[1:04] Okay. Good evening, everybody. Today is Tuesday, August 18, 2026. We're here for a town board meeting. Before we go any further, let's stand and say the pledge. Councilman Kering, would you leave us in the pledge, please?

[1:16] of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God,

[1:25] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[1:29] Thank you, sir, very much, Councilman Rothbott, we have an invocation tonight.

[1:34] Well, we had our chaplain from the Rugged Fire Department just in winter, but I don't see him here today.

[1:41] So with that in mind may I ask our town clerk Reverend James Whitton to lead us on an invocation

[1:48] please.

[1:49] I would love to.

[1:50] Thank you.

[1:51] Can we bow our heads Lord we ask that you be with our community.

[1:56] Quiet our minds to the faithfully consider all of the challenges we face as a community.

[2:02] Please bless all those who serve and exercise their civic duties to bring us together.

[2:07] We, with our police and our first responders who dedicate their lives to the

[2:11] betterment of all, we, with our citizens who go about their lives and want to

[2:18] do the best for their families and their community as well. We ask all these

[2:22] things through our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen. So tonight we have a few special

[2:29] things to start off from meeting about and our community is a special place and we

[2:34] We want to begin with a few proclamations that we have for the life-saving efforts that

[2:39] happened this last week, and I've asked Lieutenant Devaro to come, and he's going to share

[2:43] a timeline and narrative for us at the town board would join me down front as he does that.

[2:46] We're going to present these proclamations after he's finished reading.

[2:49] We'll present the proclamations.

[2:52] On Sunday, August 16th, 2026, approximately 1026 AM, Riverhead traffic control officer

[3:00] Ryan Zaleski, who was assigned to the Polish town fair, observed a Hyundai sedan being

[3:06] operated radically by a female driver.

[3:08] T.C.O. Zaleski observed the Hyundai strike a parked vehicle on Suzy Avenue and attempt

[3:13] to leave the area.

[3:15] As T.C.O. Zaleski approached the Hyundai, the vehicle struck a second vehicle and continued

[3:20] its attempt to leave the area.

[3:21] T.C.O. Zaleski approached the vehicle on foot in an effort to get the driver to stop.

[3:26] However, she fled the area at a high rate of speed traveling northbound toward Osborne Avenue.

[3:33] The TCO immediately transmitted the vehicle's description, direction of travel, and license plate

[3:40] to the uniform officers who were assigned to the festival.

[3:43] A short time later, several uniform officers observed the suspects Hyundai traveling southbound

[3:49] on an Osmoan Avenue at a high rate of speed toward the festival area which had been closed

[3:54] to vehicle traffic due to the large number of pedestrian's presence.

[3:58] Several officers attempted to stop the vehicle, however the driver continued around marked

[4:04] police vehicles and uniformed officers.

[4:07] As the vehicle continued toward the festival, police officer Matthew Necknes and Lieutenant

[4:11] Dino Israel attempted to stop the vehicle.

[4:15] As the vehicle refused to stop, P.O. Necknes transmitted the vehicle's direction to travel and its immediate threat to the large number of pedestrians in his path.

[4:24] Police officer Stephen Addy, who was assigned to the fare, jumped in a nearby patrol car and responded to the suspect's vehicle location, which had been given out by police officer Necknes.

[4:35] After seeing the suspect fail to stop and the close proximity to the fare, police officer

[4:40] Addy made the decision to stop the vehicle by positioning his vehicle between Hurlian of

[4:45] travel and the fare.

[4:47] His vehicle was then struck by the suspect's vehicle.

[4:50] Police officer Addy's actions prevented the vehicle from further risk to the thousands

[4:55] of people to fare.

[4:56] Due to the actions of traffic control officers Oleski transmitting all of the pertinent

[5:01] information, police officer Neknes advised in the officers on scene of the gravity of

[5:05] the situation, and PO Addy's selfless act of heroism, there were no injuries to any

[5:10] of the attendees of the post-town fair or the police officers involved.

[5:14] Thank you very much.

[5:31] So I'd like to ask all three if our TCS, our TCO would come forward, our traffic control

[5:39] specialist, Ryan Zeleski, officer Stephen Addy, and if officer Matthew Neknes would come

[5:46] to the front.

[5:46] So

[6:08] we'd like to present these to you, Ryan Zlaski, because of your humility, your honor and your speed.

[6:14] We don't know how many people will be saved because of what you've done, but we know that you've saved people.

[6:19] We know that you change the lives, as each and every officer does, you put on that uniform each day.

[6:23] Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, from our community, from each one of the town, towards remember, for what you did in fast acting.

[6:29] You did it with selfless reaction time with humility and with kindness in your regard

[6:34] For everyone else around you will forever be appreciated. I hope for the remainder of your days

[6:40] You're never buy a cup of coffee and we're ever had again

[6:42] I hope everywhere you go people remember because again, we do not know what was saved

[6:49] But we do know that you saved and so thank you very very much for each and every one of your actions

[6:54] I'll make this I'll for Adi. Thank you again. Thank you

[7:10] Thank you guys very much.

[7:24] For the record, it is a super proud, how are we super tended dads?

[7:27] It's very proud.

[7:35] Thank you guys very much.

[7:36] Thank you very much.

[7:38] Thank you so much.

[7:40] Thank you so much.

[7:40] Thank you.

[7:41] Thank you very much.

[7:47] Thank you.

[7:49] Thank you very much.

[7:51] Ron, thank you very much.

[8:09] What a thank you to our PBA for showing up tonight in honor of those gentlemen each and

[8:15] everyone for our absolutely proud family members that are here.

[8:21] With that, the next thing we'd like to do is we'd like to invite our little league winners

[8:25] in from our 10 new World Series Team and present them with certificates each and every one so as the officers make their way out

[8:33] we have a great night and I will make their way in. And as they're doing that if any of the town board members

[8:39] have announcements that they'd like to make, welcome you to make them as our little leaders make their way in. So

[8:46] everybody has announcements? I do actually Justin. Do you have that flyer for the blues on the river?

[8:59] Maybe we'll adjust and get that if somebody else has anything to do with us.

[9:04] On Friday night, the 28th, we have the at Waiting River.

[9:08] We have the summer's not over yet, concert.

[9:10] It's an 80s band that's going to be playing at the Waiting River beach.

[9:14] All residents in River had a welcome as long as you have a beach permit and we're going

[9:18] to be waving the parking requirement that you park in the lot because we think it's going

[9:22] to be very well attended.

[9:24] We'd love to see everyone there and I'd like to thank our town clerk, Mr. Wooten, who

[9:29] who responded to this event very graciously.

[9:31] Thank you so much, sir.

[9:32] Thank you also, besides Councilwoman Waski's event,

[9:37] the East End Arts is having their summer suarie

[9:41] on Saturday night, and that's at the Strong's Marina

[9:44] from 6 to 9 p.m., please come out

[9:47] and help support the arts in our community

[9:49] that would love to have you there

[9:50] and donate, give some donations to them.

[9:53] And lastly, on the 30th, the American Legion

[9:55] is doing their 250th celebration,

[9:58] to come attend. I just don't know the hours for that. Does anybody know the hours of that yet?

[10:02] I do not. The 250? Okay. American Legion. That's what I have. I think it's 12, but I'm not positive.

[10:09] It starts at 12. Okay, so as you can see on the screen on Saturday, August 29th beginning at noon,

[10:19] we will have the blues on the river that will be in Grangebell Park. We have several people coming

[10:25] to sing. One is our very own Chloe Halfin, the supervisor's daughter. So we're very

[10:34] excited to see her perform. I hear that she's quite talented and I've also heard that the

[10:40] other singers are also talented and they are promising to provide a great show and there

[10:48] will be vendors and you can go down town and visit the local restaurants. We do have diggers

[10:55] participating in the event, so they will be on site at Grangebell Park, so I hope to see you all there.

[11:04] And thank you, Councilwoman Lasky, if I see your business is sponsoring part one of the sponsors event.

[11:09] Thank you very much.

[11:11] I'm happy to get back to the community.

[11:14] I just want to take a moment to congratulate over the weekend I was talking to a riverhead fire department chief.

[11:20] Chief Pete, and he informed me and I don't think any of the board members were aware.

[11:25] But they had a wonderful celebration for Bobby Cersim Panek, who has completed 51 years of service.

[11:33] Really was 50 last year, he didn't get the acknowledgement last year but so it's actually 51.

[11:42] But being a volunteer firefighter myself, that is an incredible achievement to go 50 years of volunteering.

[11:49] within the fire service. So thank you very much for Bobby and the Riverhead Fire Department for

[11:53] everything you do. The only other thing I just wanted to let people know, we've gotten a number of

[11:58] phone calls in terms of people that are concerned about what the assessment is going to be on the

[12:05] county line for any of the tax assessments that currently take place in any of the settlements. So we

[12:10] want to have full transparency throughout the whole process. Been to work with the county to see

[12:14] if there's a way to extend the payment schedule so that it is not a one-time hit.

[12:19] But these are the court battles that we are seeing where we potentially have agreed

[12:25] to settle, and we just want to be full-transparent with everybody.

[12:28] And once we have an idea of what that dollar amount is going to be, it's really going to, obviously

[12:32] everybody pays a different fee based on the assessment of your house, but we'll try to get

[12:37] a figure that will kind of give, like, more of an average taxpayer in the town of River

[12:42] ahead will be assessed on that to make up for those assessments.

[12:45] So we'll just, once we have information to share, we'll be forthcoming.

[12:50] So I'm just letting everybody know that I hear your concerns and we want to put that

[12:54] out as soon as possible so everybody will be aware of how it affects each and every one

[12:57] of us.

[12:59] Supervisor, I just have one more request, it's not so much announcement as a request.

[13:03] I'm the liaison for CAP and they are requesting that the cannabis owners, the people at

[13:10] on these shops. Please be in contact with Cap. They are trying to speak to you. They'd like to

[13:16] work with you. They would like to have the lock bags for any drugs that you have. And they're

[13:21] trying to reach out to a couple of individuals and they have not responded. So please be responsible

[13:26] business owners in the community and reach out to Cap. They'd like to work with you. Thank you.

[13:31] Yeah, we're good for us to maybe as a board we could send a letter together asking those businesses

[13:35] was to do that as Lee's on, that would be awesome.

[13:37] Thank you for doing that.

[13:39] And I think that, unless somebody else

[13:41] has another announcement, we are at our section

[13:43] where we want to honor our Little League championship team.

[13:46] And so I have asked our deputy supervisor

[13:49] to read those names a lot, but we are so proud

[13:52] of the Red Little League 10U World Series softball team.

[13:55] They won the District 36 championship.

[13:58] So why don't we give them a huge round of applause?

[14:10] So proud of each and every one of you, your coaches as well,

[14:13] parents for putting it all the time thank you everybody for doing this so what

[14:17] we're gonna do is we're gonna come down as a board I will hand out a few of

[14:19] our certificates we'll share them and we'll have you guys come up together and

[14:23] do that so if you guys want to come up we're gonna call your names but the whole

[14:29] group can come up we have certificates for everybody so number 28 Julia La

[14:42] Alexis Gatz, number four, Autumn Blachi, number 64, Kaylee Conlon, number 13,

[14:51] Marina Caputo, number 11, Emma Stein, number two, Genesis Jeronimo, number one.

[15:00] Number 12, Josephina Maymone, number 7, Lyonna Cruz, and number 5, Mia Rispoli.

[15:45] How heavy are these? How do you hold these up?

[15:47] I know, right?

[15:48] Whoa!

[15:49] Oh, can I see?

[15:50] Those are the real two.

[15:52] You guys are like, really?

[15:53] I really think so.

[15:55] All right.

[15:55] You guys are great.

[15:57] Congratulations.

[15:58] That's a lot of work and a lot of dedication.

[16:01] All right.

[16:01] You guys are going to come up.

[16:02] We're going to take a picture together.

[16:03] Yeah.

[16:03] We're proud of each and every one of you.

[16:04] Great job, ladies.

[16:06] Oh, you girls are great.

[16:08] That was one to you, dude.

[16:09] Yeah.

[16:10] We're going to turn around and we're going to hold our

[16:11] Just if he gets up so that he can take your mom and dad and everybody can take pictures of us.

[16:16] You can bring him on to get there.

[16:20] Super John, let me read it.

[16:26] That's just for me.

[16:28] You got to go with the sign.

[16:32] Apparently he grows as too tall for me.

[16:34] That's it, that's it.

[16:37] Alright girls, are you ready for next year's championship?

[16:39] Alright, alright.

[16:41] Okay.

[16:46] Oh me?

[16:47] Okay.

[16:48] I'll still have a little bit of these.

[16:52] Alright, alright.

[17:06] It's gonna be better now.

[17:08] You

[17:11] guys tried for a good job right?

[17:12] It's alright.

[17:12] It's an out of here with the sponsors.

[17:14] It's a famous out.

[17:17] There's a lot of things going on.

[17:19] I'm going to put it on the table.

[17:21] Yeah.

[17:22] I know.

[17:25] I know.

[17:26] I know.

[17:30] We

[17:57] are accepting sponsorships already.

[18:02] Absolutely, I love our little league, it is a great place to be, a great place to spend

[18:06] the summer, a great place for families, and so a good deal.

[18:13] That's right.

[18:14] Thanks John.

[18:27] Alright, does that make your way out?

[18:29] We just want to make sure everybody is aware that we have so many wonderful things going

[18:33] on in our town.

[18:34] If you didn't check it out, rewind and watch all the announcements that were made and see where you can be involved in Riverhead

[18:41] And so with that, we'll ask our town clerk, Mr. Wooden if you would do our correspondence and reports course

[18:47] Sure

[18:48] Under reports, we have the receiver of taxes monthly utility report

[18:53] For the month of July

[18:56] At $676,798 and 67 cents

[19:00] We received a monthly building department report for the month of July at $113,078 even.

[19:09] And the town clerk's monthly report for the month of July at $16,773.50.

[19:17] Under correspondence we received several letters from John McCollough about the iconic hotel,

[19:24] a petition that was circulated around and ICE.

[19:28] We received a letter from Colin reference the H-D-E-E-C, which is the Hispanic Committee.

[19:35] Warren McKnight about ICE.

[19:38] There's been a long about policies and procedures.

[19:42] And Laura Jen Smith, C-C, and copied us a letter that she sent to Suffolk County planning

[19:46] and reference to the potential environmental justice area with the Baconic Hotel.

[19:52] All those letters are printed and published at the end of the agenda on the website if

[19:57] you'd like to read them through the item, and that concludes our reports and correspondence.

[20:03] Thank you, Mr. Wooden.

[20:05] This time, we have a public hearing, which was scheduled for 6 p.m. at 6.22.

[20:09] To amend chapter 301, Article 16, Business, PB, Zoning, Use, District, and we have added our

[20:14] senior planner, Greg Bergman, to guide us through that.

[20:17] All right.

[20:18] Good evening, Mr. Supervisor.

[20:20] Those are the members of the town board for the record.

[20:21] My name is Greg Bergman, Senior Planner with the Rivet Planet Department.

[20:24] Tonight's public hearing is being held to consider a local law to amend town code chapter

[20:28] 301 article 16 entitled Business PB Zoning Use District.

[20:34] For the public's knowledge, and it's up on the board there, the Business PB Zoning Use

[20:39] District is located on both the east and west sides of Roanoke Avenue, generally beginning

[20:43] just north of the intersection of Roanoke Avenue and Northville Turnpike, and extends north

[20:48] word, just south of the traffic circle at Roanoke Avenue in old country road.

[20:54] The impetus for the proposed code amendment was initiated when an application for a use

[20:58] permit was submitted to the building, the end of April for a property located on Roanoke

[21:02] Avenue, where an applicant sought to establish a hair treatment studio, which is akin to

[21:07] a hair salon.

[21:08] The use is not currently listed as a permitted use within the business PB zoning use district,

[21:13] which currently allows for a range of professional offices as a permitted use.

[21:17] The code currently lists 19 different types of professional offices.

[21:22] Our current definition of professional office, which is located in town code section 301-3,

[21:27] lists those professional offices as well as quote any other professional office determined

[21:32] by resolution of the town board to have similar impacts to those listed above end quote.

[21:38] As the board will recall back on April 21st of this year by resolution number 2026-403,

[21:45] The board adopted a resolution finding that an esthetician's office, while not specifically

[21:50] enumerated in the list of professional offices, had similar impacts to those that were

[21:55] specifically listed, thus allowing an esthetician's office to be located at a property on RONOC

[22:00] Avenue.

[22:02] When the matter of the hair studio came across my desk, it caused me to more closely examine

[22:07] those permitted uses and think of them in terms of impacts as that's what the code specifically

[22:11] directs the board to consider.

[22:12] Thus, a code amendment was generated to allow personal services as he permitted use within

[22:17] the business PB zoning use district.

[22:20] Town Code currently defines personal services as, quote, a commercial use that provides specialized

[22:25] hands-on services directly to individuals as for personal or physical benefit.

[22:31] These services generally involve customer interaction and may include activities that focus

[22:35] on personal care, fitness, wellness, or leisure.

[22:37] Personal service establishments do not involve the provision of professional or technical services requiring specialized education, certification or licensure as seen in professional offices.

[22:48] Services provider typically have a non medical, non therapeutic nature and do not involve significant office based administrative or professional consultation functions.

[22:57] Personal services specifically includes fitness studios, beauty services, massage therapy,

[23:03] personal coaching, esthetician and skincare services, fortune telling or psychic readings,

[23:09] cultural or educational studios, pet grooming services, dry cleaning or laundry services,

[23:15] as well as any other use that the zoning officer determines to be similar in nature to those

[23:19] listed above.

[23:21] The nature of personal services are such that they are interior uses, they are generally

[23:25] not high traffic or trip generators and would not typically be anticipated to involve

[23:30] any outdoor activities or storage which would create a detriment to the neighboring residential

[23:34] properties. The matter was initially discussed by the town board at a work session on June 9th

[23:40] of this year. Subsequently went back to Code Revision Committee for further refinement,

[23:45] which included the proposal to make personal services a specially permitted use within the

[23:50] business PB zoning use district by special permit of the town board with the

[23:54] exception of dry cleaning and laundry services, as well as the inclusion of

[23:58] limits on the hours of operation, which are proposed to be limited from 5 a.m. to

[24:02] 10 p.m. So in summary, the proposed amendments to town code chapter 301 article

[24:07] 16 would by special permit of the town board permit personal services with

[24:12] the exception of dry cleaning and laundry services and would establish limits

[24:15] on the hours of operation of business uses within the business PB zoning

[24:19] use district from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is worth noting that there are already several properties along

[24:25] the Roanoke Avenue corridor that have already been converted from single-family residential to

[24:31] some type of medical office or professional office. Any other property that would like to come in if

[24:37] they would like to convert to a commercial use or a personal service would need to make an application

[24:42] would have to undergo site plan review by the planning board. That's it and in nutshell I'd welcome

[24:48] them to public comment.

[24:50] So we'll open it up to the public in the room and online.

[24:55] And again, you'll be allowed to speak on this subject to us.

[25:02] Hi, good evening, LeVern Tenenberg.

[25:04] Riverhead.

[25:05] I would like to state that I believe that the proposed code

[25:08] change before you tonight is misguided and inappropriate.

[25:12] Rhono Gavanos, the stately road with a 30-mile per hour speed

[25:16] limit, lined with stately homes

[25:18] and boarded by Rono Kite's development.

[25:21] Rono Kite's homes were built in the 1930s and 1940s

[25:24] before there was a hospital or old country road

[25:27] and they were placed on relatively small lots

[25:30] often only 60 feet wide and about a fifth of an acre.

[25:34] Changing the zoning to accommodate personal services businesses

[25:37] will be a detriment to adjacent residential property owners

[25:41] and those homes in close proximity.

[25:44] Some properties along Rono Kite's new struggle

[25:46] to provide the proper on-site parking as evidence by the situation on northern Parkway.

[25:51] I believe parking in the front yard is acceptable already in the current zoning,

[25:56] and how is that appealing to neighbors or to visitors to our community?

[26:01] Allowing apartments on upper floors presents its own problems.

[26:05] Consider 1025 Ronald Gavanon.

[26:07] For many years, the second floor of the doctor's office was rented out as an apartment.

[26:11] I recently found out that the use of the second floor as an apartment was specifically

[26:15] prohibited on that property. The property has changed hands, and there are three

[26:20] cars continuously parked there day and night. To suggest that the apartment

[26:25] dwellers were parked on the premises at alternate time schedules of the

[26:29] business as a red herring, and no more than wishful thinking. No one can force

[26:33] tenants to leave the premises during the day. That will lead the business component

[26:37] to lack on-site parking, which would then force cars to spill out onto adjacent

[26:42] and side streets and park in front of others homes.

[26:45] Take, for example, the proposed use of a fitness studio or a

[26:48] Pilates studio.

[26:49] Those uses would generate many participants who would need to park

[26:52] a car in addition to the instructor and receptionist.

[26:56] Many rural and revenue properties are not designed or equipped

[26:59] to accommodate that many cars.

[27:01] That would involve seeking a variance with the zoning board of

[27:03] appeals to allow more impervious surface or smaller parking spaces

[27:07] to allow for many cars at one time, or even reducing the required

[27:11] stepbacks from a required 10 feet to 5 feet. Once that door has been opened, others will

[27:16] point to precedence as a reason for them to obtain the same variances. Additionally,

[27:21] permitting these personal services to operate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. would be disturbing

[27:26] to the residential neighbors, having to deal with car doors, opening and closing, causing

[27:31] their dogs to bark at the noise, headlights pointing into the yards at night, and dark

[27:35] sky issues with security lights not being properly aimed downward. It seems that these

[27:40] These uses being proposed for business PB are widely available throughout the town.

[27:44] These uses are available in the following zoning districts, DC-1 Main Street, DC-3 Office,

[27:51] SC Shopping Center, BC Business Center, HC Hamlet Center, BC Village Center, Business

[27:58] CR, and the Railroad Avenue Urban Renewal Overlay District.

[28:02] By the looks of it, these zoning districts cover the entire town from West to East.

[28:06] These zoning districts have old and necessary codes in place for lighting and parking, including handicap parking,

[28:12] do not board a residential lots and are specifically designed and zoned with these uses in mind.

[28:18] This town has many properties with building set of vacancies.

[28:21] Income-producing properties rely on an income stream to be successful.

[28:26] If you grant this zone change, it would adversely affect landlords where the uses are permitted.

[28:30] When vacancies occurs, occur, and landlords are unable to fill those vacancies, the

[28:36] proper owner then seeks a tax reduction.

[28:39] You could very possibly decrease property values by this proposed action.

[28:43] Why would this board add uses currently not permitted in the zone when a business owner has

[28:50] a plethora of opportunities to locate their business in a zone where it is permitted?

[28:54] Why settle nearby homeowners with unnecessary nuisances?

[28:58] Why are we contorting ourselves to accommodate one person's request at the expense of many

[29:03] others?

[29:04] If you purchase property, you should do your due diligence and be familiar with the zoning

[29:08] of that property.

[29:09] One should not rely on zone changes or ZBA approvals to get what you want.

[29:14] Again, the personal service uses are widely permitted throughout the town.

[29:19] In my opinion, this request to include personal services and apartments on second floor should

[29:25] not be entertained by this board.

[29:26] Please remember the constituents you serve who rely on you for the quiet enjoyment of their homes.

[29:32] Thank you.

[29:39] Thank you.

[29:43] Hi, Cindy Clifford, Riverhead.

[29:45] I pretty much echo everything Laverne just said.

[29:48] I'm concerned about a precedent setting that has, you know, we've seen similarities before,

[29:54] where we have zoning and someone comes in and buys a property and they need the zoning.

[30:01] And that's sort of, you know, like a backward way of doing things, right? You buy the property. If you know you can do what you want to do. So, there's that houses. We're already looking at the problem with affordability and availability of single-family homes. There are still some on Roanoke, but if then it changes where more businesses come in and take them over, we're further reducing the option for homes. Riverhead itself, the character of Roanoke Avenue,

[30:29] is very symbolic of the town.

[30:32] It's got the beautiful trees and it's a quiet road

[30:35] and it's supposed to be 30, it isn't always 30.

[30:37] But to further change the character

[30:39] or to risk changing the character of that road seems

[30:42] somehow like we're doing all this

[30:44] for a guy who wants to do a hair salon.

[30:46] Like Laverne said, there are a million places

[30:48] will help him find a place to do his hair salon.

[30:51] They then look at taking trees down to expand parking lots

[30:54] to put up more parking lots

[30:56] to add more non-pervious surfaces. There are so many other options. I have to ask, do you really want, do we really want to see a change to zoning to satisfy a single buyer who purchased a property and then realized or figured he could just get it changed? Thank you.

[31:21] I haven't considered this issue before so I just became informed of a lot of concerns with it and I just one thing that really stuck out to me was that...

[31:30] You just need to give us your name and your name, that's okay.

[31:32] My name's Kimberly Wilder and I'm from Riverhead.

[31:35] Thanks for being here.

[31:35] Right by the Honda Apple.

[31:38] So I really hadn't thought about it a lot before but I just became very informed about it.

[31:43] And one thing listening to it that I really reflected on is that the idea that businesses

[31:47] would be right next to residential from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

[31:51] sounds like a really honoristh thing.

[31:53] I mean that doesn't take into account just the life of children that need to sleep a little later

[31:59] children that need to sleep a little earlier so I think that it sounds like the

[32:03] whole thing needs a big consideration and a big overall overall but if you're

[32:08] going to do something in somewhere that has so many residential at least it

[32:11] seems like you should make the hours much more limited I don't think most

[32:15] hair salons need to open at five and most businesses that are like squeezing into a

[32:20] residential neighborhood probably don't need to open at five too.

[32:38] Thank you for your

[32:43] I'm a little late to the party on understanding this public hearing and the change in zoning,

[32:49] but from what I have read and what I've listened to the previous three speakers is that the zoning

[32:57] change on Ron Oak is an impetus that just kind of appeared out of nowhere. I don't remember it being

[33:06] I was hoping to hear about this during our comprehensive update that we did in 24.

[33:15] Maybe I missed those conversations, maybe they did happen, but I don't remember being

[33:19] written into the comp plan.

[33:20] I'm not opposed to having new zoning made that didn't originate inside of the comprehensive

[33:27] plan update for very good reasons.

[33:29] Right? But this one seems, though, it's to accommodate one particular individual or property,

[33:37] and the holistic look at Roe and it needs to be considered. The idea that vacancies elsewhere

[33:46] where this zoning is allowed would happen and properties will lose value, it should be a sticking

[33:53] point for you and your decision making on how to keep the value in our businesses and our homes

[33:58] and keep the tax base safe. Thanks.

[34:05] Thank you for your comment.

[34:07] It's one of the C of any best in the room.

[34:09] Okay.

[34:09] Isn't it a peer that anyone else has?

[34:12] Yep, sure.

[34:13] Just so that there's some rhyme and reason for this,

[34:16] I just wanted to voice my thoughts on it

[34:19] of why I was considering it.

[34:23] We already have a lot of offices that are down on Rona Gavanue

[34:28] that the tenants are moving out.

[34:33] Ronald Gavin used to be big for attorney's offices

[34:36] to be in there.

[34:38] Times have changed where the attorneys no longer

[34:40] need the bigger area for their legal staff.

[34:47] They're doing everything remote.

[34:49] A lot of them are working from home now.

[34:51] The idea was, OK, if we wouldn't have those vacancies

[34:57] and buildings that have already been turned into a business, you know, the parking lots already there.

[35:05] It's not going to go back to being residential.

[35:07] I don't see too many people wanting to buy a house that's been converted to a business.

[35:14] So just to kind of keep the flow of being able to have tenancy in those properties

[35:22] was part of the reason that I was considering this.

[35:25] and I appreciate the concerns that have been brought forward.

[35:29] They're very good concerns and worth consideration.

[35:32] I just,

[35:34] when Takwee said, you know, she's kind of new to the whole thing and I realized,

[35:38] you know, maybe it looks that way but it really isn't.

[35:41] It was a thought process of how to be able to establish businesses still in these properties

[35:49] that have kind of restrictions on them.

[35:51] What's the difference between an anesthetician?

[35:54] And then you have someone, the people, I believe that said on their application that they want to do a scalp treatment therapy thing or something to that effect.

[36:05] You know, what's the difference there is kind of like there's a gray line so that's where that really this has come from.

[36:12] So it's not specifically to one particular person.

[36:17] then it was opening up the uses for other things that could possibly go in the buildings

[36:23] that have already been converted from residential into a commercial business.

[36:29] So I just wanted to explain that to everybody.

[36:32] Is councilwoman, anybody else?

[36:36] So with that, we'll close the hearing and we'll keep it open for 10 days to the 28th.

[36:40] But thank you for all of your comments.

[36:42] We always have these public hearings, we're listening to understand and to take that back.

[36:46] Councilwoman said a lot to think about there, but we will close it.

[36:50] Keep it open for the 28th written comment and then we'll go from there.

[36:54] So with that closing our public, our only public hearing tonight, we will take comments

[36:58] on resolutions from the public.

[37:01] Again, for their remainder of our night, I just want to give this to everybody now.

[37:05] Our time has been a lot for quite some time here in Riverhead that it's three minutes and

[37:11] We ask that you adhere to that.

[37:12] As respect for your neighbor and that when you come forward you state your name and your

[37:16] hamlet and then you speak from there and we ask again that you are respectful of the

[37:21] other people in the room and that you speak to us and that would be great.

[37:25] And we welcome our first person to the podium tonight.

[37:28] Well, we are Warren McNight Riverhead, resolution 2-026-800.

[37:39] I've spoken to you on this problem.

[37:44] Other people have spoken to you on this problem.

[37:48] And County Executive Office worked on this,

[37:55] Riverhead Town worked on this,

[37:57] and even the Suffolk County Police worked on this.

[38:02] And the only thing I could say, it should be memorialized,

[38:05] too many people over the years have suffered death and industry there, and it

[38:12] commend the town boy for doing this. And thank heavens, you're going to

[38:17] memorialize this because maybe people will remember if they see something

[38:21] happening, do something, and keep working on it, and we'll save the lives and

[38:26] make a better community. Thank you, Warren. I think that's what the resolution is

[38:29] going to be doing, so thank you for your comment.

[38:36] Any other comments on

[38:36] Resolutions, anyone online?

[38:47] Just another second, I don't want to make it in a minute.

[38:50] All right, with that said, we will move on to our town clerk to read our resolutions

[38:54] and vote on them accordingly.

[38:57] Okay, resolution number one is resolution 765.

[39:01] Why is it budget transfer for the 2026 legal fee so moved?

[39:06] Second.

[39:07] Before we vote, I just want to make a note that this at our work session was originally 150

[39:12] 50 and it's just gone up to 280 in the numbers and I know people have asked a lot so we

[39:16] just wanted to, again, as Councilman Rothwell said before in transparency we want to make

[39:20] people aware after going back and looking at our financial administrator and attorney's office,

[39:25] put together a stronger number they felt like that would get us to the end of the year so we didn't

[39:29] have to do this again for the reasons listed there so with that vote please.

[39:34] Waski? Yes. Maryfield? Yes.

[39:36] Yes.

[39:37] Rothwell?

[39:38] Yes.

[39:38] Albin.

[39:39] Sir.

[39:40] Resolution is adopted. Resolution 766.

[39:43] Adopt highway department budget transfer for duct palm estates paving.

[39:48] Seconded.

[39:49] Folk, please.

[39:50] Wasky.

[39:50] Yes.

[39:51] Maryfield.

[39:51] Yes.

[39:52] Rothwell.

[39:53] Yes.

[39:54] Albin.

[39:54] Yes, sir.

[39:55] Resolution is adopted. Resolution 767.

[39:58] Authorizes budget transfer for suetistic vector truck.

[40:02] So moved.

[40:03] Seconded.

[40:03] Folk, please.

[40:04] Wasky. Yes. Maryfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Helping. Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 768.

[40:14] Chips and EWR 2026-2027 grant funds for highway, bar and capital projects so moved. Seconded vote please. Wasky. Yes. Maryfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Helping. Yes sir.

[40:28] Resolution is adopted. Resolution 769. Authorizes budget adoption for what

[40:34] is just a capital project number 82618? 2001 Scott Avenue,

[40:39] conference in New York, so moved. Second vote please.

[40:42] Waski? Yes. Maryfield? Yes.

[40:44] Yes. Yes. Rockwell? Yes.

[40:46] Howapin? Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 770.

[40:51] Authorizing the acceptance of civil asset forfeiture funds so moved. Seconded.

[40:57] Please.

[40:58] Waski?

[40:59] Yes.

[40:59] Maryfield?

[41:00] Yes.

[41:02] Rothwell?

[41:03] Thank you to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.

[41:05] Yes.

[41:05] And Halpen?

[41:06] Resonator.

[41:07] Yes, sir.

[41:07] Resolution is adopted.

[41:09] Resolution 771.

[41:11] Further amends Resolution 2026-107.

[41:15] Setting fees for the Riverhead Suid District.

[41:17] So moved.

[41:17] Active.

[41:18] Vote, please.

[41:20] Waski?

[41:20] Yes.

[41:21] Maryfield?

[41:22] Yes.

[41:22] Yes, Rothwell. Yes, open. Yes sir, resolution is adopted. Resolution 7-7-2

[41:29] Approves a live music at Waiting River Beach 2026. So moved second it vote. Please. Why is he? Yes, can't wait? Yes

[41:37] Yes, but well Jimmy, you're gonna sing

[41:41] Maybe

[41:42] Help it. Yes, sir as a Lucian is adopted. Resolution 7-7-3

[41:48] Ratifies the authorization for the police department to apply for a grant so moved.

[41:52] Second, vote please.

[41:54] Waski.

[41:54] Yes.

[41:55] Maryfield?

[41:56] Yes.

[41:56] Kern?

[41:57] Yes.

[41:58] Rothwell?

[41:58] Yes.

[41:59] Halpin?

[41:59] Yes, sir.

[42:00] Resolution is adopted.

[42:01] Resolution 7-7-4.

[42:03] Authorizes the Community Development Department to offer assistance to eligible first-time home

[42:09] buyers.

[42:10] So moved.

[42:10] Seconded.

[42:11] Vote please.

[42:12] Waski?

[42:12] Yes.

[42:13] Maryfield?

[42:14] Yes.

[42:14] Kern?

[42:17] This is a great program if you're not familiar at home. I believe you guys spoke about it at work session this past week.

[42:23] If you qualify for the county, qualify for us. There's $380,000 available for first time home buyers through Riverhead right now.

[42:30] And this is part of what developers do. They pay fee. So absolutely yes sir.

[42:35] That resolution is adopted. Resolution 775.

[42:39] Authorizes the fire marshal to attend a New York State fire academy training. So moved.

[42:43] Seconded.

[42:44] Moe, please.

[42:45] Waski?

[42:46] Yes.

[42:46] Maryfield?

[42:47] Yes.

[42:47] Kern?

[42:48] Yes.

[42:49] Rothwell?

[42:50] Yes.

[42:50] Alpin?

[42:51] Yes, sir.

[42:51] Resolution is adopted.

[42:53] Resolution 776.

[42:55] Resins Resolution 2026-605 and Resolution 2026-656.

[43:04] So moved.

[43:05] Seconded.

[43:05] Moe, please.

[43:07] Waski?

[43:07] Yes.

[43:08] Maryfield?

[43:09] Yes.

[43:09] Kern?

[43:10] Yes.

[43:10] Rothwell?

[43:11] Yes.

[43:12] Alpin.

[43:12] Resolution is adopted. Resolution 777. Approved salary increase for a part-time office assistant. So moved. Second vote, please.

[43:21] Waski. Yes. Maryfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes. Health. Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 778.

[43:29] Ratifies the provisional appointment of a senior accountant. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please.

[43:35] Waski. Yes. Maryfield. Yes. Kern. Yes. Rothwell. Yes.

[43:41] Resolution is adopted. Resolution 7-7-9.

[43:45] Removed for visual status for principal account clerk, so moved.

[43:49] Seconded. Vote, please.

[43:51] Waski? Yes. Maryfew? Yes.

[43:53] Kern? Yes. Rothwell? Yes.

[43:55] Alpin? Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 7-80.

[44:00] Ratifies the termination of a part-time office assistant, so moved.

[44:04] Seconded. Vote, please. Waski? Yes. Maryfew? Yes.

[44:07] Yes.

[44:08] Kern.

[44:08] Yes.

[44:09] Rothwell.

[44:09] Yes.

[44:10] Alpen.

[44:10] Yes, sir.

[44:11] Resolution is adopted.

[44:12] Resolution 781.

[44:16] Radifies the termination of a maintenance mechanic too.

[44:18] So moved.

[44:19] Second.

[44:19] Vote, please.

[44:21] Waski.

[44:21] Yes.

[44:22] Maryfield.

[44:22] Yes.

[44:23] Kern.

[44:23] Yes.

[44:24] Rothwell.

[44:25] Yes.

[44:25] Alpen.

[44:26] Resolution is adopted.

[44:28] Resolution 782.

[44:29] Accepts the resignation of a public safety dispatcher.

[44:33] So moved.

[44:33] Seconded.

[44:34] Vote, please.

[44:35] Waski.

[44:35] Yes.

[44:36] Maryfield?

[44:36] Yes.

[44:37] Kern?

[44:37] Yes.

[44:38] Rothwell?

[44:38] Yes.

[44:39] Open.

[44:39] The solution is adopted.

[44:42] Resolution 783.

[44:44] Accept the retirement of a network and system specialist too.

[44:47] So moved.

[44:48] Seconded.

[44:48] Vote please.

[44:50] Wasky.

[44:50] Yes.

[44:51] Maryfield?

[44:52] Yes.

[44:52] Congratulations.

[44:53] Kern?

[44:54] Yes.

[44:54] Rothwell?

[44:55] Yes.

[44:56] Open.

[44:56] Terry has been here 27 years.

[44:58] Served as a union president.

[44:59] Good.

[45:00] Thank you for your service. And Terry means a lot. She actually is the CSCA worker that brought the retirement initiative forward. And so her thoughtfulness is helped our entire town. So yes, and thank you. Resolution is adopted. Resolution number 784. Appoint Robert Dillworth to the Wildlife Management Advisory Committee. So moved. Seconded. Vote, please. Waski? Yes. Yes. Yes.

[45:28] Yes, Rothwell. Yes, Alpin. Yes. Resolutions adopted. Resolution 785.

[45:35] A points George Salisman to the wildlife management advisory committee. So moved. Second vote. Please. Waski. Yes

[45:42] Merchael. Yes, yes, Rothwell. Yes, Alpin. Yes. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 786

[45:51] Reappoints David Cote or Cody to the wildlife management advisory committee. So moved. Seconded.

[45:57] Oh, please.

[45:58] Waski?

[45:59] Yes.

[45:59] Maryfield?

[46:00] Yes.

[46:02] Rothwell?

[46:02] Too wise, you know this guy.

[46:04] I do.

[46:04] I've met him a couple times.

[46:05] Yes.

[46:06] Oppen?

[46:07] Yes, sir.

[46:08] Resolution is adopted.

[46:09] Resolution 787.

[46:12] Reappoints just in winter senior to the Recreation Advisory Committee.

[46:15] So moved.

[46:16] Seconded.

[46:16] Vote, please.

[46:17] Waski?

[46:18] Yes.

[46:19] Maryfield?

[46:20] Yes.

[46:22] Oppen?

[46:23] Yes, sir.

[46:24] Resolution is adopted.

[46:25] Reappointed Resolution 788.

[46:27] Reappoints Tom Gayrelson to the Wildlife Management Advisory Committee so moved.

[46:32] Seconded vote please.

[46:33] Wasky.

[46:34] Yes.

[46:34] Maryfield.

[46:35] Yes.

[46:36] Rothwell.

[46:37] Yes.

[46:38] Alpin.

[46:38] Yes sir.

[46:39] Resolutions adopted Resolutions 789.

[46:42] Reappoints Chris Whitt to the Wildlife Management Advisory Committee so moved.

[46:45] Seconded vote please.

[46:47] Wasky.

[46:48] Yes.

[46:48] Maryfield.

[46:49] Yes.

[46:49] Colonel.

[46:50] Yes.

[46:51] Rothwell.

[46:51] Yes.

[46:52] Alpin.

[46:52] Yes sir. The solution is adopted. Resolution 790. Reappoints Robert Gabriel's in to the wildlife management advisory committee. So moved. Seconded.

[47:02] Don't please. Wasky. I mean, people are on this committee. I know. All right. 14,000 and three. Well, they're all of

[47:10] them. Well, they're definitely not more than they do. They're just canceling Roth IRA current. Yes.

[47:17] Yes.

[47:17] All right, Maryfield?

[47:18] Yes.

[47:19] Kern?

[47:19] Yes.

[47:20] Rothwell?

[47:21] Yes.

[47:21] Hoppin.

[47:21] Yes, sir.

[47:22] Resolution is adopted.

[47:24] Resolution 791.

[47:26] We have points, John Kramer, to the Wildlife Management Advisory Committee.

[47:29] So moved.

[47:31] Seconded.

[47:32] Oh, please.

[47:33] Wasky.

[47:34] Yes.

[47:34] Maryfield?

[47:35] Yes.

[47:35] Kern?

[47:36] Yes.

[47:37] Rothwell?

[47:37] Yes.

[47:38] Hoppin.

[47:38] Yes, sir.

[47:39] Resolution is adopted.

[47:40] Resolution 792.

[47:43] Resolution establishing the town of River Head.

[47:45] has this material's response team and adopting the town of Riverhead has

[47:49] this material's emergency response plan and resource guide so so moved second

[47:55] it vote please waski yes very field yes turn yes Rothwell yes helping the

[48:02] solution is adopted resolution 793 a men's agreement with main street agency for

[48:11] for a live on 25, so moved.

[48:14] Second, vote please.

[48:16] Waski?

[48:16] Yes.

[48:17] Maryfield?

[48:17] Yes.

[48:18] Turn?

[48:19] Yes.

[48:19] Rothwell?

[48:20] Yes.

[48:20] Hoppin.

[48:21] September 10th.

[48:22] That's the new day.

[48:23] Yes.

[48:23] The resolution is adopted.

[48:25] Resolution 794.

[48:27] Rotifies authorization for the town attorney to execute a retainer agreement with Siegel and

[48:33] Sittler.

[48:35] P-L-L-C.

[48:36] So moved.

[48:37] Seconded.

[48:37] Vote please.

[48:38] Waski?

[48:39] Yes.

[48:39] Maryfield, turn.

[48:41] Yes.

[48:41] Rothwell.

[48:42] Yes.

[48:42] Alpin.

[48:43] Oh, yes, sir.

[48:44] Resolutions adopted.

[48:46] Resolutions 795.

[48:48] Authorizes license agreement with Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corp.

[48:52] For the use of the Riverhead Town Hall Basement for EMT Course Instruction, so moved.

[48:57] Seconded.

[48:58] Vote, please.

[48:59] Waski.

[48:59] Yes.

[49:00] Maryfield.

[49:00] Yes.

[49:01] Turn.

[49:01] Yes.

[49:02] Rothwell.

[49:03] Yes.

[49:04] Alpin.

[49:04] for use of our building. Yes. Resolutions adopted. Resolution 796. Authorizes the supervisor

[49:11] to execute a license agreement between the town of Riverhead and Riverhead volunteer

[49:15] ambulance corpse ink for temporary use of the annexed building. Lower level basement for

[49:21] medical billing and storage of medical billing records. So moved. Seconded. Folk, please.

[49:27] Yes.

[49:28] Wasky.

[49:30] Very few.

[49:30] Yes.

[49:31] Kern?

[49:31] Yes.

[49:32] Rothwell?

[49:33] Yes.

[49:33] Helping.

[49:34] Yes, sir.

[49:34] Resolutions adopted.

[49:36] Resolutions 797.

[49:39] Authorizes the supervisor to execute a license agreement between the town of Rivet and Rivet

[49:43] Volunteer Amiens course.

[49:44] The temporary use of the Armory Building Vehicle Bays in a Jason area to the west modular

[49:49] trailer and east heating equipment location for the Amiens storage.

[49:53] I'm going to make a motion.

[49:54] I think we just need to amend this.

[49:56] because there is a little bit of a fiscal impact, so we are during a winter time,

[50:01] we're probably going to have to rent heater units in there because there's no operating heat in the system

[50:05] and the ambulance do need to be in a climate controlled environment.

[50:10] We don't have the final dollars on that but it's what they need to do, you know,

[50:15] to operate obviously throughout the year.

[50:18] And while they're doing that, there is a savings,

[50:21] is the current building that they're operating in, obviously, when they tear that down we're not going to have electric heat and everything else going over there.

[50:28] So it's really about moving them from one location to the other, but there technically is a fiscal impact.

[50:34] So just like the change of fiscal impact, yes, please.

[50:37] So I have a prepared changed fiscal impact statement and the funds will come from the ambulance district fund.

[50:52] So if we can make a motion, motion is made to amend.

[50:57] Second, vote to amend, please.

[50:59] I need to amend the fiscal.

[51:01] Yeah, I have a copy of what Emory has written.

[51:03] I'd like it for the council.

[51:05] All right.

[51:10] Wasky.

[51:12] Yes, to amend.

[51:14] Very few.

[51:14] Yes, to amend.

[51:16] Turn.

[51:17] Yes, to amend.

[51:18] Rockwell.

[51:18] Yes, to amend.

[51:20] Open.

[51:20] Yes, sir, to amend.

[51:24] Read the amended resolution, authorize the supplies to the extradilicence agreement

[51:28] agreement between the town of Riverhead and Riverhead Volunteer, ambulance course for the

[51:31] temporary use of the armory, building bays, and area adjacent to the west, module office

[51:36] trailer, and to the east where there will be heating equipment location for the ambulance

[51:39] storage, so moved, as amended.

[51:43] Second, as amended.

[51:44] Vote, please.

[51:45] Waski?

[51:46] Yes, as amended.

[51:48] Very few.

[51:48] Yes, as amended.

[51:50] Turn.

[51:50] Yes, as amended.

[51:51] Both will.

[51:52] Yes, as amended. And helping. Yes, sir. As amended.

[51:55] Resolution is adopted. Resolution number 798. Otherwise, it

[52:01] supervised a design a consultant professional service agreement with

[52:05] D&B engineers and architects so. Seconded.

[52:10] Vote, please. Why? Yes. Are you feel? Yes. Turn. Yes.

[52:15] Off well. Yes. Alpin. Yes, sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution number 799.

[52:22] Authorizes the supervisor to execute an agreement with the Riverhead Youth Sports Inc.

[52:27] for the referee, umpire services for the town of Riverhead,

[52:30] police athletically football program for 2026 calendar year, so moved.

[52:34] Seconded.

[52:35] Vote, please.

[52:36] Waski?

[52:36] Yes.

[52:37] Murray Field?

[52:37] Yes.

[52:38] Turn.

[52:38] Yes, Rothwell?

[52:39] Yes.

[52:40] How been?

[52:40] Yes, sir.

[52:41] Resolution adopted.

[52:42] Resolution 800.

[52:46] Amends 289-2A, chapter 289 of the Riverhead Town

[52:51] code to memorialize and already existing stop intersection between doctors

[52:57] half and county road 43 North Filt turn pike so moved. Seconded vote please.

[53:03] Waski? Yes. Maryfield? Yes. Turn. Yes.

[53:06] Rothwell? Yes.

[53:08] Yes sir. Resolution is adopted. Resolution 801. Resolution because the South

[53:14] County War Authority has changed from going down Sound Avenue over to Route 25 so

[53:20] So we are grateful now that there's a little less of impact towards the farming community

[53:23] along Sound Avenue, but we do need to hold this hearing.

[53:27] So it authorizes a public hearing for the purpose of conducting the Merot balancing test

[53:31] with the Suffolk County Water Authority's proposed North Fork Water main extension project

[53:35] so moved.

[53:36] Second.

[53:37] Vote, please.

[53:38] Waski.

[53:39] Yes.

[53:39] Maryfield.

[53:40] Yes.

[53:42] Rothwell.

[53:43] Yes.

[53:43] Alpen.

[53:44] Yes, sir.

[53:45] Resolution is adopted.

[53:46] Resolution 802.

[53:48] Resolution, calling public hearing regarding extension of the Riverhead

[53:52] sewer district to include 840 old country road Riverhead, New York, so moved.

[53:58] Seconded.

[53:59] Vote, please.

[54:00] Waski.

[54:01] Yes.

[54:01] Maryfield.

[54:02] Yes.

[54:02] Kern.

[54:03] Yes.

[54:03] Rothwell.

[54:04] Yes.

[54:04] Alpen.

[54:05] Yes, sir.

[54:06] Resolution is adopted.

[54:07] Resolution 803.

[54:09] Authorizes town clerk to publish and post public notice to consider a local law to amend chapter

[54:13] Chapter 255 of the Riverhead Town Code entitled Parades,

[54:17] Assemblies, and Block Parties.

[54:19] Article 2, Special Events, so moved.

[54:22] Seconded.

[54:23] Vote, please.

[54:24] Waski.

[54:24] Yes.

[54:25] Maryfield?

[54:25] Yes.

[54:26] Kern.

[54:27] Yes.

[54:28] Buffalo?

[54:29] Yes.

[54:30] Helping.

[54:30] To serve.

[54:31] Resolution is adopted.

[54:33] Resolution 804.

[54:36] Authorized town clerk to publish and post public notice

[54:39] to consider local law to amend Chapter 231 of the Riverhead

[54:42] town code titled Fire Prevention Article 13 Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Displays, so

[54:52] moat.

[54:52] Seconded.

[54:53] Froke, please.

[54:54] Wasky.

[54:55] Yes.

[54:56] Maryfield.

[54:56] Yes.

[54:57] Yes.

[54:58] Rothwell.

[54:58] Yes.

[54:59] Helping.

[54:59] Yes, sir.

[55:00] Resolution is adopted.

[55:01] Resolution 805.

[55:04] Adops the local law to amend chapter 207 of the revamped town code titled Animals Article

[55:08] 4. Prohibition on sales of commercially bred dogs, cats and rabbits in the pet stores so moved.

[55:15] Second, vote please.

[55:17] Wasky.

[55:17] Yes.

[55:18] Very few?

[55:18] Yes.

[55:19] Kern?

[55:20] Yes.

[55:20] Rothwell?

[55:21] Again, this is legislation that I wrote probably about five years ago.

[55:27] And now I think we were certainly leading to charge there in the state of New York then came

[55:32] out and passed very similar legislation, so this is really matching the town code to the

[55:36] state code.

[55:36] So vote yes.

[55:37] Yes.

[55:37] It happened.

[55:38] Sir.

[55:39] Resolution is adopted.

[55:41] Resolution 806.

[55:44] Authorities is the town clerk to publish and post and notice two bitters for one new

[55:50] Altec AT-40G telescopic articulating aerial device with ISO boom on 2028 Ford F-550 chassis

[56:02] or equals so moved.

[56:04] Seconded.

[56:04] vote, please.

[56:07] Waski.

[56:08] Yes.

[56:10] Maryfield?

[56:11] Yes.

[56:12] Kern.

[56:13] Yes.

[56:14] Rothwald?

[56:15] Leave it to Cherry Picker.

[56:16] Yes.

[56:17] It's an answer, right?

[56:18] Right.

[56:19] Okay.

[56:21] Resolution is adopted.

[56:26] Resolution 807.

[56:28] Awards bid for queues.

[56:29] Flex attract.

[56:31] C550.

[56:32] C.

[56:33] Portable video pipe.

[56:34] Inspection camera.

[56:36] Or equal.

[56:36] so moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waski? Yes. Maryfield? Yes. Turn? Yes. Rothwell? Yes.

[56:44] Alpin? Yes sir. Resolutions adopted. Resolution 808. Extend is bid for 2025

[56:51] annual procurement contract so moved. Seconded. Vote please. Waski? Yes. Maryfield? Yes.

[56:58] Turn? Yes. Rothwell? Yes. Alpin. Yes sir. Resolutions adopted. Resolution 809.

[57:06] extends bids for 2025 annual construction contract so moved. Second vote please.

[57:12] Waski? Yes. Maryfield? Yes.

[57:14] Kern? Yes.

[57:16] Rothwell? Yes.

[57:17] Alpin? Yes sir.

[57:18] Resolution is adopted. Resolution 8-10.

[57:22] Approved special event shop. The 255 application for Kutja, Gliance Club and your favorite.

[57:29] Blues by the river. So moved.

[57:31] A second did. Vote please.

[57:33] Waski? Yes.

[57:34] Yes.

[57:34] Very healed.

[57:35] Yes, it's going to be great.

[57:37] Kern.

[57:37] Yes.

[57:38] Rothwell.

[57:38] Yes.

[57:39] Alpen.

[57:40] Yes, sir.

[57:40] The solution is adopted.

[57:42] Resolution 8-11.

[57:44] Ratifies designation of alcohol service vendor to serve alcohol at the Polish independent

[57:49] Hall Festival, 2026.

[57:51] So moved.

[57:52] Seconded.

[57:54] Vote, please.

[57:55] Washington.

[57:55] Yes.

[57:56] Very healed.

[57:57] That's why it's a ratified.

[57:58] Kern.

[57:59] Yes.

[58:00] Rothwell.

[58:01] Yes.

[58:01] Alpen.

[58:03] Resolution is adopted. Resolution 812.

[58:07] Authorizes designated alcohol service vendor to serve alcohol at the blues by the Bay event in Grangeville Park.

[58:15] So moved. Second, vote please.

[58:17] Waski. Yes. Maryfield. Yes.

[58:20] Kern. Yes.

[58:21] Rothwell. Yes. Alpine. Yes, sir.

[58:23] Resolution is adopted. Resolution number 813.

[58:26] A's bill so moved. Second, vote please. Wasky? Yes. Very few? Yes.

[58:33] Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay. Yes sir. The resolution is adopted. That concludes the resolution portion of our agenda.

[58:43] We do have a CDA meeting after our meeting tonight. So in just a few minutes after open comment we'll have our CDA meeting.

[58:53] But at this time, we'd like to open our floor for open comments.

[58:57] Again, we asked that when you come to them, we'd ask that you're sitting in our audience

[59:01] that just had a respect for those sitting around you that you do keep your conversations

[59:06] quiet.

[59:08] But we ask that you come up, you say your name and your Hamlet, and then if you could also

[59:13] just again be mindful of your neighbors.

[59:16] And as long as they're good, I believe they formed a line, you just want to ask the people

[59:18] behind you if that's okay, ma'am.

[59:20] Oh, I didn't say, she was there.

[59:22] Oh, was she?

[59:23] I was there.

[59:24] So that's OK.

[59:26] Hi, I'm Mary Beth Andrewsson.

[59:28] I live in church lane in Acabog.

[59:31] And actually, I'm going to, I'm probably

[59:33] at the wrong meeting.

[59:34] I should be at traffic and safety.

[59:37] But I'm here tonight because the traffic on church lane,

[59:41] which pool of Michael look closer to your mouth

[59:42] so we can hear you real quickly.

[59:44] Yes, ma'am.

[59:44] Thank you so much.

[59:45] The traffic on church lane has become unbelievable.

[59:50] The summer traffic is always heavier than the winter traffic.

[59:53] I've lived there 51 years and we have multiple new developments on that road.

[1:00:00] We now have people walking on that road, which we never had 50 years ago, and they're walking

[1:00:06] on the wrong side of the road, but it's a very dangerous road. It's torturous, and it's got

[1:00:12] banks on either side, and you can't get out of the way of a moving car. And the speed limit

[1:00:18] was 55 years and years ago, has come down to 35, but nobody's doing 35. They're doing 45

[1:00:26] 25 and 50 as per everybody does, 10 to 15 miles over the speed limit when they drive.

[1:00:33] We don't have enough police to monitor the speed on that road, so I'm going to go to the

[1:00:37] traffic and safety meeting and give my blah, blah, blah to them because I don't want

[1:00:44] to see somebody killed on that road, and it's just a matter of time.

[1:00:48] You can't, the road is just too torturous or winding, whatever you'd like to call it,

[1:00:55] And to be honest with you, you can't get off that road if a car is coming down because

[1:01:00] the overhomes are built on banks because that is the way the water flows to meeting house

[1:01:07] creek.

[1:01:08] So I'm sorry I'm at the wrong meeting, but I just want to bring it to everybody's attention.

[1:01:14] Please be careful and be safe because Sweden adopted a zero vision to maintain speeds that

[1:01:23] that are safer, because if somebody hits you at 40,

[1:01:27] you're gonna suffer great bodily harm.

[1:01:30] Thank you very much.

[1:01:31] Mrs. and Jason.

[1:01:36] You're not at the wrong meeting,

[1:01:37] you're always welcome to come

[1:01:38] and to speak at our meeting, and I think Councilman.

[1:01:40] Mrs. Andreessen, so you, just so you're aware,

[1:01:44] so the next traffic safety meeting will be Thursday,

[1:01:47] the 27th that's in this room at 8.30 in the morning.

[1:01:50] I'll talk to the chief, what we'll do is we'll put-

[1:02:04] I don't think that Mrs. Andrews and has ever been told that she needed a microphone.

[1:02:08] I was going to say it better.

[1:02:12] I know you don't.

[1:02:16] You're welcome.

[1:02:20] Paul and Tucker from Riverhead.

[1:02:22] Last night I attended an anti-bias task force meeting that was held right here in this

[1:02:28] room.

[1:02:30] I wanted to get a feel for what they did.

[1:02:34] So I asked the task force if they had discussed the impact of ICE actions on town residents and if they had been asked for or made a recommendation to the town board about ICE's impact on our Latino community.

[1:02:51] They said no, which seemed odd to me.

[1:02:56] So, I asked them if the Ku Klux Klan marched down Main Street, would that be an issue that

[1:03:05] would fall under their purview?

[1:03:07] And they said no, which, again, seems rather odd for the anti-biased task force.

[1:03:17] I've also been trying to find a record of what, if anything, the Hispanic Development

[1:03:21] Empowerment and Education Committee has done about addressing the prejudice being directed

[1:03:27] that are at our Latino community.

[1:03:29] There appears to be no record of any action

[1:03:31] of any type by this committee,

[1:03:34] including if they even meet at all.

[1:03:38] The Antibias Task Force and the HDEC

[1:03:41] provide a great illusion

[1:03:45] that you were doing something for our immigrants.

[1:03:48] But in fact, you provide no representation for them,

[1:03:52] whatsoever.

[1:03:53] However, there are two questions that I have asked you numerous times and you have avoided

[1:03:58] answering them.

[1:04:00] So I think tonight they deserve an answer.

[1:04:04] Do you intend to take immediate action to mitigate the fears of town residents being

[1:04:10] caused by ICE actions?

[1:04:12] And do you intend to take immediate steps to address the safety concerns of all town residents

[1:04:18] being caused by ICE actions?

[1:04:25] I just want to give you time to speak for your comments, Mr. Tucker.

[1:04:28] Waiting for your answer.

[1:04:30] So I can...

[1:04:30] Public comment.

[1:04:31] Yes.

[1:04:32] I understand that.

[1:04:33] So, you can utilize the last 46 seconds.

[1:04:40] I care not to.

[1:04:42] I care to hear answers to my questions and I realize that I am not following your rules

[1:04:46] of order, but I have asked you these questions numerous times and you don't answer.

[1:04:52] And I think the residents of the town deserve an answer.

[1:04:55] So,

[1:04:58] I will ask you again to take immediate steps to mitigate the fears of town residents

[1:05:07] being caused by ICE actions.

[1:05:09] And do you intend to take immediate steps to address the safety concerns of all town residents

[1:05:16] being caused by ICE actions?

[1:05:19] So, Mr. Tugger, I constantly speak to everyone about safety in our town about everyone.

[1:05:24] So that would be my answer to that.

[1:05:25] It's not limited to any area and we're always constantly speaking to all of our things,

[1:05:30] all of our officers, and our PD, so.

[1:05:34] Okay, so I will mark that as no, you have no intent to take any actions.

[1:05:41] Maybe.

[1:05:41] Thank you.

[1:05:49] Good evening, everyone.

[1:05:50] My name is Minerva Perez.

[1:05:51] I'm the Executive Director of Ola of Eastern Long Island.

[1:05:54] And I'm here.

[1:05:55] I'm here.

[1:05:56] Ola has dedicated 24 years of service.

[1:05:58] I'm sorry.

[1:05:59] What's your hand?

[1:06:00] What's your hand?

[1:06:01] My Hamlet is the entire East End of Long Island.

[1:06:04] So we serve the whole East End of Long Island.

[1:06:07] What's your question?

[1:06:08] I'm sorry.

[1:06:09] The Hamlet that I serve, or the Hamlet that I live in, or.

[1:06:12] I'm just asking the Hamlet that you reside in.

[1:06:16] OK, so I reside in South Hampton.

[1:06:18] And our nonprofit serves the entire East

[1:06:21] End for the last 24 years.

[1:06:23] We do a lot of work in Riverhead across the schools.

[1:06:27] We'll also with elders and all kinds of other work

[1:06:29] that we do.

[1:06:29] Alright, so I'll make that clear and it is Riverhead on the right side of the river supervisor.

[1:06:35] So I'm here because I don't understand why such an important conversation like this could

[1:06:40] not have been moved to a serious and meaningful conversation in a work session.

[1:06:44] I sat here for about three hours during one board meeting about one hour of that was dedicated

[1:06:49] to whether or not a motocross should happen in the town of Riverhead and it was a real conversation.

[1:06:54] There were proponents of it, there were people that did not like this idea at all, there was

[1:06:58] study done in environmental study, there were very deep conversations that were happening

[1:07:03] about a motocross.

[1:07:05] And thank heavens because that's what a town board does.

[1:07:07] They hear from their constituents, they learn about the reasons that someone might want

[1:07:11] this or not want this, and they come to decisions based on that information.

[1:07:16] What I'm seeing right now is that there has been just this nonstop desire to mischaracterize

[1:07:23] what the Ola Public Safety and Accountability Law actually is.

[1:07:26] I truly believe many folks have not actually read it.

[1:07:29] It is the most simple thing ever.

[1:07:31] It does not replicate whatever New York State is doing.

[1:07:34] It is essentially also a love letter, and I can speak with law enforcement directly later,

[1:07:38] but a love letter to law enforcement and our towns about what we do together so that when

[1:07:44] there is a random ice raid that comes to town as they do, and as they will again, that what

[1:07:49] we want to see is more presence from local law enforcement in a coordinated way with the

[1:07:54] town, and with health care, with our schools, to make sure that there is not a rise in panic

[1:08:02] and chaos and possible injury, which we've seen in the past and other areas.

[1:08:06] So this is a law for a reason.

[1:08:08] It's not a place to dig around and find provisions that might exist in some deep space that might

[1:08:13] in a policy that might address a piece of here and a piece of there.

[1:08:18] It is a law on purpose, that makes it very clear to both the town board and all of our

[1:08:23] institutions, our law enforcement and our people that live here, that visit here, that drive

[1:08:28] through here, that shop here, that there is a plan in action in the event, there's something

[1:08:33] that could be causing panic and disruption because that's not something that you want

[1:08:37] and you ask for. No one's asking you to stop ICE. We're talking about public safety and having

[1:08:42] a plan. Let's have a real conversation about it with actual real information and facts. I'd

[1:08:47] I'd love to do that with you.

[1:09:00] Evan, shape any hollow.

[1:09:03] First, I really hate following you after such a good speech.

[1:09:06] Sorry.

[1:09:08] I'm only here because, as a rapid response to ice operations,

[1:09:13] there was a nice incident today.

[1:09:15] I'm not sure if anyone was aware of it on Malin Avenue.

[1:09:19] Another one was also in another area of River Ants.

[1:09:22] So they are here.

[1:09:23] You know, that's two.

[1:09:24] If they double, that's four.

[1:09:26] And if they double, again, it's eight.

[1:09:27] sooner or later there's going to be quite a few. So I guess the conversation will maybe

[1:09:31] come up for you guys sooner or later. I hope that we do the right thing for us. I think

[1:09:35] you'll have other people following behind me with the additional information so I'll

[1:09:38] let them do it. Thank you so much for your time.

[1:09:46] Cindy Clifford, Riverhead. I know it's election season and here in Riverhead we've seen the

[1:09:50] migrant issue take center stage or at least the last five local election cycles. We see

[1:09:56] how scapegoating fuels the hateful comments online turning neighbor against neighbor. So

[1:10:01] So it's understandable you haven't been supporting our Latino or Hispanic residents, you let

[1:10:04] people believe there were threat in the enemy.

[1:10:07] You use code wording like overcrowded housing, and ignore that the landlords and circumstances

[1:10:12] create that problem.

[1:10:14] Yet many are legal residents, many pursuing paths to citizenship, many already citizens,

[1:10:19] and they're still having to be afraid.

[1:10:22] What is pledging liberty and justice for all if we're ignoring the height of prejudice and

[1:10:27] cruelty that ignores the rule of law that is the backbone of our Constitution.

[1:10:33] Instead of liberty and justice we're seeing people being harmed, targeted, essentially

[1:10:37] punished for how they look and all the while they're just trying to live their lives, take

[1:10:41] care of their families and do the hard work that supports our local businesses and industries.

[1:10:47] Joanne, I know this was not a private post so I'm going to mention that you put on Facebook

[1:10:52] that you feel like people are coming after you and you're pleading for support because

[1:10:56] you want to be reelected but imagine if I did not say that I wanted to be

[1:11:00] reelected. Well you were concerned that you know whatever but you said

[1:11:03] people were coming after you and you were upset. And I'm just saying imagine if

[1:11:09] people were coming after you to grab you from your family or your home what if

[1:11:13] brunettes were being targeted. What if balding white guys were being targeted?

[1:11:18] Imagine living with the fear and the real possibility of leaving your family

[1:11:24] only in the morning and never getting back home.

[1:11:27] When you've done nothing wrong, being incarcerated and subjected to abuse, neglect, and nothing

[1:11:32] and no one to help you, all because of how you look, or because there's a quota to fill,

[1:11:37] and people who could help aren't.

[1:11:40] If you don't believe what I'm saying, I ask you to verify what you read or hear to broaden

[1:11:45] your information based to gain a more factual perspective.

[1:11:49] As an elected official, your first responsibility should be to make sure every resident

[1:11:53] Regardless of their heritage is safe and secure and knows that you and our police department

[1:11:58] are working for their best interest.

[1:12:00] The Ola resolution doesn't have to be accepted exactly as it is, but it cannot be any longer

[1:12:06] blatantly ignored.

[1:12:08] We want you, our town government, to put aside your personal bias and work to create a sense

[1:12:14] of safety.

[1:12:15] So everyone is free to go about their lives, go to work, send their children to school,

[1:12:21] and know that they will all gather around the dinner table at day's end.

[1:12:25] Those who can help should.

[1:12:27] Thank you.

[1:12:36] Hello, everyone.

[1:12:37] My name is Brianna Hurn, and I reside in Riverhead.

[1:12:40] I'm a concerned heartbroken and frankly enraged resident and American citizen,

[1:12:46] as well as a wife, mother, neighbor, and friend.

[1:12:49] I'm here again to urge the Riverhead Town Board to pass or at least consider

[1:12:53] the Ola legislation for the sake of our entire community.

[1:12:56] We all deserve the right to feel safe and secure in our own homes and communities, and

[1:13:02] this is particularly true of children.

[1:13:04] In order for them to grow up to be healthy and happy and become productive, well adjusted

[1:13:10] members of society, they must feel safe and protected.

[1:13:13] As a mother, the safety of all the children in our community is of utmost importance to me

[1:13:18] as I'm sure it is to most of you.

[1:13:21] And I can tell you that our children, particularly our Latino children, do not feel safe.

[1:13:26] According to a Board of Report from April of this year, 145,000 U.S. citizen children have

[1:13:33] lost a parent and 22,000 U.S. citizen children have lost both parents to ICE detention.

[1:13:39] This is most likely a severe undercount because the report came out in April in thousands

[1:13:43] where people have been detained since then and when asked parents to not want to reveal

[1:13:47] they have children for fear of adverse consequences, which we have seen.

[1:13:51] Children in our community and across the country understand this is happening.

[1:13:56] They fear coming home from school camp or an outing with friends to find their parents

[1:13:59] and caregivers gone.

[1:14:02] Can you imagine that fear?

[1:14:03] That anxiety, that trauma, what kind of impact is the state of being having on their psyche?

[1:14:10] Furthermore, many of the children with detained parents witness their forceful and often violent

[1:14:15] arrest and removal compounding that fear, anxiety, and trauma.

[1:14:19] In the case of Johann Guerrero's daughter, she experienced the murder of her father in

[1:14:24] front of her eyes by her government's hands.

[1:14:27] Those who perpetrated this crime have not yet been held responsible.

[1:14:31] In fact, none of the ICE agents who have murdered immigrants and citizens alike have been held

[1:14:36] accountable.

[1:14:38] The acute pain and overwhelming terror of that moment and this overarching situation and

[1:14:42] moment in our history is unfathomable.

[1:14:45] Right now, there is no reliable data on how many detainees or deportees have children in the US,

[1:14:51] nor what happens to them once their parent is taken into custody.

[1:14:55] And this is why, among many other reasons, that we must pass the low...

[1:15:00] A legislation. We have to take immediate action to minimize the fear, pain, anxiety, and trauma inflicted on the children in our community when one or more of their parents is inevitably detained and or deported by ICE. We need a local law that requires ICE to be transparent with an accountable to our institutions and local law enforcement. We as a community must understand who the affected individuals are so we can respond accordingly. If the laws pass, we will know if a child in our community is impacted by a detention under schools and local providers.

[1:15:29] will be mobilized to alert families and provide the necessary care.

[1:15:33] We must protect our children and we must strive to ensure that they are safe and cared for

[1:15:37] for our future.

[1:15:39] Thank you.

[1:15:46] Hi.

[1:15:46] I'll say that way, waiting.

[1:15:47] River.

[1:15:48] A while back, I started learning about a concept called radical empathy.

[1:15:52] Radical empathy means removing your own ego, judgment, and personal bias to truly immerse

[1:15:57] yourself in another person's lived experience while also examining the roots of your own prejudices

[1:16:02] and taking concrete action against injustice.

[1:16:06] Recently, for me, that concept has been put to the test.

[1:16:10] Working with a local group of young people

[1:16:12] right here in Riverhead,

[1:16:13] we have been educating our local immigrant population

[1:16:16] of their rights should ice come to town.

[1:16:19] Through that work, I met a woman

[1:16:20] who lives and works right here in Riverhead

[1:16:22] with her two young children.

[1:16:24] She is hard working, kind, and loving.

[1:16:27] She is also undocumented, but going for her permanent status.

[1:16:30] Despite that, the three of them were detained by ICE and held in a detention center in New York City for nearly a month in December of 2025.

[1:16:42] She and her children were terrified. One of her children continues to have nightmares from the experience.

[1:16:48] She was sent home with an angle monitor. She is all of four feet 11 inches.

[1:16:53] She is doing it the right way in seeking asylum and a new life here in our country with her kids.

[1:17:00] I visit them often to remind them that there is good in the world and that they don't

[1:17:04] always have to fear people here, but they are still afraid and understandably so.

[1:17:10] I have radical empathy for them, as I can imagine what it would be like if that had happened

[1:17:14] to me and my children, and so I let them know that they are loved, at least by me.

[1:17:20] We have become friends and I am richer for having them in my life.

[1:17:24] That's what radical empathy brings.

[1:17:25] Ms. Wasky, you and I share something in common.

[1:17:30] We both knew and loved Carrie Stromsky, a beloved riverhead teacher who passed away

[1:17:34] sadly several years ago.

[1:17:37] I often find myself thinking of her when I think of radical empathy because she had it.

[1:17:42] As a teacher, she didn't ask her students to show her their papers.

[1:17:45] She did what she was legally and morally required to do.

[1:17:49] Educate them regardless of their immigration status.

[1:17:52] Regardless of their opinions, that's what teachers are legally required to do here in

[1:17:58] New York State.

[1:17:59] The same goes for other elected officials in this state, including this town board.

[1:18:04] You all sworn oath to the Constitution when you were sworn in.

[1:18:09] So despite your opinion to which you are entitled as an individual, you are required to represent

[1:18:14] all Riverhead residents regardless of their status and is not your job to ask.

[1:18:18] Please consider joining me and so many others here an expressing radical empathy for all

[1:18:24] of our neighbors.

[1:18:25] It feels really good to love rather than hate.

[1:18:28] Supporting the OLA legislation is a start.

[1:18:32] You might even make some new friends.

[1:18:34] Thank you.

[1:18:44] Sarah Reynolds, Riverhead.

[1:18:46] Hi.

[1:18:48] I just want to start by asking some questions.

[1:18:50] I'm sorry.

[1:18:51] Can you just pull a bike up a little bit?

[1:18:52] Sure.

[1:18:53] Should our tax dollars pay for the federal government to act in secret within our

[1:18:57] community. Are you okay with it as long as it doesn't affect you? How do you know for sure it

[1:19:02] won't affect you if there's no transparency? No cooperation with local law enforcement and no

[1:19:07] oversight on some level? To my point the last time I spoke here, we can see there is no accountability

[1:19:13] transparency or concern for public safety at the federal level because there is contempt for the

[1:19:18] Constitution and the rule of law by this administration. Rather, they seem to want the law to apply to

[1:19:25] There's some people and not others.

[1:19:27] There should not be two sets of laws in this country,

[1:19:30] one for Trump loyalists and another for everyone else,

[1:19:32] or one for wealthy people and another for everyone else.

[1:19:37] And yet, here we are.

[1:19:39] So what do we do if the federal government is going rogue?

[1:19:42] Do we not have the right to petition for redress

[1:19:44] of our grievances and protection for our communities

[1:19:47] at the state and local level?

[1:19:49] That's what we're doing here.

[1:19:51] And again, just because this culture of lawlessness

[1:19:54] this doesn't affect you, just because the violence and brutality of families being torn

[1:19:59] apart and children being held in detention centers doesn't affect you, do you look away?

[1:20:04] Should our tax dollars be used to pay for the federal government to disrupt public safety

[1:20:08] in our community?

[1:20:09] Are you okay with it as long as it's happening over there to someone else?

[1:20:12] And how do you know it won't affect you if proper procedures have not been put in place

[1:20:16] locally, such as the Ola Law, to deal with such disruptions?

[1:20:20] A person's immigration status should not matter in how they are treated, because everyone

[1:20:24] is supposed to get equal treatment under the law and should get equal treatment by anyone

[1:20:28] with moral values.

[1:20:30] No one deserves to be gunned down by a law enforcement officer acting as judge, jury,

[1:20:34] and executioner.

[1:20:36] I constantly hear people say there's a right way and a wrong way in relation to immigration,

[1:20:42] but there's also a right way and a wrong way to treat people.

[1:20:45] And there's a right way and a wrong way to enforce the law.

[1:20:47] The right way is by not breaking the law yourself.

[1:20:54] A bit of Ferdinand is a small community like ours and a young father was shot and killed

[1:20:59] there by ice last month, Johann Sebastian Guerrero.

[1:21:02] He was here legally on a work visa, legally on a work visa.

[1:21:07] This was not an isolated incident because we have seen this kind of violence used against

[1:21:11] American citizens, green card holders documented and undocumented immigrants alike.

[1:21:16] So, I want to know what you would do if this were to happen in Riverhead.

[1:21:23] What are your moral values in relation to how human beings should be treated, and what

[1:21:27] is your commitment to people in our community being treated equally under the law?

[1:21:32] Thank you.

[1:21:43] Kimberly Wilder, Riverhead Riverhead, which is probably the best Riverhead.

[1:21:47] Who is an elected official in a democracy responsible for taking care of?

[1:21:52] Who is an elected official in a democracy responsible for taking care of?

[1:21:57] And also which beings, which living souls in a democracy are meant to receive resources, concern, and leadership from elected officials.

[1:22:07] One of our council people has asserted on a personal or campaign media site that they are only responsible for people who are here legally.

[1:22:15] This line of reasoning leaves open many questions about who our council people should protect and whose rights they should honor.

[1:22:21] is an elected official at any level of government responsible for people in

[1:22:28] that jurisdiction who are illegal in some way. What if someone resides in an

[1:22:32] illegal apartment? What if someone is living with but not married to a resident

[1:22:37] of the jurisdiction? At one length of time what are council people care about the

[1:22:42] health, safety and human rights of the person newly moved here? Elected officials

[1:22:48] officials ultimately get their power from the voters.

[1:22:51] Does an elected officially, technically, or morally, or in their heart represent only

[1:22:57] people who are registered to vote, do elected officials represent people who are not registered

[1:23:02] to vote?

[1:23:03] Does an elected official technically represent children under 18 years old?

[1:23:08] Should elected officials care about tourists in their jurisdiction to make sure that tourists

[1:23:14] are safe on the roads and are protected from human rights abuses that might happen.

[1:23:20] Do the people from New York City and NASA County who travel through here deserve safe roads?

[1:23:26] Would our residents be more or less safe by us having a good healthcare system

[1:23:30] and policies that prevent the spread of disease?

[1:23:33] What if somebody who's from NASA County gets a cold? What if someone who's from Guatemala gets a cold?

[1:23:38] What if someone who is living in an illegal apartment gets a cold?

[1:23:42] or someone who doesn't vote gets a cold.

[1:23:44] We care about all these things because all these things about all the beings in our community

[1:23:49] come back and happen to everybody in our community.

[1:23:54] I think that elected officials need to be responsible for every being in their community.

[1:24:00] And some of the elected officials in our community and in our town even work for animal shelters

[1:24:05] and help animal causes.

[1:24:07] And if they can help animal causes, then they can help people who traveled across the

[1:24:12] he's to come to our country.

[1:24:20] Good evening, Kerry Flanagan, Riverhead.

[1:24:23] A few days ago, I was parked in Riverhead

[1:24:25] when an older gentleman stopped and asked for directions

[1:24:28] to a location in Riverhead.

[1:24:30] By his appearance and his heavy accent,

[1:24:32] it seemed clear he was most likely not born in the US.

[1:24:36] As I gave him directions, he told me

[1:24:37] he had driven over 70 miles from Ridgewood Queens

[1:24:42] to get to Riverhead.

[1:24:44] As he drove away, there was that thought in my head

[1:24:47] That this man could be someone that some or maybe all town board members would not select

[1:24:52] to be there first and foremost concern based on his appearance and accent if he was to

[1:24:59] need aid assistance or was involved in an incident with ICE.

[1:25:03] That thought is shocking to me now and it is a shameful and said commentary on the state

[1:25:08] of our town or rather a shameful and said commentary on the state of our town board members.

[1:25:14] especially a town board member who expressed that sentiment during exchange with me on July 21st.

[1:25:21] By the way, that exchange has now been viewed over 20,000 times on social media.

[1:25:27] 20,000 views from people not just in Riverhead but from other areas of New York and across the country.

[1:25:36] 20,000 times for people to listen and consider if they want to stay, visit or spend their money here.

[1:25:43] Should I have warned that immigrant man of his possible peril?

[1:25:47] Should I have told him to turn around and go back to Queens where he might be safer or be prepared to show his papers?

[1:25:54] These are not questions I would have considered before July 21st.

[1:25:58] Statements that went unopposed from the rest of the town board members.

[1:26:01] Pricots from all of you, even our town attorney, who doesn't appear to know the fine details of the Constitution to which old board members were in oath.

[1:26:10] Did I mention that the gentleman asking for directions was white, Polish and spoke with

[1:26:16] the heavy Polish accent? Should I have to mention that? I hope you got to the Polish festival

[1:26:21] and enjoyed his time. I think the time period from now until the next town board elections

[1:26:26] takes place is the time for many of us to watch the town board's job performance and consider

[1:26:32] who we want to represent us, all of us, and who will always lead and consider anyone

[1:26:38] someone who resides in visits or spends money in our town.

[1:26:43] Maybe hotels on Main Street Basit empty if this town board's reputation gets beyond

[1:26:47] 20,000 views on social media, whether it's a Polish, Latino person, a Latino person,

[1:26:54] a Haitian, Jamaica, et cetera.

[1:26:56] If the town board leaders can't lead with open minds, avoid their personal opinions toward

[1:27:01] certain people based on their immigration status and they can't be concerned with everyone.

[1:27:07] They have failed as leaders, and they should lead no one and be voted out.

[1:27:12] Thank you.

[1:27:20] Good evening.

[1:27:21] My name is Trisha Martinez, and I'm a Riverhead resident.

[1:27:25] Through my work, I've had the privilege of working alongside families, parents, and students across the East End, but especially here in Riverhead.

[1:27:32] During that time, I've seen firsthand the fear and uncertainty many are experiencing because of recent immigration enforcement.

[1:27:40] So this is why I support the OLA public safety law.

[1:27:43] This is not an anti-ice law.

[1:27:46] It does not stop lawful federal immigration enforcement.

[1:27:50] It creates clear communication transparency and accountability for our local leaders

[1:27:55] when immigration enforcement activities are taking place and can respond appropriately to protect our community.

[1:28:01] It helps ensure that residents can continue reporting crimes, seeking emergency assistance, accessing schools and health care without unnecessary fear.

[1:28:10] I urge the town board to review and support the OLA public safety law and stand for a

[1:28:16] rubberhead that values public safety, respecting constitutional rights, and the dignity of every

[1:28:22] single member of this community because you represent every single member of this community.

[1:28:27] Thank you.

[1:28:36] Sally DeNellan, Betty Hollow, I join in.

[1:28:41] To begin, I support ICE operations.

[1:28:45] if they're going after criminals who break the law.

[1:28:50] I worked as a teacher in Brentwood for 20 years,

[1:28:54] and we had a huge problem with MS-13.

[1:29:00] Ice came in, along with other agencies,

[1:29:04] and helped us rid of MS-13.

[1:29:09] And I also want to share with you that a student of mine

[1:29:13] was murdered in broad daylight. A block from her home by that gang. I like

[1:29:20] Dice then. Not so sure what I think now. You can see the news.

[1:29:27] I'm seeing persons

[1:29:28] with just civil violations having their rights taken away.

[1:29:36] Congress is frequently

[1:29:37] denied access.

[1:29:42] Now, I was going to say a lot more. Oh yes, I know the other point I wanted

[1:29:47] to make because I'm reducing my comments.

[1:29:54] I've heard that it's a federal law is the

[1:30:00] Please, in that we can't question the circumstances that we are in now. I disagree with that. Please take

[1:30:09] a look at the civil rights movement of the 60s. Laws were changed. You yourselves fought

[1:30:16] back against the Suffolk County Water Authority. So I really don't see that much of a difference.

[1:30:24] Other East End Towns are looking at this, but not us, not yet, not yet.

[1:30:31] That was always what I used to say to my students.

[1:30:34] Miss, I don't get this, not yet, but you will.

[1:30:39] Now, couple of board members have expressed their views

[1:30:43] and a couple of you have remained silent.

[1:30:48] Now, we didn't create this mess.

[1:30:51] None of us in this room created this huge immigration mess.

[1:30:55] It's been a mess for at least two decades.

[1:30:58] Congress has not been able to fix it.

[1:31:00] Our court system is broken.

[1:31:04] But who's being punished?

[1:31:09] Dreamers dreams are smashed.

[1:31:12] Promise protection status is taken away, willy-nilly.

[1:31:17] Okay, now I'm going to get really harsh.

[1:31:20] And forgive me.

[1:31:22] Tough love.

[1:31:23] Town board meetings begin with the Pledge of Allegiance, with liberty and justice for all.

[1:31:31] These days, ICE does not adhere to that.

[1:31:36] They did when I had to fight MS-13, but I don't know what happened.

[1:31:40] Our meetings also begin with the Christian prayer, indicating a desire to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

[1:31:49] First, Jesus emphasized the importance of treating strangers in our lands with kindness and

[1:31:58] compassion.

[1:31:59] Sally, clearly Sally, I'm just going to ask you that just a second, if you just take

[1:32:03] a couple of seconds and wrap up, that'll be great.

[1:32:07] What, do you want me to go on?

[1:32:08] Want me to finish?

[1:32:09] I've got like ten more sentences or do you want to talk to me about something?

[1:32:12] No, I just wanted you to finish over your time just a little bit, so it would be a thankful

[1:32:16] so much.

[1:32:16] I only have about seven more sentences, please.

[1:32:20] Thank you.

[1:32:23] Jesus emphasized the importance of treating strangers.

[1:32:26] I already said that.

[1:32:27] Clearly this is not happening.

[1:32:30] We can say the pledge.

[1:32:32] We can say a prayer.

[1:32:33] But that is not enough.

[1:32:35] Action is required.

[1:32:38] Please take action.

[1:32:40] And have a discussion about Ola's proposal.

[1:32:43] Create a bipartisan task force to discuss this.

[1:32:46] Let's have those tough conversations. We can handle it.

[1:32:51] Bring it to a work session.

[1:32:53] Protect the principles of a nation founded as a democracy.

[1:32:58] This is our part, as a grassroots level,

[1:33:02] to support those less fortunate than us.

[1:33:06] It is a step to common decency.

[1:33:14] Thank you for your comments.

[1:33:20] Well, I was going to ask you, since you both have spoke, if you would wait until everyone

[1:33:24] has the top opportunity to speak for the first time, I like your fairness.

[1:33:27] Okay, thank you.

[1:33:29] Appreciate you.

[1:33:30] And then you can come back up.

[1:33:31] That would be great.

[1:33:32] But let's not everybody have an opportunity to speak.

[1:33:34] So thank you.

[1:33:38] Good evening.

[1:33:39] I'm Charles Masoud.

[1:33:41] My family and I, we own Parminog vineyards and Parminog vineyards.

[1:33:46] And I'm looking at this thing on the wall, it says peace and prosperity through progress.

[1:33:52] I would love to live in that town.

[1:33:56] But I don't see how we will live up to the motto.

[1:34:01] Somebody in town has drafted this private events bill that is out circulating.

[1:34:08] And I don't know what they're thinking. They want to look at our finances,

[1:34:11] They want to threaten us with penalties, they want to regulate our lives, and what problem are we fixing with that bill?

[1:34:19] I haven't heard anybody from town coming to me and say, hey, we have a problem. Let's sit down and talk about your business.

[1:34:26] What's going on? You come up like as if we're all out there trying to create problems for town and you're restricted to 60 different, have you read that thing?

[1:34:36] I mean, it's ridiculous that you can even think about putting something out there.

[1:34:42] It happens not to be acceptable because Ag and Market precludes you from doing this

[1:34:49] thing.

[1:34:51] So let me vent a little bit, but I want to leave with a suggestion, it's not enough to vent,

[1:34:57] we need to be constructive.

[1:34:59] The same way my previous colleagues who spoke, it's not enough to vent, come up with ideas.

[1:35:09] What I would suggest to you as a board and you as a supervisor is if you really think

[1:35:14] you have a problem with the wineries, bring us in, let's have a conversation, let's understand

[1:35:20] what is the problem you're trying to fix, and let's see if we cannot come up with a solution

[1:35:24] that's good for everybody, but when you throw at us the book like that, I don't know what

[1:35:31] to tell you, I mean this is unbelievable, you're living in another world, wake up and start

[1:35:41] working with us, you're working for us, we're not working for you.

[1:35:45] If you have a problem call us in, we sit down together, we help you figure it out, we know

[1:35:50] than you what we're doing. And therefore we can tell you what can be done. But don't come up,

[1:35:56] have you read it that they want to look at our finances? Are you going to hire auditors to look

[1:36:00] at our books? Are you going to build up the bureaucracy to spend more money? It's our money you're wasting.

[1:36:07] So to what end? I've been doing this for 43 years now. We are a good neighbor. We have no problem

[1:36:15] with traffic we obey the laws we are a good public citizen I speak for myself and for my

[1:36:21] colleague wineries as well why are you treating us in a way that feels like you don't want us here

[1:36:27] our business is down as you know wine consumption is down instead of the town helping us do better

[1:36:34] you're trying to crucify us I mean come on wake up guys you're not doing your job by just sitting

[1:36:42] behind the desk and issuing laws and whatever, call us in, let's have a conversation, we can

[1:36:51] help you, help us. But having your lawyers drafts things that require us to hire lawyers

[1:36:59] to sue you is not the idea to run the town. Okay, so please wake up, call us in, we'll have

[1:37:07] a meeting, we'll help you, if there is a problem, we would love to solve it, we've been very

[1:37:12] with public citizens and we will be here after you all have left. So bring us in. Let's

[1:37:18] talk and stop this nonsense. Please. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

[1:37:26] Just

[1:37:34] waiting for the clerk. Okay. Hey, hi, everyone. Get that Rosario Rodriguez or

[1:37:39] originally Rosario Rodriguez. Riverhead resident, urge, urging for a conversation and review of

[1:37:45] all the local legislation, many people that aren't convicted criminal, sorry, many people

[1:37:52] that aren't convicted violent criminals and are not receiving due process that are

[1:37:55] being picked up by immigration, also known as ICE. We had a situation like that already

[1:38:00] during President Trump's second term. We had community members on the east end here, yes,

[1:38:06] where we live, that had no deportation order, no known record of being a violent person

[1:38:14] and professionally nor in the community, and in fact their local police department provided

[1:38:18] the community member a sheet that proved that they had no criminal record.

[1:38:25] So there was also someone else that had a working permit, so they were doing it legally according

[1:38:30] to what you guys like to follow, and as we all should follow, right?

[1:38:35] These are people on the east end, there's factual people, factual experiences, but how can

[1:38:41] we ensure that we remove violent criminals, convicted criminals, and not our innocent community

[1:38:47] members that are being falsely targeted on the East End.

[1:38:51] I immigrated to this country in 2001, from Guatemala.

[1:38:56] I grew up on the East End, K through 12, you can find me in the yearbooks.

[1:39:00] If you want, I can sign it, you know, for homies.

[1:39:03] You know, I went to college and I graduated at SUNY O'Neil in 2019, and I'm here until

[1:39:09] this day.

[1:39:10] I was a permanent resident for over a decade, and then I became a US citizen almost a decade

[1:39:15] of that.

[1:39:18] So, Ken, a councilman, Ken, you're the town liaison for the HDEEC.

[1:39:24] The chairman says the current immigration enforcement actions doesn't affect the committee

[1:39:28] that was in the newspaper, but it does affect, it does affect because immigrants do have

[1:39:34] businesses here in Riverhead, and you know that, you all the permits and all the fancy stuff.

[1:39:39] And at one point, some of them, a few of them have expressed the impacts and the presence

[1:39:44] of ice on them and how that's affected them as a business.

[1:39:49] I love the East End with all my heart, especially Greenport because that's where I grew up.

[1:39:53] It gave me the opportunity to achieve the American dream and I know for sure that Riverhead

[1:39:57] could be the same.

[1:39:59] So if you guys are fighting for America, as you say, I hope that you consider the realities

[1:40:04] of all of it to everyone.

[1:40:07] God bless you.

[1:40:08] I appreciate you listening to me and hope to talk to you soon.

[1:40:11] Bill,

[1:40:22] bring the mic up to you.

[1:40:24] I don't even need the mic, I think.

[1:40:26] I know, but the people are recording it does.

[1:40:29] Thank you.

[1:40:30] Good evening, everyone.

[1:40:31] My name is Bill Zellacar.

[1:40:33] I reside in Medford.

[1:40:36] My office is here in Calverton, and I am the executive director for Farm Bureau representing Long Island and New York City regions.

[1:40:45] As I stand here before all of you, I can't help looking at the seal is Mr. Masoud said earlier.

[1:40:56] And in the middle of the seal there we have agriculture.

[1:41:02] Riverhead has always been known as the epicenter of agriculture on Long Island and of all of New York State.

[1:41:11] I've been on the state boards for New York and also the American Farm Bureau Board and

[1:41:18] everybody always goes back and refers to Riverhead as the epicenter of agriculture.

[1:41:25] Such a heritage that this town and community has.

[1:41:33] The big question is, does a town want to keep agriculture?

[1:41:38] Okay?

[1:41:41] Our comptroller, Tom D'Napoli, points out that in Suffolk County, 65 to 70% of

[1:41:52] the agricultural income goes back into the community. We are the only county in New

[1:41:59] York State that has those kind of numbers. If we're worried about trying to find a money

[1:42:07] or you know, funding for our towns out there, agriculture provides a phenomenal amount of money into our economy through either the farms, through tourism, the restaurants, whatever it may be.

[1:42:26] Over the years, just a little history, over the years, agriculture has changed a lot.

[1:42:32] is gone from wholesale commodities going into Hunts Point to now primarily

[1:42:39] directed consumer. The days of wholesale are no longer out there. So much more

[1:42:46] is directed consumer times change. Agriculture changes just like every under

[1:42:52] other industry out there.

[1:42:56] Zoning concerns are a big issue for agriculture and that's

[1:43:00] something that we all have to address. We have the right to form, which is controlled

[1:43:06] by Agon Markis here in New York State. The Commissioner was with me here yesterday

[1:43:12] going through several entities in the town of Riverhead.

[1:43:17] The biggest concern we have

[1:43:19] is the proposed event code that Riverhead has been writing. Where this came from? I wish

[1:43:28] I really knew.

[1:43:31] I've gotten copies of it constantly, it's changed constantly, and every time I hear

[1:43:37] they say we're not targeting agriculture. But of the 31 pages of that draft, agriculture is

[1:43:47] cited on almost every single page. So you tell me, is agriculture targeted in there or not?

[1:43:54] Do you want agriculture in our community? My advice is pull agriculture out of

[1:44:01] there. And as Mr. Masood said, we all have the opportunity to work together. We have

[1:44:08] the Ag Advisory Group, okay? Other towns that I go to, there's always the town

[1:44:15] attorney president and the town planning person. That's how we need to work

[1:44:21] together to make things work. So thank you very much.

[1:44:24] Thank you, sir. Bill, I just want to let you know one thing. The code is being rewritten

[1:44:30] and to your point, the reason why it's taking a while is because agriculture is on every

[1:44:36] page, and they're pulling it out and addressing the code that way. Thank you very much.

[1:44:42] Thank you.

[1:44:48] You okay? You okay with it? Okay. Yes, ma'am. Sorry.

[1:44:53] I'm Nancy Gilbert, I live in Jamesport and I'm here to talk about another community issue that is...

[1:45:00] Central to all of us, and that is our relationship to the land, the land on which we live. I'm here tonight to speak to you as a representative of the Open Space Committee. Our mission is to identify, review, and recommend to you the town board, lands that should be acquired by the town, and preserved as open space, and to develop and recommend conservation plans for these lands. Full disclosure, I'm a member of the Pecanic Land Trust Board.

[1:45:28] My husband and I have donated our development rights to the Pecanic Land Trust and we've

[1:45:34] put facade easements on all of our buildings with the Pecanic Land Trust.

[1:45:38] The Open Space Committee feels strongly that the town of Riverhead should proceed with

[1:45:43] the purchase of the 30 plus acre parcel in the northeast corner of the Forage Camp based

[1:45:49] on the town's fair market value appraisal, which is consistent with the treatment of all

[1:45:54] CPF purchases.

[1:45:57] The open space committee has a rating system that we use to rate open space purchases.

[1:46:02] I will tell you that we have never rated another parcel as highly as we have rated this parcel of land.

[1:46:10] The 4-H camp has been at the top of our preservation list for years.

[1:46:15] And thankfully, the CPS phone certainly has the money necessary for such a purchase.

[1:46:21] Perhaps most important is that the parcel the town is considering is contiguous with

[1:46:27] Sound Avenue Preserve.

[1:46:28] I hope you've all had a chance to go hike the Sound Avenue Preserve.

[1:46:32] It's really lovely from Sound Avenue up towards the sound.

[1:46:38] It's really beautiful.

[1:46:44] If we buy this parcel of land, it would extend Sound Avenue Preserve to the bluffs of Long

[1:46:52] island sound, and it would triple the size of the preserve.

[1:46:56] And I will tell you that the price per acre in the appraisal price the town has received

[1:47:01] is much less than what we paid 4-sound adventer preserve 20 years ago, significantly less.

[1:47:12] The opportunity to extend the preserve is one that will never come again.

[1:47:17] Walking north for the preserve not only allows you to view native birds in wildlife but

[1:47:22] it is also a link to our geological past.

[1:47:26] As you leave the outwash plane and walk towards the sound, you encounter the glacial marine.

[1:47:32] The views are truly magnificent in both directions.

[1:47:36] Once this transaction is completed, it will be part of the contiguous parcel of over 200 acres

[1:47:42] of spectacular preserved land that will benefit the people of Riverhead for generations to come.

[1:47:48] What an incredible property this is.

[1:47:51] It has probably been almost a century since the town had a chance to acquire property

[1:47:56] overlooking Long Island Sound.

[1:47:59] Another opportunity is not likely to occur in our lifetimes,

[1:48:03] and definitely not at the price of the appraisal.

[1:48:06] The Openspace Committee urges you to acquire this parcel with CPF monies as an open space

[1:48:13] property for the town of Riverhead.

[1:48:16] Our connection to land is truly at the heart of a community's identity.

[1:48:20] We owe it to future generations and to those who walk these lands long before us and to

[1:48:26] the flora and fauna who call this land home.

[1:48:30] To preserve this magnificent piece of our heritage.

[1:48:34] Thank you.

[1:48:38] Good

[1:48:44] evening. Good evening, Matt Pendleton Riverhead. I have a letter

[1:48:49] that I was asked to read into the meeting in regards to the event code that you guys.

[1:48:58] We know Michael for the day. You want me to? All right, so if you're having a

[1:49:03] discussion in our room, we just ask that you not do that, so it's easier for

[1:49:07] everybody to hear that would be super helpful. Thanks.

[1:49:10] This is addressed to the town board on behalf of the Ag Advisory Councilman Kern asked

[1:49:18] that we write something up from Ag Advisory, so there is no confusion from everyone because

[1:49:24] it seems like there's confusion. Near members of Riverhead Town Board, we have continually

[1:49:29] voice or frustrations with a proposed code, and it seems as though we have not been heard.

[1:49:34] It is also deeply concerning that the code is being written without meaningful input from

[1:49:38] the community and does not represent the interest of the residents.

[1:49:42] The types of extremely restrictive burdensome code and specifically targets agriculture,

[1:49:47] ratchets up fees, penalties, legal actions against farms, addresses exactly what special event

[1:49:55] crisis is happening with the town.

[1:49:58] You can read this.

[1:49:59] I'm just trying to do it fast.

[1:50:00] I have three minutes.

[1:50:04] We're merely economic for the town and the community development director, oh sorry, or is it merely the economic opportunity for the town that was stated by the community development director as a recent town board work session?

[1:50:19] There are a few easier ways for the town to generate economic opportunity other than placing additional burden on the backs of the farmers.

[1:50:26] This type of narrative is concerning to our farmers beyond the proposed code.

[1:50:31] It highlights a profound disconnect between the town's perception of agriculture and our community and the actual reality that is situation facing the farmers, preserving Riverhead's agricultural and rural character in landscape as a priori expressed by both farmers and residents per town comp plan.

[1:50:49] And recently, you all, the town board, have been working tirelessly to put massive amounts

[1:50:55] of financial resources to support downtown revitalization efforts and the business located.

[1:51:00] You also took flexible stance on the land use of West Kyle, voting to modify terminated existing

[1:51:06] covenants and easements to support those businesses on July 7th, 26th, you unanimously adopted

[1:51:13] changes to Tanger. Outlet, outlet, zoning, code, restrictions, support, and most

[1:51:19] recently, unanimously adopted two resolutions. Create a new golf course

[1:51:24] zoning, which would grant course's enhanced use, which further support the

[1:51:30] town business. Each of you have publicly supported the town farmers and farm

[1:51:33] saying you support us and actually you are doing two different things.

[1:51:37] Respectfully, we have seen the support and you are asking to support now and not

[1:51:42] by placing additional burdens on the farmers leaving the agricultural out of this proposed

[1:51:46] code. We appreciate the town board and whatever else. So that's coming from egg advisory

[1:51:54] and then I'll take one minute just to say. I talked with Councilman Kern. I've asked

[1:52:00] should I ask questions such we can't have a dialogue back and forth. If you guys really

[1:52:06] support this code, then come down to egg advisory, like Masood said, and talk with us.

[1:52:13] I've been to two work sessions with this.

[1:52:16] One up here where it was Councilman Rothwell, and help, and remember we were talking, you

[1:52:21] were talking about having a pamphlet to help generate good for farmers, you didn't seem

[1:52:26] to remember the last time we were here when I was with Don Thomas on the last work session.

[1:52:34] and the thing is, it's a 31-page, 30-something-page. It took 45 minutes for the town attorney to do

[1:52:41] us an absence. It's like a thesis statement. If you just did what someone said and you do a

[1:52:48] Google search on it, because I don't have that much time, so my wife did it fast. There was ridiculous

[1:52:52] hits. Time and time again with agriculture is mentioned in it. I apologize to Mary Field and

[1:52:58] and waski if I come across really direct, I work a full-time job, we run a farm, we raise

[1:53:03] two kids.

[1:53:05] And then it just blows my mind that Don Thomas can direct the town board to do this because

[1:53:12] when I go and I ask Kern, he goes, no one supports it.

[1:53:17] And then all of a sudden, there's this 31-page thing generated.

[1:53:22] it. So if you have questions come right to us, okay, because no one on egg advisory

[1:53:30] supported it for this to be that way. All right? Thank you very much. Yeah,

[1:53:45] if you could

[1:53:45] pull it down, thank you very much. Here we go. That's better. Good evening everyone. My

[1:53:51] name is Georgia Lawsier, commonly known as Georgia Keller. Some of you may know me and

[1:53:58] some of you may not, so I'll give you a brief introduction of myself and let you know

[1:54:04] the special consideration I'd like you to think about.

[1:54:07] So I want to first thank you for having this public hearing or actually it's not a public

[1:54:11] hearing but listening to the public comments and testimony on a topic that affects many

[1:54:15] of our residents and I'm speaking directly to OLA's proposed legislation and issues.

[1:54:22] It is important to every single one of us that walks through this town, lives in this

[1:54:26] town, works in this town, owns property in this town, pays taxes in this town, and even

[1:54:33] if you're a child, and especially if you're a child, and I'm going to speak to that

[1:54:37] in a minute.

[1:54:38] So I've had a long history of advocating for topics that affect our many residents.

[1:54:43] Some of you may know my long history as president of the Jamesport, Greater Jamesport Civic

[1:54:49] Association, as well as being a member of the Lamarxon Preservation Commission with Mr.

[1:54:54] lines over here for many years as well as other various civic and church duties as well

[1:55:00] as my public teaching position.

[1:55:04] So I've had Mr. Wooten's daughter and I've had lots of other students that come back

[1:55:09] through the years and they appreciate the life that they grew up here in Riverhead with

[1:55:14] because it's different than the rest of Long Island.

[1:55:17] The East End is its own burden because we know from the tourism and the traffic but it

[1:55:23] It makes it worth it because it preserves our culture.

[1:55:26] And now I advocate for the children of our town.

[1:55:29] Over the almost last three decades of living here and advocating for the community, I have

[1:55:34] been publicly honored by being news reviews civic person of the year and Mrs. Maryfield.

[1:55:42] You may remember last year providing me with the Martin Luther King Jr. humanitarian award

[1:55:47] from my work with the students of our school district.

[1:55:50] But my overriding message through all of those different things in age groups and even my work with saying is a doors church is that each of us has a voice and each of us matter.

[1:56:05] And that we need all people to work together in cooperation in order to appropriately negotiate what is needed and what most we can get for everyone.

[1:56:15] a high tide floats all boats. Right? So as you may surprise, I believe that we

[1:56:22] should all be considered and we should all be considered valuable. Tonight I

[1:56:26] have two points for you to consider and both are tied to our entire town. Like I

[1:56:30] said, every resident, every property owner. As a grandmother, I have had to

[1:56:34] quell the fears of my granddaughter that she's had that her friends won't be

[1:56:39] there when she gets to school tomorrow morning. Or that they will be harmed because

[1:56:43] something happens to someone in their family. And a lot of my students and her friends,

[1:56:51] they're all very well documented. They're born here, they're citizens, but they've seen what

[1:56:57] happens on the television. And unfortunately, we can't help them unsee it and we know that children

[1:57:02] in crisis cannot learn. And as a taxpayer, as well as a teacher, I want to know that the majority

[1:57:11] of my tax dollar that's going into our school district is being adequately

[1:57:14] and effectively used and it can't as long as we have children in crisis.

[1:57:20] And the fear and the anxiety that I see in young children today

[1:57:23] is more than alarming because they're who will take care of us now

[1:57:27] in our old age. So I would like to

[1:57:30] remind you, though, too, that we love our rural farming culture and community

[1:57:35] So you're remembering the time if you could just online and save you two points to make.

[1:57:41] This is the second one, is that we need to preserve our farming and our rural culture.

[1:57:46] And immigrants are a great part of that and have been for more than a century.

[1:57:50] We're working on two centuries of that now.

[1:57:52] And we need to remember no farms, no food.

[1:57:56] So no migrant farmers to help with the harvest and all of our farmers, no food.

[1:58:02] And what does that do to our economy, and what does that do to our tax base, and what does

[1:58:07] that do to the agri-terrism that we've grown over all these years?

[1:58:10] Thank you.

[1:58:11] Thank you.

[1:58:18] Hi, I'm Pastor Pat Chuppey on the executive team of the United States Church Immigration

[1:58:26] Task Force for the Conference for New York State, for the Conference for New York State

[1:58:31] and a part of Connecticut and also a co-operative parish that I happen to be in covers part of New York.

[1:58:40] I just wanted to state that this isn't just a problem for Hispanic people or it affects everyone.

[1:58:50] My daughter happens to be married to someone who's Hispanic and because of that she is very afraid.

[1:58:58] He is very afraid to go out, they don't live in Riverhead, but the fact that they fear that they could get picked up when I asked them for their birthday last year, what they wanted for their birthday present, they told me they wanted passport cards.

[1:59:15] I never in my life thought that's what my daughter would ask me for for her birthday.

[1:59:20] But even then they were afraid to go out because they started seeing people getting picked

[1:59:23] up because they wouldn't take the time to let the people take the cards.

[1:59:29] My grandchildren, they're afraid that their stepfather's gonna not be there when they've

[1:59:35] already lost their father because he has 100% disability from the Iraq war and he has a psychiatric

[1:59:42] disability, and he left, so they're afraid they're going to lose another father because of it.

[1:59:49] So it has a way of affecting a lot of people that have nothing to do with that.

[1:59:55] And so it's important that everyone is

[2:00:00] Reassured that everything is being done, that can be done for the protection of everyone, for myself, even now with these new electric shock gloves that are coming out. I'm concerned because I have a condition where, if I were to be electrically shocked, it would be devastating for me and could stop my heart. I have a monitor and stop in. And I, this morning,

[2:00:29] was in her head and they happened to have been right in on Malene Street, right in the

[2:00:34] heart of B.J.'s and DMV and Derri Land and the bowling alley. I mean, if something had

[2:00:42] gone wrong, there's any number of people that could have just innocently been in the middle

[2:00:48] of all that. And that's where the problem comes in. And you never know when that's going

[2:00:55] And when that's going to happen, they then went to East Quad where they arrested someone

[2:00:59] not too far from my house.

[2:01:01] The one last quick thing I wanted to note, I know Ms. Maryfield, you said that no one

[2:01:06] ever stands up and says anything about those that were killed by people who were here

[2:01:15] undocumented, and that's actually wrong.

[2:01:18] We held that long ago, a month ago maybe, let me just finish this, a vigil for unity

[2:01:25] for the entire community right here in front of Town Hall, this poster right here, had pictures of

[2:01:35] people that were killed by them, and there's your picture standing up that you said never was

[2:01:42] held up. It was sitting right in front of Town Hall. Everyone was invited. It was well publicized.

[2:01:48] There were prayers said for everybody. It was for everybody, military, police, people like from

[2:01:53] the Gilgobiche and everybody else, as well as ICE people killed by ICE who knew too many.

[2:02:01] And I just wanted to say that the only ones that showed up were the people that show

[2:02:07] up for the candlelight visuals for those killed by ICE agents, and that's these people in the

[2:02:14] room.

[2:02:15] And so no one showed up for the visual, the people that we supposedly cared about.

[2:02:31] Hello, my name is Silvina Silvivega, I have a resident of Riverhead, Wade and River.

[2:02:37] Brian, new American citizen.

[2:02:40] You will.

[2:02:45] Up to a week ago, I was terrified to come to Riverhead because I didn't feel that my time

[2:02:54] officials were protecting me. I was doing my passport, so when you do your passport,

[2:03:03] you run your American passport, you have to send your certificate, your citizen

[2:03:08] certificate. So basically I have no documentation that I was a citizen, so I was

[2:03:25] a degree in Argentina. I have my own business here. I have my own home here and I speak the language

[2:03:35] and I am terrified.

[2:03:39] Thank you.

[2:03:51] Hi, Ethel Sussman from South Jamesport. I don't get up here very often

[2:03:59] but it seems to me that this is really a turning point. The turning point in the country,

[2:04:05] It's a turning point for Riverhead and we have to figure out what we're all about in

[2:04:14] this town as well as in the country.

[2:04:20] I hear in great support of the OLA legislation, I won't go into all the reasons why people

[2:04:30] much more eloquent than I have given more than enough reasons, but it's shocking to

[2:04:38] me that this town, this town board and this town and the committees that are supposed

[2:04:45] to be dealing with these issues, are not even talking about it.

[2:04:52] And it's your responsibility to talk about it.

[2:04:56] And this is one of the most important issues on our time.

[2:05:00] And I urge you to step up and deal with it.

[2:05:07] We need you.

[2:05:09] This is your responsibility, and we need you on behalf of everyone who lives in Riverhead,

[2:05:16] who works in Riverhead, who comes to Riverhead, who drives through Riverhead on the way to

[2:05:22] somewhere else, we need you to discuss this. Other towns have done it. River

[2:05:29] Kent can do it too. Please.

[2:05:34] So Warren, Warren, I'm gonna ask, I know this is

[2:05:38] like a rerun, but there's three people that have to work it online. So, yeah,

[2:05:43] they're online. Thanks, Warren. I promise, I'll let you know. I promise. I'm not

[2:05:51] I'm not going to forget about it.

[2:05:53] You got it.

[2:05:54] You got it, what?

[2:05:55] Promise.

[2:05:58] Mr. Wong, can you hear us?

[2:06:00] I can hear you.

[2:06:01] OK.

[2:06:02] Desmond Wong.

[2:06:03] Desmond Wong Reads Park.

[2:06:06] So my August 14 letter is in tonight's packet.

[2:06:09] It concerns the towns and police departments,

[2:06:14] immigration policies, and how they interact

[2:06:17] with federal immigration operations.

[2:06:19] My July records requests on that subject produced two different versions of policy 414, but the records did not identify which was current.

[2:06:32] So this afternoon Chief Frost replied to my email and clarified that the August 3 version it is current and the other was in effect when I filed on July 13.

[2:06:45] So I'd like to thank Chief Frost for that prompt answer.

[2:06:49] So members of the board, three questions remain

[2:06:52] for the responsible town officials.

[2:06:55] I understand that Mr. Howard is absent tonight.

[2:06:59] So if anyone from the town attorney's office

[2:07:02] or another responsible official can answer any of these,

[2:07:07] I'd welcome that.

[2:07:09] Otherwise, please identify who will respond

[2:07:11] and I'll pause after each. So first, who? First and foremost, the Anne-Marie

[2:07:19] Prananti Deputy Town Attorney. Second, this is a public comment. You can ask

[2:07:27] any questions you like. You're not necessarily going to get an answer,

[2:07:32] particularly if they're legal questions. I'm not going to respond to a legal

[2:07:39] question without, quote, doing my research and due diligence. So please present.

[2:07:48] I understand. Just repeating it for the record. And if you are able to answer it, I would

[2:07:53] appreciate that. So first, who approved the current policy of 014? When did it take

[2:08:00] effect? And when will the town post it on the police department page where another policy

[2:08:06] It is already posted. It's the use of force policy. It's on the police department page.

[2:08:17] I don't have any answer for you. You're certainly entitled to submit a Freedom of Information

[2:08:22] request. That form is available online. I did submit the FOILA request and that was how I

[2:08:31] received the policy form and form, which I'm asking about. So this is just a follow-up question

[2:08:36] on that document. But I'll go on to my second question, which is policy 414 bars holding

[2:08:45] an arrestee solely on an ICE request or administrative warrant. But another section of the same policy

[2:08:51] treats them a removal order or a federal crime criminal charge as an exception. So if the

[2:08:58] person would otherwise be released, can a removal order alone let Riverhead keep holding them

[2:09:03] or transfer them to ICE. Same question for a federal criminal charge. If either answer is yes and under what legal authority?

[2:09:13] So Mr. Wong, your three minutes are up with those three questions that you had?

[2:09:22] Well, I'll say my, just say my third question just for the record, so state law requires

[2:09:30] the town to have a procedure for relevant employees, when immigration officers present

[2:09:36] a judicial warrant or court order for access to non-public areas of town property.

[2:09:41] And so what is, represents procedure and who verifies the paperwork, who is the designated

[2:09:49] So your time has expired. Thank you for your comments and questions.

[2:09:56] Well, these three questions are in detail in my letter, so I would still appreciate detailed written responses to the request in my letter by August 28 after your the town attorney's office has done their due research. Thank you.

[2:10:21] Two more actions.

[2:10:31] Hello.

[2:10:39] Can you hear me?

[2:10:40] Yes, can you hear us?

[2:10:42] Yes.

[2:10:43] Hi.

[2:10:44] My name is Ella Angel-Snow.

[2:10:46] I'm also here to voice my support for Ola's proposed Easter.

[2:10:52] If you could just please say your hamlet, where do you live?

[2:10:56] Yes.

[2:10:56] I reside in Sagafronic.

[2:10:59] As others have mentioned, Riverhead is a place where many people

[2:11:04] probably everyone on the East End has to go. It's where the DMV is, the Social Security Administration, Tanger outlets.

[2:11:14] Also, I'm a community organizer and I work with kids and so my work often reaches across Hamlets.

[2:11:25] I also think that we need to work together across the East End and I feel that every town should have already adopted this wall.

[2:11:34] It seems like it's a little brainer, it asks for the most basic protection and safety for

[2:11:41] all of the people of Riverhead and of the East End, and it's hard to understand why it

[2:11:49] hasn't very swiftly been passed across the East End of Long Island.

[2:11:56] As someone mentioned, the gloves that ICE is planning on using soon, I just want to quote

[2:12:02] an NPR article, immigration and customs enforcement is planning to give its officers high-tech

[2:12:10] loves that deliver electric shocks to people they're trying to detain, according to plans

[2:12:17] posted by the Department of Homeland Security this week.

[2:12:21] The agency could spend as much as $20 million on the gloves made by compliant technologies.

[2:12:27] So I personally find this horrifying, and I hope that you all also find it horrifying.

[2:12:36] And I'm just sharing it to shed some light.

[2:12:40] You may already know, but just on how ice is operating, we know that people across the

[2:12:50] country and right here in Riverhead and across Eastern Long Island are terrified as rogue

[2:12:57] ICE agents continue acting with extreme violence and creating chaos and acting outside

[2:13:03] of their constitutionally granted authority.

[2:13:07] The East End Public Safety and Accountability Law doesn't in any way undermine any agency's

[2:13:14] ability to do their job in accordance with their constitutionally granted authority.

[2:13:20] It's about protecting public safety and it outlines clear systems of accountability so

[2:13:26] that people's basic human rights are protected.

[2:13:29] The law recognizes that keeping residents safe is one of the town's primary responsibilities,

[2:13:36] meaning that it's your job as elected officials to take on these responsibilities.

[2:13:41] It's almost, it's also out all of our responsibilities on the East and Community members to be proactive in our commitment to accountability and transparency, while resisting participation in what will be remembered as grave human rights violations.

[2:14:01] The East End Public Safety and Accountability Law is designed to protect our entire community

[2:14:07] because we are all impacted by the chaos that has created the ruptures and public safety

[2:14:12] caused by random forwardless ice rates.

[2:14:15] Thank you for your comments.

[2:14:22] I believe we have one more.

[2:14:24] I want to thank everyone for their comments tonight.

[2:14:34] Mr. Harry, can you hear us?

[2:14:41] Mr. Harry, can you hear us?

[2:14:44] Good evening, Ron Hereary of Aquabog.

[2:14:49] After the friars had fiasco made the New York Post,

[2:14:56] and our taxpayers were blindsided by the...

[2:15:00] The multi-million-dollar screw-up by the town assessor's office, Ms. Wasky actually stood up on his board and praised the assessor's office. I filed a Freedom Information Act request, seeking information regarding the town's expenditures of legal fees. And in addition to the millions of dollars of judgments and settlements.

[2:15:29] tax payers in the poorest town or one of the poorest towns and most tax town on

[2:15:36] all of Long Island have had to suffer through. According to the records that I've

[2:15:41] obtained from the town just this afternoon, almost a million dollars.

[2:15:57] That's

[2:15:57] 2020, a taxpayer and citizen previously asked the town attorney and incidentally of the

[2:16:10] almost million dollars spent just in 2020, almost a quarter of a million dollars was spent

[2:16:18] in connection with the United Terminals litigation.

[2:16:25] The town attorney, the former supervisor's son-in-law, refused to provide information regarding the terms of that settlement with United Terminal.

[2:16:41] So, Council, can you advise us today recognizing your duty as Council of fourth-rightness and honesty

[2:16:54] what the amount of that settlement with United Terminals was?

[2:17:01] I cannot provide that information. I don't know that information.

[2:17:07] Okay, can any member of the board that voted on a resolution approving that settlement

[2:17:14] advise us today what the amount of that settlement is considering again, and I know there's

[2:17:21] another member of the bar on that day is tonight, recognizing your duty of honesty, integrity

[2:17:28] and fourth-rightness to the taxpayers of your town, what that settlement was,

[2:17:40] is there

[2:17:41] I have to say?

[2:17:42] You know, we have a very, that's it.

[2:17:44] It's not.

[2:17:46] Mr. Herr, I'm going to advise the town board not to respond.

[2:17:54] As a deputy town attorney, I have to do my research, making certain that there was a settlement

[2:18:04] and the settlement is fully recorded before any town board member speaks on the matter.

[2:18:11] Yes, like a good defense lawyer representing a potential criminal, you're advising your

[2:18:17] clients to take the fifth and I appreciate that.

[2:18:20] No, I'm not advised to take the fifth.

[2:18:23] That being said, Mr. Rothwell, I know you've expressed your concern to my better half about

[2:18:31] the increasingly precarious set of financial circumstances this time may end, maybe

[2:18:38] in, and I appreciate your concern and I appreciate your dedication to try to

[2:18:43] protect our community. I would ask that you and your assistance take all

[2:18:50] necessary steps to make sure that our taxpayers do not continue to pay for the

[2:18:58] mistakes of our clearly incompetent town assessor's office, enough is enough and the town

[2:19:08] should not be embarrassed by making the New York Post again in another scandalous tax

[2:19:14] increase.

[2:19:16] Thank you very much.

[2:19:17] So

[2:19:23] I believe it weren't, it is your turn.

[2:19:30] Any case, I'm here to help the town board and all of us with some positive information here.

[2:19:37] Warren, just bring the mic.

[2:19:38] A positive information.

[2:19:40] People at home want to hear you.

[2:19:41] A positive information.

[2:19:44] You all took vows a constitution, and I love that.

[2:19:49] My Bible, the Constitution, and the dictionary, and my God's in life.

[2:19:52] In any case, I refer to Article 1, Section 9 of our Constitution, which is the suspension

[2:20:04] of habeas corpus.

[2:20:07] And what's going on in this country over the centuries, since the alien sedation acts

[2:20:16] of 1798, there's been, you know, there's been the fact of suspension of habeas corpus.

[2:20:26] And I'd like to give you all the progress over the time that has come.

[2:20:31] Of course, 1798 did it, but in 1814 to 1815, the Battle of New Orleans, General Jackson

[2:20:41] and it suspended it, and he went off the people, but the US Supreme Court found him guilty

[2:20:51] and contempt of court for doing this and fined him.

[2:20:58] World War I, SB Nides Sedition Acts, 1917, 1918, anybody was German, was a hot problem.

[2:21:08] Okay.

[2:21:08] The first red scare, Palmer Raids, 1919-1920, and now the biggest one here, you know,

[2:21:15] when Pearl Habahab, old Japanese people on the island were held in detention from 1942

[2:21:22] to 1944, and of course, 120,000 Japanese people were held in a determined and out west, you

[2:21:36] Global Terrible at Guantanamo Bay, we had people from Pakistan, you name it, Afghanistan

[2:21:46] that wound up in Cuba, you know, because they never had constitutional, you know, representation.

[2:21:56] Now one of my best ones here is constitutional, in the case of Burmard vs. Bush 2008.

[2:22:06] They said that constitutional habeas corpus, listen to this, extends to foreign detainees held in U.S.

[2:22:16] territories. So everybody has a right, every little world, and the second thing is, as you know,

[2:22:25] as a preacher, children are not a gift from God. It's what it says in a Bible, right?

[2:22:31] And I have a

[2:22:33] wanting to myself and everybody here, that the foundation

[2:22:37] of our country. Mr. McKnight, I'm just going to ask you to

[2:22:43] sum up. Okay, I'm going to sum up very definitely. The, the

[2:22:49] ISIS, the secret police, Chinese have secret police,

[2:22:54] Russians have secret police, North Korea has secret police.

[2:23:04] We

[2:23:05] Thank you for your comments.

[2:23:20] John McAuliffe, Frono, Glanding in Riverhead.

[2:23:25] This has been quite a civic education day and it emphasizes why I think we really need

[2:23:33] a different kind of forum to go to all of the issues of immigration and race that have

[2:23:40] bubbled up in the last six months.

[2:23:42] I do want to note that I sent already three letters and I'm not going to repeat them,

[2:23:50] but people will see it in the next agenda or they can look at the New York Times on Saturday.

[2:23:58] And you will be able to be reminded of the legislation in 1924, which specifically was

[2:24:08] targeting polls and detallions and Russians to keep them out of the United States. That's

[2:24:16] when we really got immigration laws that we're now seeing the effects of. So I think everybody

[2:24:24] has to recognize where we've come from and how we were able to be here and other people

[2:24:30] are coming for exactly the same reasons that our ancestors came for. The other thing I want

[2:24:35] What I want to say is it goes to, first I would repeat I found it a little bizarre that

[2:24:43] we can't get the numbers of how much was involved in the legal settlement that we're all

[2:24:51] going to have to pay for and exactly what it covers.

[2:24:54] I mean that ought to have been in the first piece of paper not hidden behind some kind of

[2:25:01] legal process that is not explained.

[2:25:05] It's like when we, these kinds, this kind of data ought to be presented to people from the get-go.

[2:25:12] The other thing, and I was a little disturbed when Mr. Rothwell was speaking about it.

[2:25:17] First of all, the tone of his remarks were really the content of a supervisor's remarks,

[2:25:24] not a council member's remarks, but they were spinning. They also didn't give us any information.

[2:25:31] So, I hope that the supervisor will be able to get us all of that information, if not

[2:25:37] now, than before the week is over, because it ought to be in his hands.

[2:25:42] The last thing I want to talk about is the summer wind farm story that was just in the

[2:25:47] local.

[2:25:49] I don't, we are so lucky to have the local as part of our community.

[2:25:55] The summer wind farms story, the owner of that property is a person named Vincent Calvosa,

[2:26:03] who is from Holbrooke. Does anybody on the board know him? Has anyone on the board

[2:26:10] or any political party in Riverhead received any campaign donations from him?

[2:26:16] I would like that question answered hopefully no, because it, and then what will his punishment be?

[2:26:24] Is he going to be forced to replant that area?

[2:26:28] Is he going to just be thrown out of the town because he's obviously been totally dishonest

[2:26:34] with us?

[2:26:35] Or do we just sort of roll over?

[2:26:37] I'm glad that you guys did the order to stop him, but what is going to happen to him

[2:26:46] that discourages the next person from doing it?

[2:26:49] When I drive on Sound Avenue, I see these large plots of land that are for sale, 60 acres,

[2:26:58] 70 acres living near the Boy Scout camp, I hope that that land is protected, but I think

[2:27:06] there's lots of other pieces of land that are clearly about to be swallowed up and be

[2:27:13] used for commercial purposes and so I would just finally wanted to say about Mr. Masood

[2:27:22] I was at his, yeah I will just finish. I just want to note that I was at his vineyard

[2:27:32] or his store a few days ago when he did a very nice benefit for the, I'm forthflinging

[2:27:44] on the name of the project for girls, the butterfly project,

[2:27:51] butterfly project.

[2:27:52] Thank you.

[2:27:52] He did a fundraising event for him,

[2:27:55] and I think I take very seriously his concerns that he brought to us.

[2:28:00] Thank you very much.

[2:28:00] Thank you.

[2:28:08] Oh, and Tucker, from Riverhead, I have one additional question,

[2:28:11] and this question will be very familiar to all of you.

[2:28:14] So I think we will be able to knock this out real quick.

[2:28:18] Do you intend to abide by your oath to the U.S. Constitution and represent all residents

[2:28:24] within the town's geographic boundaries, regardless of their citizenship or legal immigration status?

[2:28:31] And I would request that each of you individually respond and Ms. Prudenti, I realize I am outside

[2:28:38] the rules of order.

[2:28:39] You are.

[2:28:40] But I think this is a very important question that the town board has been avoiding answering.

[2:28:47] This is public comment. We have rules and procedures which fully explain this public comment.

[2:28:54] I understand. Do you intend to abide by your oath to the US Constitution and represent all residents within the town's geographic boundaries regardless of their citizenship or legal immigration status?

[2:29:12] Do you intend to abide by your own US Constitution and represent all residents within the town's

[2:29:20] geographic boundaries, regardless of their citizenship or legal immigration status?

[2:29:26] Thank you for your comment and question.

[2:29:28] No, actually under the rules, under the rules, you have three minutes.

[2:29:34] I'm operating inside the rules, I am knowing we are hearing for a second time.

[2:29:40] Yes.

[2:29:43] We heard should comment and not be pulling teeth to get our elected town board to say that they will abide by their own

[2:29:52] to the right.

[2:29:53] This is a mistake.

[2:29:55] This is a mistake.

[2:30:00] Thank you. I have a minute and seven seconds. No, you've already gone over to abide by your oath to the U.S. Constitution and represent all residents within the town's geographic boundaries regardless of their citizenship or legal immigration status. I request that each of you individually answer that question. Yes or no? Yes or no? I'm going to ask that you

[2:30:31] yield the floor to the next.

[2:30:33] I will in 35 seconds.

[2:30:35] Do you intend to abide by your oath to the US Constitution

[2:30:39] and represent all residents within the town's geographic

[2:30:42] boundaries, regardless of their citizenship

[2:30:46] or legal immigration status?

[2:30:55] I'm going to say something now because,

[2:30:59] and excuse me a second, I'm going to say something.

[2:31:03] That's what we do every day of the week, seven days a week.

[2:31:07] Is we address what is going on in this town? That's all I'm going to tell you day and night

[2:31:12] Period

[2:31:14] What do you think we do live in the basement and just show up here?

[2:31:17] I would like on that

[2:31:23] Ladies and gentlemen, if you're if you're in the audience, we ask that you do not yell out. This is our

[2:31:30] Again, we're just asking that you

[2:31:33] Thank you for if you'd like to comment you

[2:31:37] have been given a second opportunity, you are welcome to come up and do that.

[2:31:41] Thank you.

[2:31:41] If we do have rules for our hard procedures, Ms. Prudente has gone over them.

[2:31:47] We do ask that during comment period.

[2:31:50] And so I would ask that everybody do that, and there is no reason for us.

[2:31:53] This has been a great meeting.

[2:31:55] We've had a great amount of comments, but appreciate those.

[2:32:01] then once again I would ask that we all continue to understand where we are so

[2:32:07] thank you. I also am at way waiting River again so Mr. Kern you said that you

[2:32:12] are aware of what's going on in our town and that you do it seven days a week.

[2:32:17] Do you know how many ice sightings there have been in Riverhead since the

[2:32:20] beginning of January?

[2:32:24] I know I'm not a town council member I am

[2:32:30] I'm a taxpayer, I am a random citizen, and I know that there have been at least 21 ice

[2:32:35] sightings in Riverhead since January of 2026. And I can tell you, on February 18th, there

[2:32:42] were three. One on Arrowhead Avenue at 7am, one in Riverhead at 7.30am on Route 58.

[2:32:50] 1 on Lake Avenue at 10.22 a.m., 2.25, Flanders Road, 7.15 a.m., 8.00 a.m., Route 24, February 27th,

[2:33:02] Harrison Avenue, 7.15 a.m., Pulaski Street, 7.45 a.m., Court Street, 8.00 a.m., Osborne Avenue,

[2:33:11] 815 AM. Now we get to May. Doctors pass 9 AM. May 13. May 18, Oakland Drive North 6 AM.

[2:33:23] 630 AM also Oakland Drive North. Oakland Drive South May 25th at 9 AM. Landers Oak Avenue 526-445 PM.

[2:33:35] Osborne Avenue, 7.15 a.m. Riverhead, June 17th, Oak Avenue, 6.15 a.m. in Flanders.

[2:33:44] 7.2, Riverhead, Osborne Avenue, 7.am, 7.10, Riverhead, 7.am. Northville Turnpike,

[2:33:53] 7.16, Flanders, 9.15 a.m. Priscilla Avenue, July 30th, 7.30 p.m. Oak Avenue,

[2:34:01] August 2, 7.45 a.m. Silver Brook Drive and today, Malene Avenue Riverhead 6.45 a.m.

[2:34:10] There's no reason why I should know this information and you all shouldn't know this information.

[2:34:16] And you would, if you would support and meet with us, we have been asking to meet with you.

[2:34:23] We want to have a place where we can ask questions, where we can have it back and forth.

[2:34:27] Instead of us coming here and getting stonewalled that we're out of order, that this is public

[2:34:33] comments, we understand that, we're desperate.

[2:34:36] We want a question and answer.

[2:34:38] We want you guys to support people like the woman I described when I first stepped up

[2:34:43] here, because she is afraid, and her eight-year-old son is afraid, and her four-year-old daughter

[2:34:49] is afraid.

[2:34:50] Everybody is afraid, but you all sit up there and don't answer our questions.

[2:34:54] I shouldn't know this information alone.

[2:34:57] You all should know it.

[2:34:58] I carry a whistle with me everywhere I go.

[2:35:01] None of you do.

[2:35:03] You all should be.

[2:35:04] This is what you all need to do.

[2:35:07] This is what we elect you to do, is to protect and to serve all members of the community.

[2:35:12] You will keep your police force safe as well by supporting all our legislation.

[2:35:17] So meet with us.

[2:35:18] That's all we ask.

[2:35:19] Thank you.

[2:35:19] There

[2:35:26] are two people online.

[2:35:36] Hey, Desmond Wong, Reads Park.

[2:35:39] Just wanted to follow up Ms. Prudentie.

[2:35:42] You suggested that I FOIL or put in another FOIL request.

[2:35:49] That was the FOIL request that I put in.

[2:35:52] It was from July 7 after Councilman Rockwell and supervisor Halpin had suggested that I put

[2:36:01] in a folder request to get more information about this.

[2:36:04] And so from that, the folder requests I put in, I got the two policy documents, the policy

[2:36:12] 4014 and the newer version of it and as well as the email thread between Chief Frost and

[2:36:21] ICE.

[2:36:22] And so my questions earlier and the ones that I posed in the letter are just basic facts

[2:36:31] about those documents. I don't think they require an additional flood request, which by the way,

[2:36:39] those have since been closed and those are the only documents that I received. So,

[2:36:45] Town Attorney Office or anyone on the board, if you could just confirm maybe after the sufficient

[2:36:54] research that you will respond to the written three questions in my August 14th letter.

[2:37:03] If you can confirm that those will be responded to in writing by August 28th.

[2:37:17] I haven't reviewed them so I can't definitively state. I don't know if all of those questions

[2:37:25] are appropriate for response, legal response from the office of 10 attorney, but we will certainly look at them.

[2:37:37] Anything I wrote that they can be responded to?

[2:37:41] I wrote them down.

[2:37:43] You stated it was recited in your August 14th communication.

[2:37:48] Correct?

[2:37:49] Okay.

[2:37:50] Great.

[2:37:50] Yes.

[2:37:51] Thank you, Mr. Wong.

[2:37:53] Thank you.

[2:38:00] And then we have one more online and then I believe we'll be wrapping up on the same

[2:38:04] way else online.

[2:38:05] So, on it?

[2:38:06] Oh, on it, if you can wait a second, that would be great since they already got it cute

[2:38:10] up.

[2:38:14] Very well.

[2:38:15] First of all, I have to say I find it, you know, particularly interesting from Councillor

[2:38:21] Prudenti to exfouse on the importance of rules and protocol.

[2:38:25] This is the same 10 attorney that actually had developers write legislation for her.

[2:38:34] And I think all of you know that I rarely have anything positive to say about anyone on

[2:38:40] this town board.

[2:38:42] But I want to take a moment to express my appreciation to Councilman Rothwell, who in my view

[2:38:51] He was displayed a certain level of appreciation for the community and leadership in indicating

[2:39:00] his willingness to have a dialogue regarding these complex issues in immigration and public

[2:39:10] safety in our town.

[2:39:14] We are not sagaponic. We are not East Hampton. That being said, there are very legitimate

[2:39:21] concerns. So I applaud you, Councilman. I applaud Councilman Kern, for at least suggesting

[2:39:30] that you may open the door to having that dialogue. And if I, okay, you'll pull up on this

[2:39:37] Spaniol, Kumis Visinos and Riverhead, if I can be of any assistance in creating that dialogue that has the potential to be beneficial to all of us and protect all of our citizens in our town.

[2:39:53] Please count me in. Thank you again, Councilman.

[2:40:01] I wasn't going to speak tonight, but I think I need to share with you some information

[2:40:06] and encourage you to do some real deep thinking.

[2:40:10] I have a lifelong friend who was a Border Patrol agent who was murdered down in Arizona

[2:40:16] right on the border many years ago.

[2:40:21] When not against ice, ice has a purpose, we need ice, but the ice agents in the past

[2:40:28] had extensive training.

[2:40:31] They don't now.

[2:40:32] They are not following regular protocol.

[2:40:37] They are given a gun and a quota, and when that happens, you have chaos.

[2:40:42] us. Chaos makes a very dangerous situation for anyone in the nearby vicinity, whether

[2:40:50] they're involved or stand by watching, walking on the street. I encourage you. I've

[2:40:57] not read that old presentation. I do not know what's in it. But if there's anything

[2:41:02] in there that could be useful to you to prepare and protect the residents and taxpayers

[2:41:13] in this town.

[2:41:14] I encourage you to read it, meet with them, discuss it, and enact whatever you feel

[2:41:20] necessary.

[2:41:21] But if there's anything in there that could help the safety of the police department that's

[2:41:26] wrapped up in this unintentionally.

[2:41:29] And the safety of ICE and the safety of the people that they're going after.

[2:41:34] And what they're doing is wrong.

[2:41:36] They're not following protocol detention without to process is a concentration camp.

[2:41:41] Thank you.

[2:41:54] So I do believe that as their last person, for comment, in those statements and so does any

[2:42:01] council person want to make a statement?

[2:42:03] I don't know.

[2:42:03] I know.

[2:42:04] I know.

[2:42:05] We do have another meeting following this.

[2:42:07] who will ask for a second in an adjournment to go into a CDA meeting and have those resolutions.

[2:42:14] Before we close and ask for an adjournment, you know, if said multiple times that no

[2:42:19] one has met, I did have Minerva the head of Ola in my office and did meet with her.

[2:42:25] So that just wanted to make that fact known that that has been there and for that.

[2:42:30] So with that, I have a motion to close our meeting.

[2:42:32] I mean, same as...

[2:42:34] No, it's... it is actually...

[2:42:36] It is my...

[2:42:37] It is my...

[2:42:38] Oh, no, I think it's...

[2:42:39] I'm not my way here to stand up any way to talk about something else.

[2:42:46] I'm sorry, I'm really sorry that you feel that way, it wasn't just a genius.

[2:42:51] But we are closing our meeting for tonight.

[2:42:52] We did have...

[2:42:53] I'm in comments, so...

[2:42:58] But...

[2:43:00] So...

[2:43:07] It's not about my remarks, it's about the fact that we...

[2:43:10] said we're going to take a first and second to close right

[2:43:13] me to something. I'm not going to argue with you about

[2:43:15] this. So I understand that we have to open

[2:43:23] a room for quite some time. The government said I'd be

[2:43:26] closing it. I'm sorry that's disappointing to you. And we

[2:43:29] will be more than happy to have that return. But if you

[2:43:33] would like, Emory, again, we're not going to have it back

[2:43:36] and forth with that. But Emory, if you believe that I should

[2:43:39] all that. Yeah, so why don't we resolve it? Give her 30 seconds. Yeah, if you would like to speak,

[2:43:46] I would like to. If you could give her comments brief because I did call for an injury. Thank you,

[2:43:55] thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm sorry. I, you know, I wasn't, I was kind of surprised by that

[2:43:59] last comment. I'll give it to one minute. I don't believe you were, but that's okay. Okay, thank you. Oh,

[2:44:04] thank you for that. So I did the have a chance to meet with a supervisor helping because he,

[2:44:09] I think felt pressured to do so.

[2:44:11] He did not speak at all about the law.

[2:44:13] At the very end of our conversation, it took quite a long time.

[2:44:15] I asked him to please let speak about that.

[2:44:17] He said he didn't want to because he thought the police were doing a great job.

[2:44:20] Which definitely outlined the fact that he hadn't read the law.

[2:44:22] And he doesn't understand that the police are doing a great job.

[2:44:25] And we want to support that.

[2:44:26] So it has nothing to do with our law.

[2:44:28] You did not want to speak about the law at all.

[2:44:30] Our meeting was about learning about what Ola did so that maybe we'd have a chance to work in Riverhead.

[2:44:34] We've been working in serving Riverhead for 24 years.

[2:44:37] I don't need your permission.

[2:44:38] We do great work here. We work with families. We gave $1.9 million to schools across the

[2:44:43] eastern of Long Island during COVID to make sure that they have remote learning capabilities

[2:44:47] with their Chromebooks and the hotspots. We also work with Suffolk County to make sure

[2:44:51] that ERAP funds went to landlords that were not getting their rent because people were

[2:44:56] not paying it during COVID. We got almost $2 million to landlords.

[2:45:05] Thank you.

[2:45:11] Thank you.

[2:45:16] Supervisor, can we make a motion to adjourn our meeting? Two. Second. All in favor? Two, aye. Our CDA motion?

[2:45:31] Did you open the CDA meeting?

[2:45:34] Yes, okay, so we have only...

[2:45:36] No, we need to open the meeting, we just close our meeting.

[2:45:38] Oh, okay, so we need a motion.

[2:45:41] We're actually having another meeting.

[2:45:45] Yeah, but you should do it.

[2:45:47] I should come to you.

[2:45:49] Quite the evening of...

[2:45:54] Okay, we are having a CDA meeting, so...

[2:45:58] I don't leave it anywhere.

[2:46:00] I'll leave it by Debbie.

[2:46:02] Thank you.

[2:46:05] You too.

[2:46:09] Okay.

[2:46:12] Do you need me to make a motion to open up the motion?

[2:46:14] She does.

[2:46:15] We just need a motion and a second to open up the motion.

[2:46:17] I make a motion to open up the meeting development.

[2:46:20] Second.

[2:46:21] Okay.

[2:46:21] Wasky.

[2:46:22] Yes.

[2:46:23] Mary Shale.

[2:46:24] Yes.

[2:46:24] Kern.

[2:46:24] Yes.

[2:46:25] Rothwell.

[2:46:25] Yes.

[2:46:26] Helping.

[2:46:26] Yes.

[2:46:27] Okay.

[2:46:27] See the meeting is open.

[2:46:29] The items on the agenda are there are no resolutions.

[2:46:33] So there would be only one matter for the board to deal with, which is open comments from the public on CDA matters only.

[2:46:43] If anyone has a comment on a CDA matter, that's what she said. You may comment speak at this time.

[2:46:48] And no one's online. No comments.

[2:46:51] Okay, then, then we can entertain a motion in a second to close the CDA meeting.

[2:46:56] Make a motion to close CDA meeting.

[2:46:58] Oh, well, seconded. Wait.

[2:47:01] You got to be quick, John.

[2:47:03] You got to be quick, are you on it?

[2:47:05] John, you only get a half hours.

[2:47:06] Yeah, no, no, very quickly.

[2:47:08] This is on the CD8.

[2:47:11] I'd like some update and maybe unmarried and prepared to do it.

[2:47:16] But we found out that $95,000 was moved into the, for more legal processing on the case

[2:47:27] But we didn't ever get an explanation as to what that $95,000 was for.

[2:47:36] And I would think that it would be also useful to get.

[2:47:40] There was some reference that somehow we exceeded to the pendency still.

[2:47:47] And I'd be interested in knowing, is the land clear now of the pendency?

[2:47:54] what is the current state of the appeal and our response to the appeal. Again it's

[2:48:02] something that if you can answer it and be helpful but I think my hope is that

[2:48:06] those that kind of information could be regularly provided to the media.

[2:48:10] It could be okay. So what I suggest John get up right you could send an email to

[2:48:16] office. That's what those questions. Okay. All right. As long as it's a public that's

[2:48:24] I think it's what to be public information. Not just between me and me. Got it.

[2:48:31] Mason, we have one online.

[2:48:50] The article about the developer that was shut down for operating

[2:48:58] without proper permits, I noticed that his counsel was, Tillman Baelin, in the manner involving

[2:49:11] the town, which is also- Mr. Erry, I think you would cut off in the beginning. Am I just

[2:49:15] starting from- Yes, thank you.

[2:49:17] Put me here in the beginning, please repeat.

[2:49:19] Thank you. I appreciate it. In reading the article in River at

[2:49:24] Again, I am so thankful to Denise Sivilletti, I hope she's feeling better.

[2:49:31] I know she's had some issues with, at a certain age, you know, things don't work as well as they do.

[2:49:38] But Denise, thanks for everything.

[2:49:40] But in reading her piece on the developer who was shut down, I noted that its council was

[2:49:48] Sir Tillman-Baelin, which is the same law firm that is representing the town in the

[2:49:58] Gremisian Calvert Aviation lawsuit.

[2:50:01] I also had noted that there are various allegations that that firm had previously represented the

[2:50:10] alleged Ponzi scheme developer arrested on fraud charges by the Suffolk County DA.

[2:50:16] There are also allegations of members that are from the partners of the alleged Ponji

[2:50:23] Scheme developer.

[2:50:24] I would say that those type of relationships were one is simultaneously adverse to the

[2:50:30] town and representing the town creates serious concerns about potential conflict of interest.

[2:50:39] and I would urge a council member of World Well and the town attorney and the supervisor

[2:50:47] to look in whether that is even ethically proper under these circumstances.

[2:50:52] The other thing that I would urge the CDA to look into,

[2:50:56] and we're approaching the hundredth anniversary of the opening of the Empire State Building,

[2:51:03] which was built in one year, forty days. It consists of something like three million square feet,

[2:51:15] rentable square feet, built a hundred years ago on 34th and 5th Avenue in Manhattan.

[2:51:22] What I was shocked about was that after 31 years of efforts to redevelop our downtown,

[2:51:32] Your master developer has indicated that it may take three or four years to complete 70,000 square feet of hotel rooms, which by comparison is 3-100th of 1% of the size of the Empire State Building.

[2:51:50] I think that coupled with the lack of a closing within the time specified, you owe it

[2:51:59] to the members and taxpayers of our town, which to some extent is subsidizing this effort

[2:52:05] and will be asked to subsidize it through ID benefits to insist that Mr. Petter-Salleys

[2:52:12] be made available to the public.

[2:52:14] Your time is up so if you could just add a closing sentence or two.

[2:52:24] Again, you all have a fiduciary responsibility.

[2:52:28] I think there are enough questions that make an incumbent upon you to make the financials

[2:52:34] that would help from public scrutiny available for review, particularly given the time and

[2:52:40] the circumstances and continued delay.

[2:52:42] Thank you for your attention.

[2:52:44] Thank you.

[2:52:49] Any other comments and board can entertain a motion to close the meeting?

[2:52:55] Motion in a second.

[2:52:57] Thank you.

[2:52:58] Motion to close CDA meeting.

[2:53:00] Seconded.

[2:53:01] Okay.

[2:53:02] Lasky.

[2:53:03] Yes.

[2:53:03] Very shale.

[2:53:03] Yes.

[2:53:04] Turn.

[2:53:04] Yes.

[2:53:05] Off well.

[2:53:06] I got time.

[2:53:07] Help.

[2:53:08] Sure.

[2:53:09] Yes.

[2:53:10] Yes.

[2:53:11] Okay.

[2:53:11] CDA meeting is closed and we'll see you next month.

[2:53:14] Thank you everyone.

[2:53:15] Would you have another meeting?

Town Board Meeting

Transcript