Business

Town files suit against Gershow

Neighbors have been complaining about noise and ground shaking near Gershow Recycling on Hubbard Avenue. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch, file)
Neighbors have been complaining about noise and ground shaking near Gershow Recycling on Hubbard Avenue. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch, file)

Riverhead Town has formally taken Gershow Recycling to court, filing legal papers on Friday after continually hearing complaints from neighbors about noise and vibrations coming from Gershow’s Hubbard Avenue recycling facility.

The Town Board on April 15 had authorized the legal action, saying the property “is being used and occupied in violation of various sections of the Code of the Town of Riverhead and the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code.”

Supervisor Sean Walter has said that the town is seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent Gershow from violating the code.

Gershow purchased the former Fred J. Gallo Used Auto Parts property in 2011 and filed an application in 2012 to continue to operate an “end of life vehicle recycling facility” on the site.

But neighbors and town officials say that what Gershow is doing is much different from what Gallo did, and has created noise and vibration that Gallo never did, through crushing cars and gathering huge piles of scrap metal on concrete.

A number of residents from the adjacent Riverhaven mobile home park attended last Wednesday’s Town Board meeting to ask about the status of the town’s legal action against Gershow, and were told it was expected by the end of the week.

“As far as I’m concerned , it is still business as usual with Gershow,” said Riverhaven resident Richard Luizzi, who has acted as a spokesperson for the group. “The conditions I have stated in the past still exist.”

He said a new problem has even occurred: scrap metal being loaded into 80-yard containers has created dust that has affected the health of the Riverhaven residents, most of whom are elderly.

“We’ll be in court on Friday,” Mr. Walter responded.

Watch a video of the facility below:

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