Renewals of $50,000 in IT contracts with two firms won approval by the Riverhead Town Board at its regular meeting last night at Riverhead Town Hall.
With Councilman John Dunleavy absent, the remaining four board members voted unanimously to approve the contract renewals with a company that licenses and performs maintenance on the town’s main frame computer and another that hosts the town’s email accounts.
G Force Global will perform monthly software maintenance and provide a three-year license for a Libra 450 main frame server for $43,330.
It’s an expense Supervisor Sean Walter would rather not incur, arguing that the COBOL-based main frame computer in use is outdated and should be replaced with more modern hardware and software. The expense of a new system, estimated at more than $225,000 for new software alone, is something the town board has not been able to fund.
The board authorized renewal of a $6,670 annual contract with Suffolk Online Advertising, which hosts the town’s email accounts and provides spam and virus filtering services.
Tanger antes up for police services during holiday sales
The board approved an agreement with Tanger Properties for police and traffic control services during the month of December 2014. Tanger will pay the town $31,648, pursuant to the agreement.
The company already paid for Thanksgiving/Black Friday police services, the supervisor said, although no contract for same has yet been signed due to an administrative oversight, he said.
The board scheduled the following public hearings for Feb. 18:
- proposed changes to the town’s waterways code to regulate jet pack or flyboarding activities;
- proposed changes to the zoning code to define “family” to include the “functional equivalent” of a “traditional family” as a group of people who live and cook together as a “single housekeeping unit” who live together on a permanent basis and share all household expenses;
- regarding the matter of an alleged unsafe and abandoned structure at 162 Founders Path, Baiting Hollow;
In other action last night, the board approved resolutions:
- authorizing an intermunicipal agreement with other East End towns and villages to form the Peconic Estuary Protection Committee; Riverhead will contribute $6,000 toward funding the committee’s activities;
- authorized a contract for payment in lieu of taxes by STR Systems LLC or its assignee on a 14-acre “solar farm” planned for a Middle Country Road site in Calverton. Councilwoman Jodi Giglio abstained from the vote because the proposed contract was not attached to the resolution and she said she had not been told what the PILOT amount would be. The supervisor said it is about $84,000. A state law exempts solar farms from property tax assessment but allows the town to collect a payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, to be negotiated with the developer/operator;
The board voted to approve special event permits for two events planned for March 28, a mountain bike race sponsored by Strong Island Kids at the Schiff Scout Reservation in Wading River and a St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Jamesport.
The board also made the following committee appointments:
- Recreation advisory committee – John White;
- Farmland preservation committee – Richard Wines, Charlie Scheer, Mark Zaweski, Rodney Anderson (reappointments);
- Ethics board – John Lombardi, Audrey Zaweski, Donna Barnard (reappointments);
- Open space/park preserve committee – Charles Cetas, Janis Leonti, Nancy Gilbert
Part-time environmental planner wanted
Riverhead is looking to hire a part-time environmental planner for the planning department at an hourly rate of $32.97. Applications will be accepted until Feb. 13 until 4:30 p.m. Minimum requirements are a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning, environmental studies, biology, geology, marine biology or oceanography and two years experience in environmental planning. Apply to personnel office, 200 Howell Avenue, Riverhead NY 11901.
Three young rescuers, police officers honored
Christopher Lull, 19, of Riverhead, Isabella (“Izzy”) DiPierro, 16, of Wading River and Tyrek Highsmith, 18, of Riverhead were honored by the town board for their quick action to help save a man who had fallen into the Peconic River last month. The supervisor presented them with proclamations praising them for trying to pull a man from the water Dec. 29 and calling police when they were unable to do so.
The board also honored the police officers who responded to the call and formed a “human ladder” to pull the man out of the water: Anthony Montalbano, Chris Burns, Mike Lojko, Dan Walther and Louis Lugini. He was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center for treatment of hypothermia.
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