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Aquebogue couple wants creek dredged

An Aquebogue couple wants the opening to the creek near their home dredged, a job they said hasn’t been done in more than four years.

Henry Bucher, whose home is on Case’s Creek, south of Peconic Bay Boulevard, noted that several years ago the creek was five feet deep at low tide. Now when low tide occurs, even kayaking becomes nearly impossible in the shallow muddy water. The stagnant water also attracts mosquitoes to the area, Mr. Bucher said.

He aired his concerns at he Town Board work session Wednesday morning at Town Hall.

“It’s depreciating my property,” he said. “We haven’t had our boat out in years,” added his wife, Claire Bucher.

Supervisor Sean Walter said dredging the creek should be a county concern, though the county wants Riverhead to indemnify it against collapsing bulkhead. There is concern that the bulkhead surrounding the nearby Dreamer’s Cove Inn is not sturdy enough to withstand dredging the creek.

“It’s a county issue in my opinion,” Mr. Walter said. “[But] for some reason, they’ve decided they don’t want to deal with it.”

Last year, the board amended town code to include bulkheads as structures that must be maintained, but the Buchers said this law has not been enforced at the Dreamer’s Cove property.

Mr. Walter said he would meet with county officials to discuss what could be done.

Drinking on Public Grounds

The board also discussed adopting a formal policy for alcohol consumption on public grounds for events such as the Country Fair, the Riverhead Blues and Music Festival and the Polish Town Street Fair. Town code prohibits public alcohol consumption though that law is waived for those events.

The board is seeking legislation that would require the organizers of these events to obtain insurance in the case of alcohol related injuries or property damage. Currently, whether or not insurance is required is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Town attorney Dan McCormick said he would draft a policy for the board to consider.

Budget Hearing

The board also set a public hearing on the town’s proposed 2011 budget for Nov. 3 at 2:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

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