Letters to the Editor: Rules and revenue

Calverton

Rules and revenue

Re “Riverhead loses bid to block cannabis dispensary”: The old Aboff’s paint store is not in a residential but a commercial area and if it is 700 feet from Riverhead High School it must be as the crow flies. Across the street is a municipal complex with Staples, Harbor Freight and Four Leaf. You can’t even see the high school.

Riverhead knew the state rules when they opted in to allow cannabis stores in the town. Then they try to change the state rules with their own rules ,which they knew they weren’t allowed to do. Typical of the Riverhead Town Board, they act because they want the money, which is 3% of all sales, without giving any thought to the possible problems the town may face. Then they spend a fortune trying to block locations that they have no chance of winning to save face. Meanwhile, the taxpayers foot the bill for their frivolous lawsuits.

Welcome to Riverhead. The Town is so dead set on getting more and more taxpayer revenue, like warehouses, distribution centers and such, then when the voters balk, they spend millions changing the laws.

What makes it all a joke is that all the big businesses that move into Riverhead, they get an IDA [deal] and we get no tax revenue after all. Riverhead Town sometimes resembles South Park.

Paul Spina Jr.

Riverhead

IDA needs courage, integrity

At its Aug. 4 meeting, the Riverhead Town Board unanimously voted to permit a private five-story luxury hotel to overwhelm half of the public Town Square. It was no surprise that the four Republican members reaffirmed their Washington-style no-bid inside deal with Joe Petrocelli. More disconcerting was that the Democratic-endorsed supervisor not only voted with them, but also protected the monopoly of their misleading architect’s drawing. For the second time, he denied equal time for slides to be shown for the record and to the public offering a more realistic proportional view (see tinyurl.com/IDAtownsquare).

The only way to save the Town Square is if Riverhead’s Industrial Development Agency refuses to grant the full tax forgiveness Mr. Petrocelli wants to increase his profits. He and the board compromised IDA’s independence and professional due diligence by prejudging approval of payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT). Mr. Petrocelli expects “payment, escalation and term acceptable to Master Developer in its sole, but reasonable, discretion” and “the parties acknowledge and agree that obtaining such Pilot Agreement is a material requirement.” If Mr. Petrocelli’s demand is not accepted, he threatens to cancel the contract because that “shall have a material adverse impact on the economics of the transactions.”

We need the IDA to show the same courage and integrity as when it turned down the Ghermezian Triple Five deal on EPCAL. Unnecessary forgiveness for a $35 million project hurts taxpayers and the school budget.

John McAuliff
Riverhead Watch

Peconic

Rocky road

There is a stretch of road that runs in front of Mattiuck High School. When I drive on it, my teeth chatter, and it feels like my vehicle’s suspension just dropped off.

Maybe some of that federal money that’s being spent for an arch, or a wing and a pool, could be diverted to repave Route 25 in that spot — and perhaps many of the other rough spots.

Who will you vote for?

Joel Reitman