Riverhead Town Board votes to move forward with eminent domain proceedings

There are just a couple days left in New York’s legislative session in Albany — and the State Legislature has a lot of catching up to do. Fewer than 350 bills have passed both the Senate and Assembly, meaning that the Legislature will need to go into overdrive to come close to matching the roughly 850 bills passed in 2025.There is always plenty blame to go around in Albany, but this year the clear culprit seems to be the glacial pace of budget negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul. Lawmakers finally passed the $269 billion budget last week, giving them only one week to advance their own agenda.In theory, the Legislature could stay in Albany as long as it likes to pass bills. In practice, members have already made travel arrangements to their home districts, to see family and campaign for the June 23 primary.That will put pressure on the Assembly speaker, Carl E. Heastie, and the Senate majority leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, to prioritize the bills that have the best chance of passing without much debate.Several issues vying for floor time this week include a moratorium on data centers, making redistricting easier in New York, an uncertain future in plastics, keeping surveillance out of pricing, and counteracting some Trump administration initiatives.The artificial intelligence debate promises to continue throughout the fiscal year in New York and across the country. A.I. has transformed New York’s economy, while it has also begun to shape the state’s physical landscape through the data centers that power A.I.But concerns about their environmental impact and energy consumption have led lawmakers in Albany to rally around a one year moratorium on new data centers.Initially, the push had been for three years. But after conversations with stakeholders, Mr. Heastie said, the Legislature had come to a compromise on one year. “I think we’re comfortable passing that,” he said.Over the next five years, the number of data centers across the nation is projected to triple, consuming more electricity than 28 million households, according to an analysis from the nonprofit Food & Water Watch.***For teen bands in the Town of Southampton, the musical calendar year revolves around one night: the annual Southampton Youth Bureau Battle of the Bands at Ponquogue Beach in Hampton Bays. Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that this year is no different, as teenage bands, friends, family and peers will flock to the parking lot of Ponquogue Beach this coming Friday, June 5, to hear and cheer on their favorite young groups in the 23rd annual Battle of the Bands.Gates open at 7 p.m.; those who arrive early will get to listen to a series of special guest opening acts for the first hour. This year’s slate features four local middle and high school students who have participated in the Youth Bureau’s annual “Hamptons Got Talent” event in the last two years.The main event begins at 8 p.m., when the bands take the stage.Like last year’s edition, this year will feature five competing bands. Each band will have 20 minutes to perform a set of three to four songs each. The winning band gets to come back on stage to perform an encore at the end of the show.Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places. This year’s prizes have been donated by the event’s sponsors, including Dream Recording Studios, LTV Studios, Hampton Coffee Company and the Hampton Theatre Company.The event will be emceed by three students from Westhampton Beach High School: juniors Elhani Armijos and Jennifer Santiago, and senior Kate Lynch.Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the gate on Friday June 5.For more information, visit southamptontownny.gov/youthbureau or call 631-702-2425.***The Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton invites you to join them for a wonderful Sunday afternoon of chamber music performed by Poetica Ensemble, a consortium of world class musicians led by artistic directors and local residents Song-A Cho and Christopher Shaughnessy. The ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Scorca Hall as well as other renowned concert halls throughout the greater New York area and beyond.Registration required.The performance is this coming Sunday, June 7, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Morris Meeting Room at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton.For further info visit myrml.org.Register for the event at rogersmemorial.librarycalendar.com/event/sunday-concert-80790***The Riverhead Town Board voted yesterday to move forward with eminent domain proceedings against the Long Island Science Center’s downtown property, adopting a findings statement that says acquisition of 111 E. Main St. is necessary to complete the town square project.Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the resolution passed 3-1, with one abstention. Council Members Denise Merrifield, Joann Waski and Ken Rothwell voted yes. Supervisor Jerry Halpin voted no. Council Member Bob Kern abstained.The resolution authorizes the Town of Riverhead to proceed under Article 2 of the state Eminent Domain Procedure Law to acquire fee title to the property, owned by A Place for Learning Inc., the nonprofit corporation that operates the Long Island Science Center.The 111 E. Main St. building, the former West Marine store, has been slated for redevelopment as the science center’s new downtown home. The science center currently operates at Tanger Outlets.Riverhead Town officials have argued that the building remains vacant and blighted and is a critical piece of the broader town square redevelopment effort. The findings statement adopted on Tuesday says the acquisition will serve a public purpose by removing blight and furthering the town’s economic redevelopment and revitalization plan.The resolution says the property sits “directly on the Town Square” and forms the western border of the project. It states that the building has been in “blighted, deteriorating and substandard condition for over 20 years” and says the owner’s redevelopment plans have failed to move forward despite several years of ownership.But residents opposed to the taking said before and during Tuesday’s meeting that the town has not identified a specific future use for the property, has not provided a cost estimate and has not adequately explained why condemnation is necessary.Halpin said he believes eminent domain should be used only as a last resort and said he did not believe the town had reached that point.“It’s a legal tool that should only be used as an absolute last resort,” Halpin said. “My opinion is that we’re not at that absolute last resort.”Halpin said he understands the frustration of board members who expected the science center project to be farther along, but said he was “not ready” to use eminent domain.The resolution directs the town clerk to publish notice of the findings in two successive issues of the News-Review beginning June 11 and directs special counsel Frank Isler to serve certified copies on the property owner and any other parties with an interest in the property.***One consequence of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s waiting so late to get a budget deal:The State Senate might not have time to vote on all of her pending nominations for state agency commissioners, judgeships and other posts.Yancy Roy reports in NEWSDAY that because budget negotiations consumed 18 of the 19 scheduled weeks of the 2026 legislative session, the Senate and Assembly have just this final week to approve all the hundreds of bills their rank-and-file members want before adjourning, either late tomorrow or Friday.Meanwhile, Governor Hochul has submitted dozens of nominations for the Senate to consider, including several state agency commissioners, board members for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Corrections Commission and 28 judges, according to the Senate.Customarily, the Senate acts on nominations before the final week of the legislative session. This year, however, the budget wasn’t agreed on and voted on till May 27, even though it was due April 1. The result is that the nominations now are competing with a flurry of bills lawmakers are seeking to approve this week, ranging from congressional redistricting to surveillance pricing to data-center moratoriums.And the clock is ticking.With the budget finishing so late, there is "limited time" to give proper vetting to the more than three dozen nominees, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris said."If we have time to do them, we’ll do what we can," Gianaris (D-Astoria) told Newsday.New York State legislators — especially Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) — have complained that Hochul drew out budget negotiations by throwing in a kitchen sink of non-budget policy items, such as climate and immigration laws. And that they had no time remaining for legislators’ own priorities.But the uncertainty over Hochul’s nominees isn’t so much about pay back as lack of time, a source said.Consequently, not all of the more than three dozen nominees might make it this week and, if so, would have to wait till the legislature reconvenes in January, following the fall elections.***The Riverhead Chamber of Commerce will host “America 250: 4th Before the 4th,” a country-themed BBQ street fair at Grangebel Park in Riverhead tomorrow…the 4th of June…from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.The event will feature live country music, BBQ food vendors, line dancing, cold drinks and kid zone family...