost taxpayers more.

Town officials have been struggling to find a feasible plan to replace the cramped and outmoded justice court, which the state court system found in 2006 did not meet safety and security standards.

Riverhead Town officials are considering moving both the police department and justice court to the town-owned West Second Street property purchased last year, Supervisor Tim Hubbard said Saturday.

The operator of Scott’s Pointe amusement park in Calverton pleaded guilty Tuesday to town code violations in Riverhead Justice Court and was ordered to pay $5,700 in fines.

A dramatic rise in the number of drunk and alcohol-impaired driving arrests this year so far has alarmed Riverhead Town justices and, according to the chief of police, has no obvious explanation.

The Riverhead Town Board dedicated the future site of the town’s new justice court to the late Judge Allen Smith in a ceremony of tears and laughter on Tuesday.

The site, originally developed by Suffolk County National Bank, includes a three-story office building, a two-story office building, a bank branch currently leased to M&T Bank and a two-story wood frame house that has been converted to office space.

Opinion: The very long saga of the town’s “space problems” is a classic example of how not to plan and execute capital improvements if you happen to be the governing body of a growing municipality.

Town officials are considering building a three-story town hall on vacant land at the corner of Howell Avenue and Brook Street, and renovating and repurposing two existing buildings for town court and police department use, at an estimated cost of $30.8 million.

A portrait of the late Town Justice Allen Smith was unveiled during a ceremony in Riverhead Justice Court yesterday afternoon.