Riverhead Town Board roundup: Town votes in favor of $1.95M offer to acquire the LI Science Center on East Main Street
The Riverhead Town Board unanimously voted to offer $1.95 million to the Long Island Science Center to acquire its East Main Street building through eminent domain law for the town’s broader downtown revitalization plans.
The appraisal further advances the town’s controversial condemnation efforts and defense of using eminent domain to seize the building at 111 East Main St., arguing the blighted property has stalled downtown revitalization and remains a key missing piece in the Town Square project.
A year ago, the board backed off its first attempt to take control of the property after the nonprofit presented a two-phase expansion plan for the building and pledged to move forward with renovations and fundraising.
Since then, the nonprofit has yet to begin the first phase of its long-promised East Main Street expansion. Over the last few months, council members have scrutinized the Long Island Science Center’s stalled progress, questioned its financial backing and raised doubts about the two-phase project’s overall viability.
Town officials followed a similar process before condemning the former Craft’d space downtown last year.
Under eminent domain law, the Town Board is required to make a written offer to the property owner that is no lower than the highest approved appraisal.
When town officials voted to move forward with condemnation proceedings in June, they agreed to “make every reasonable and expeditious effort to justly compensate the current owner,” town attorney Erik Howard said at the time.
Now, the ball is in the property owner’s court. The Long Island Science Center now has 90 days to respond and can either accept the offer as full payment, accept it as an advance payment while seeking additional compensation, or reject the offer entirely and litigate the valuation in court.
“We are waiting to receive a formal offer from the Town and understand how they arrived at their valuation,” Larry Oxman, president of the Long Island Science Center, told the Riverhead News-Review in a text on Friday.
Mr. Oxman further stated the Long Island Science Center intends to continue its mission of STEAM education and programming, as well as working with local school districts and public libraries, as it has done for over 25 years.
Community members previously argued the Long Island Science Center should still be given a chance. At a previous meeting, LISC representatives refuted claims of insufficient progress. They presented a 90-page stack of documents, including permit applications and correspondence with the town and other parties.
Critics of eminent domain said there are still too many unanswered questions. Many previously raised the potential cost to taxpayers, including how much money has been spent on outside counsel and whether there have been talks with developers or potential plans for the East Main Street site.
John McAuliff of Roanoke Landing, who pushed for the Science Center to be saved from eminent domain, expressed his surprise at the appraisal offer at Tuesday’s meeting. He opposed it, saying the intended use of the 111 E. Main St. space has not been discussed.
“I was actually surprised when I read the documents that there was apparently no opposition by the Science Center to the the eminent domain in the actual hearing,” Mr. McAuliff said. “We had understood that they were going to contest it, if they didn’t, I’d be interested in whether they have any plan to use the $1.95 million settlement to locate the Science Center somewhere else.”
The Long Island Science Center’s decision to the Town Board’s offer has not yet been released in court documents as of Friday, and is to be determined.
“One step at a time,” Mr. Oxman wrote.
Several other issues were addressed during the Sept. 1 meeting, here is what you missed:
Town holds second Monroe hearing on SCWA pipeline
Town officials questioned what Riverhead stands to gain from hosting a pipeline that will not connect to its water district. A Monroe Balancing Test determines whether a government project has enough public benefit to be exempt from local zoning and land-use laws.
Jeffrey Seeman, the town’s environmental consultant, reiterated the board’s position, which has not wavered since the first Monroe hearing over a year ago: the Riverhead Town Board should retain jurisdiction over the project and be recognized under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, as an involved agency. Read the full story here.
RVAC secures bond for headquarters project
A public hearing was held to discuss the proposed increase and improvement of Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance facilities which consists of demolishing its existing ambulance bay and constructing a brand new headquarters. The estimated maximum total cost for the project is $14.1 million, which includes contingency funds for unforeseen conditions. RVAC has already raised over $6 million in donations and private funding for the build. The up to $8 million in remaining costs will be covered with town-issued bonds. The debt service of those bonds are to be paid by RVAC, not taxpayers, using revenues from ambulance billing. With few comments and no objections, the public hearing was closed.
Town honors TJ Andrews and Brooke Meyer
Administrative approval for PBMC maternity ward site plan
The Riverhead Town Board approved site and facade improvements for Peconic Bay Medical Center’s new women and infants center — a key piece of the hospital’s $92 million expansion endeavor. The resolution grants administrative site-plan approval for road widening, pedestrian access, drainage, landscaping, a new drop-off area and facade improvements to the hospital wing facing the Route 58 traffic circle. After a public commenter shared concerns about planting in the site plan, an amendment was made to the resolution to require the applicant to revise the landscaping plan to preclude use of any plantings on the NYSDEC “Do Not Sell” list.
Supevisor Halpin votes no on Summerwinds
Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin was the only town board member to vote no on a resolution approving a notice to bidder for the installation of water mains and appurtenances at the proposed Summerwind Farms subdivision in Aquebogue. The Riverhead Building Department posted a “Stop Work Order” at the site on Peconic Bay Boulevard after code enforcement officials discovered substantial site work started before approvals and permits were issued. Following the meeting, Mr. Halpin said in an interview the developer falsified documents and was allegedly arrested for it, so he believed the town shouldn’t move forward with the water-related part of the project until the legal process and planning board vote are resolved.
“I’m not helping someone move the ball quicker if they haven’t been able to abide by our guidelines so far,” the supervisor said.
Merrifield comments on SROs
Councilwoman Denise Merrifield took aim at the Riverhead Central School District for not budgeting properly for their school resource officers, describing it as a “manufactured crisis.”
“To be clear, school resource officers are very important, and they serve a useful role for the safety of the children of the Riverhead School District,” she said. “It’s also very clear that while the Riverhead School Board states that it’s important to them, their actions speak a lot louder than their words.”
She also called out Supervisor Halpin specifically for allegedly privately setting up the work session meeting with the school district.
“I quite frankly find it difficult that the Supervisor ran on a party called ‘Taxpayers First,’ and yet in reality it’s the Riverhead School District taxpayers first, and I cannot support that,” Ms. Merrifield said.
Mr. Halpin disputed the councilwoman’s claims, denying any private meeting.
“I did not meet with the school district school board alone — I did not meet with them prior to that meeting, there was no sit‑down with them, so that did not happen,” Mr. Halpin said. “It was not a manufactured crisis there because I did not meet with them that time period.”
