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Wood chip company tries again

TIM GANNON FILE PHOTO |  Looks Great Services, the company that ran into opposition in Riverhead after superstorm Sandy, is seeking to bring in wood chips again.

Justin Purchasing Corps, which last year brought in about 32,000 cubic yards of wood chips from Nassau County to its Sound Avenue farm following Hurricane Sandy — until the town issued a stop work order — is now seeking permission to again bring in more wood chips.

Following the stop work order, the company, headed by Kristian Agolia, filed an application seeing to import 150,000 cubic yards of wood chips and other vegetation to their 41-acre Sound Avenue farm in order to further shred them and allow them to decompose over a six- to 18-month period, after which the finished product would be used to supplement soil.

The Town Board wouldn’t allow it, claiming it was a commercial, not agricultural use, despite a town farmland advisory committee opinion that supported the proposal. In April, the board reached a settlement that allowed Justin Purchasing to to process the existing 32,000 cubic yards of wood chips already on the premises, but does not allow them to import any more.

At Thursday’s work session, Mary Hartill, the attorney for Justin Purchasing, again made an appeal to the Town Board for the original application, but board members instead urged them to first go to the agricultural advisory committee.

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