Dear Friends,
Thank you once again for your support to preserve1040 environmentally precious acres at EPCAL.
It looks like things are coming to a head. The Riverhead Town Board, will vote on Tuesday "to make application to the IDA to transfer title of all acreage it owns at EPCAL to the Riverhead Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to facilitate the sale and transfer of approximately 1,643 acres to EPCAL to Calverton Aviation & Technology LLC. (CAT)"
Frankly, we don't really know what this means. Is it a convoluted but clever way to get out of the contract or to escape responsibility for a bad deal or to avoid scrutiny by the DEA and the public?
We are asking every resident of Riverhead who cares what happens to the irreplaceable land at EPCAL to do one or more of the following:
- Write to the Board. An e-mail can be sent to every member through Town Clerk Diane Wilhelm <wilhelm@townofriverheadny.gov>
- Attend the Board meeting in Town Hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday, February 15.
- Speak for up to five minutes. (It may be possible to do so by zoom.)
Please write or say the resolution should be tabled until after a public hearing is held where the Board and attorney Frank Isler explain in detail what their proposal means and answer serious questions from the community.
Feel free to add why you personally want to terminate the deal with the Ghermezians and Daniel Preston.
For background, we recommend reading two articles from the Riverhead Local:
- About the plan to transfer the EPCAL land to the IDA https://riverheadlocal.com/2022/02/10/riverhead-unveils-a-new-path-forward-to-close-epcal-land-deal-with-triple-five/
- About the Federal lawsuit against the Ghermazians for production and sale of counterfeit hand sanitizer during the Covid epidemic https://riverheadlocal.com/2022/02/11/federal-lawsuit-claims-triple-five-company-and-ghermezian-family-members-sold-counterfeit-hand-sanitizer-in-2020/
If you would like to become active with EPCAL Watch to protect this land, or just need to know how to speak at the Board meeting by zoom, write to EPCALwatch@gmail.com
Rex Farr
Coordinator
EPCAL Watch