Town board declines to pass resolution of support for Ivy Acres’ proposed medical marijuana facility

Riverhead Town is supporting Kent Animal Shelter’s application before the pine barrens commission to build new facilities on River Road in Calverton, but won’t be weighing in on Ivy Acres’ application to the state health department to site a medical marijuana production facility on Edwards Avenue.

The town board yesterday in a unanimous vote adopted a “sense resolution” expressing support for the animal shelter’s application to the state pine barrens commission for a hardship variance that would allow Kent to build new shelter facilities.

But board members declined Ivy Acres principal Jack Van de Wetering’s request for a similar resolution supporting his company’s medical marijuana application to the state health department, due June 5.

Van de Wetering, who first went public about the application last Thursday, stood before the board during the public comment portion of yesterday’s meeting, asking for its support. Citing job creation and regional economic benefits that would accrue, Van de Wetering said, “It would behoove the town to say yes. If you dont it will go somewhere else.”

He said Ivy Acres’ application would be one of about 150 vying for the five state-registered production facilities authorized by state law.

“If you’re for it, the chances of approval are much greater,” he told the board.

But board members wouldn’t sign on — at least not as a body.

Councilman George Gabrielsen said he could not support the application “without first vetting it to the public.” He expressed concerns about quality of life impacts on neighbors. He read from a statement he said was written by August Ruckdeschel, of the county economic development and planning department, that described such a production facility as an “intensive” operation that “can produce a potent odor well outside the confined of the greenhouse operation.” Gabrielsen said he was concerned that nearby residents would be exposed to that and it would affect their quality of life.

“I think community support is essential for this to move forward,” Gabrielsesn said.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio expressed unease with the idea of a medical marijuana production facility in Riverhead, in part because of what might happen in the future, should the state decide to legalize recreational marijuana use.

“I don’t trust our state legislators to make the right decision as to whether they’d legalize marijuana in New York State for everybody,” Giglio said.

The councilwoman said she did not have enough time to process the information provided by Van de Wetering after she met with him on Friday.

Van de Wetering made the rounds of town officials last week, hoping to get a sense resolution of support at yesterday’s meeting. In the end, it was a non-starter, with only Councilman John Dunleavy expressing support. After initially not favoring it, he said, he did some research and changed his mind.

“It helps sick people. It is a medical helper. After thingking about that, I said ‘How can I say no to someone who is in pain or someone who has these epilepsy fits?’” Dunleavy said.

Councilman James Wooten said “at first blush I’m not opposed to it” and noted that the facility would have “tremendous state oversight.”

“You can get individual letters from members,” Supervisor Sean Walter told Van de Wetering.

The supervisor said yesterday he has written a letter stating his support for the Van de Wetering family. But noting that there are two other entities looking to locate medical marijuana production facilities in the Town of Riverhead — both at EPCAL, he said — Walter said, “It’s very difficult for us to give support to you over the others.”

“I’m philosophically opposed to medical marijuana,” Walter told RiverheadLOCAL in an interview last week, “because I believe it is just nothing more than an incremental approach toward legalizing the drug for recreational use and I can’t square that with everything we’re trying to do to reduce recreational drug use and drugged driving. So I don’t support the state law.”

In other business yesterday, the board:

• authorized a joint application with MagLev inventors Danby and Powell and Polytechnic Institute to the U.S. Department of Transportation for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to fund a MagLev Demonstration and Certification Project at the Enterprise Park at Calverton;
• adopted a local law deleting section 45-6 of Chapter 45 of the Riverhead Town Code, requiring the town to disburse a portion of false alarm charges to the local fire districts;
• approved the fireworks application of the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association for a fireworks display in Grangebel Park on July 3 (rain date July 5);
• approved special event permits for lawnmower races at the Elks Lodge on May 31, June 28, Aug. 30, Sept. 37 and Nov. 1;
• approved the fireworks application of the Jamesport Fire Department for a fireworks display on July 11 at Schmitt Farm property, Main Road, Jamesport;
• approved a special event permit for the L.I. Antique Power Association’s Antique Tractor Show and Pull on July 11 and 12 at the organization’s property on Sound Avenue in Riverhead.

The board also honored Riverhead Police Officer Tim Murphy, who was Riverhead’s “top cop” for DWI arrests in 2014. That’s a distinction Murphy has achieved every year since he joined the department in 1999.  He’s also held the record for the most DWI arrests of any cop in all of Suffolk County several times, most recently in 2013.

Murphy was honored, along with 21 other cops from departments across Suffolk, by County Executive Steve Bellone at ceremonies at the police academy last month.

“This shows that the Town of Riverhead takes DWI enforcement very seriously,” Murphy said, accepting a certificate of appreciation from the Riverhead Town Board yesterday.