At inauguration, Walter hints of ‘large’ projects coming to EPCAL
Riverhead Town officials re-elected in November were sworn in for their new terms Wednesday in a New Year’s Day inauguration ceremony at the Pulaski Street School.
Supervisor Sean Walter, council members Jodi Giglio and John Dunleavy, Highway Superintendent George Woodson and Assessor Laverne Tennenburg, all incumbents, all took their oath of office, assisted by family members.
The only new face at Wednesday’s ceremony was Republican Anthony Palumbo, who was elected to fill a vacancy in the North Fork state Assembly position that was vacated by the resignation of former assemblyman Dan Losquadro.
Mr. Walter once again said the current Town Board has made progress in reviving downtown and the Enterprise Park at Calverton, and has improved the town’s financial condition since taking over in 2010.
He said there is a great anticipation for what will happen in the future, and hinted that some big projects may be coming to EPCAL.
“Some of things people are looking to do at EPCAL, we can’t even talk about them because they are so large” and the applicants have asked that they not be made public, Mr. Walter said.
Mr. Dunleavy noted that East End Arts was unable to do its annual window decorating contest in the vacant stores in downtown Riverhead this year because there aren’t enough empty stores.
He also said Route 58 has been a big tax generator and that without some of the big retail centers there, people’s taxes would be much higher.
Mr. Dunleavy said the new Walmart on western Route 58 is scheduled to open on Jan. 15 and the new Costco is expected to open in April.
After that, he said, there won’t be many large tracts left on Route 58 that can be developed.
