Town Hall Notes: Board Considers Leasing Land at EPCAL to Farmers

Is there a place for farming at the town-owned 2,900-acre former Grumman site now known as Enterprise Park at Calverton?

Might leasing land there to farmers be a good way bring in revenues for the town short-term now that two potential deals – Riverhead Resorts and Rechler Equities' proposed industrial park – have fallen by the wayside?

Might leasing be a smart interim step while the town board takes time to undertake an environmental study, subdivide the land and adopt new zoning to make EPCAL property more appealing to developers and long-term investors?

Frank Beyrodt, president of the Long Island Farm Bureau, and Lyle Wells, a member of the bureau's board of directors, think the idea is worth looking into and appeared at Thursday's town board work session to explore the possibility.

Wells said that much of the land had been farmed before the Navy took it over and leased the property to Grumman. And Councilman George Gabrielsen, a farmer himself, said there are about 1,000 acres within the fence at EPCAL that would be appropriate for farming.

"One thing that is in short supply on Long Island is land and opportunities for expansion are few," Wells said.

"We just think the timing is good," he said, noting the increased demand brought on by the "buy-local" movement.

Farming, Wells said, would also mesh well with the state's intention to expand Stony Brook University's existing business incubator on 50 acres at EPCAL – an expansion devoted entirely to experiments in agricultural processing and marketing.

According to Wells,  annual leases on land for farming in the Town of Riverhead, are currently running at about $250 an acre, a number that would translate into $250,000 a year if the acres Gabrielsen mentioned were to be leased.

Wells said that leases would have to run from three to five years to make it worthwhile for farmers.

"This is all preliminary," Wells said, "because I can't tell you whether we will have farmers interested in taking on more land. But I think we should start the discussion."

Town board members expressed strong interest in the idea. Councilman Wooten, however, pointed out that zoning at EPCAL might be a problem.

He noted that when the U.S. Navy sold the Grumman property to the town 12 years ago for $1, the handover carried with it a number of stipulations about what can be done on the land, and farming, he said, wasn't among the re-use options listed.

Higher fees for dog licenses

If a revised code, now in draft form and subject to a public hearing, is approved by the Town Board, Riverhead residents will have to pay a bit more to register their dogs come the first of the year.

Under the revised code, which is expected to gain town board approval, the fee for a one-year license for an altered dog – that is, a dog that is either spayed or neutered – will increase from the current $5 to $9. The fee for an unaltered dog will increase from $13 to $15.

The new fees are necessary, Town Clerk Diane Wilhelm said Thursday, because her office's expenses for administering the licensing of dogs will increase on Jan. 1, when the state will shift most dog-licensing functions to municipalities.

Currently, the state acts as licensing agent and provides the aluminum tags that are placed on dog collars. On the first of the year, Wilhelm said, the town will become the licensing agent, which means it will have to purchase the tags and carry out other administrative functions.

Wilhem said that towns are free to charge as much as they want for dog licenses, provided that the fee for altered dogs is $5 higher than the fee for altered dogs.

She estimates the costs to her office under the new procedures would amount to $6.44, which is the number town board members considered in agreeing on the new fees.

Some board members suggested that a license good for three years ought to be considered to make it more convenient to residents. They concluded, however, that a three-year license could result in an administrative nightmare because some dogs are given rabies shots effective for one year, while others gets shots good for three years.

The revised code reiterates what has always been on the books – namely, that all dogs must, by law, be registered.

It also sets new penalties for dog owners found to be in violation of the law – up to $100 for the first violation, up to $250 for the second violation and up to $1,000 for the third violation. At a town judge's discretion, violators can also be sentenced to up to 15 days in jail.

To apply for a license at the town clerk's office, dog owners must present proof of current rabies shots and, where applicable, proof that their pet has been neutered or spayed. Dogs don't require a license until they reach the age of four.

Wilhelm said that so far this year, her office has handled license applications for 1,304 dogs, 1,192 of which have been altered, 112 unaltered.