William Grossklaus, 30, of Riverhead was arrested Sunday morning for driving while intoxicated, police reports said.

Mr. Grossklaus was pulled over by police around 2 a.m. for speeding near the intersection of East Main Street and Hubbard Avenue in Riverhead. He was charged with DWI and two additional violations.

• An underage drinking operation resulted in four arrests Monday after members of the Riverhead Police COPE unit conducted State Liquor Authority compliance checks at 19 locations in Riverhead.

Those arrested were charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child, a misdemeanor.

Police arrested Raja Shahzad, 60, of Riverhead at 7-Eleven on 1050 Old Country Road; Adem Sari, 39, of Riverhead at American Gas in Jamesport; Osama Naeem, 23, of Riverhead at Mobil on East Main Street; and Janaka Wijepala Mohottalage, 44, of Riverhead at Mobil on Route 58. They were all released on appearance tickets.

An earlier compliance check March 29 resulted in one arrest when police investigated five locations in Riverhead. Ahndrea Valentin, 24, of Miller Place was arrested at Buffalo Wild Wings in Riverhead and charged with first-degree unlawfully dealing with a child and released on an appearance ticket.

 • A woman called police to report several personal items had been stolen, only to later realize her son had tossed them into the garbage.

Police responded to East Wind on Route 25A in Wading River Thursday around 8:30 p.m. The woman claimed her iPhone, American Express credit card, Bank of America debit card and driver’s license had been stolen from a countertop at the reception desk.

About two hours later, police received another call and the woman said she had found her property. She told police that her 8-year-old son threw her cellphone and credit cards into the garbage.

• A Riverhead woman reported her clothing was damaged Friday evening at Laundry Palace, reports said. 

The woman told police two comforters, six towels, two sets of sheets and several blankets, totaling around $1,200, were damaged from rusty water after the Riverhead Water District flushed the lines. The woman told police she will report the incident to the water district at a later date. Police took no further action.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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Boots were on the ground in Riverhead — but not for reasons you might expect — as River and Roots Community Garden workers and volunteers from as far away as Staten Island joined forces to rebuild garden beds with support from a local sheet metal workers union.

The management of Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Union Local 28 provided a $3,000 donation and contributed all the supplies and some of the labor needed for the project, enabling River and Roots to launch its ninth season. In 2011, Riverhead Town gave the not-for-profit group a license to use the land for a community garden on West Main Street, just feet from the Peconic River.

“This was town property that really was not being utilized,” said River and Roots co-founder Amy Davidson. “We had a vision to get the community involved and we did … in this town, if you just say, ‘We need help,’ they’re so generous and they’ve always come to our aid.”

After just a year, however, Superstorm Sandy devastated the property, confronting River and Roots with significant financial challenges. Although they did eventually manage to refurbish nine plots that were destroyed by the storm, much of the garden was left in shambles. 

River and Roots vice president Brian Nigro, a SMART Local 28 member and husband of garden co-founder Laurie Nigro, said he recognized how quickly the property was deteriorating. He put in a request to see if his union, which has supported community-based projects in the past, would be willing to help with the restoration effort — and it was.

So from 7 a.m. March 30 through the following evening, a team of about 50 people worked to rebuild a total of 36 beds, a significant number of which were built at double height to accommodate gardeners with physical limitations.

“This was a vacant piece of land where guys would drink all day,” Mr. Nigro said. “I think it’s important for unions to give back to the communities they work in. I’m glad the management of 28 saw that, too.”

Though River and Roots is insured and has managed to find local donors from across the country for previous projects — initially through a fundraiser at the former Martha Clara Vineyards — maintenance and costs associated with new ventures can get pricey, according to Laurie Nigro. Conditions at the Main Street garden were not previously tenable for either gardeners or passersby, she said, with mountains of rotting wood crumbling around them. 

“We charge $25 to rent a bed for the year and we still have to pay insurance every year on the garden, so finding that money, we were going to have to look for donations in the community,” she said. “When Brian said, ‘Let me speak to my union and see if that’s something we can manage,’ it was like one of those lifesavers.”

Reflecting on the group’s 2011 start, Ms. Nigro grew nostalgic.

“Amy and I were two people who — nobody knew who we were. It’s not like we were into politics. At the time, we were stay-at-home homeschooling moms,” she said. “We were like, ‘So, give us this really prominent piece of land on Main Street and let us garden it.’ ”

With enough lobbying, though, the women were able to sway the Town Board within 18 months and garner a good bit of local support. Former deputy supervisor Jill Lewis saw their vision and served as their driving force, Ms. Nigro said.

“Now looking at it … how could they be so nuts to let two women they’d never heard of have this really amazing thing?” she said. “They put a lot of belief in us. Without the town support, it never would have happened.”

While the garden is generally kept locked, it is open to the public when gardeners are on site. Edibles including raspberries, blackberries, figs and plums are planted along the perimeter of the garden to make them available for public consumption.

Top photo caption: River and Roots Community Garden members and volunteers work on the town property’s 36 garden beds Saturday. A number are being built at double height to accommodate gardeners with physical limitations. (Credit: Mahreen Khan)

mkhan@timesreview.com

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The Riverhead Town Board Thursday voted to hire an outside law firm to help the town collect unpaid runway use agreement fees and unpaid false alarm fees owed to the town by Luminati Aerospace LLC.

The Town Board voted 4-0, with Councilman Jim Wooten absent, to hire the law firm of Sinnreich, Kosakoff & Messina as special counsel to represent the Town Board in collection of outstanding alarm fees and enforcement of the runway use agreement with Luminati Aerospace LLC.

According to town police, Luminati owes $22,820 in unpaid false alarm fines from 2016 through the first quarter of this year.

Luminati also hasn’t paid a monthly runway use fee of $2,765 since September, according to Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith.  

The annual fee, established in 2015, was $31,810 per year, subject to an annual cost of living increase.

“It’s not just to collect the back fees,” Ms. Jens-Smith said. “It’s is the runway use agreement in totality and whether they are in compliance with it.”

She said there’s a possibility Luminati could lose their use of the runway if the are in violation of the agreement.  

Luminati owns 25% of Calverton Aviation and Technology, the company in contract to buy 1,643 acres of land from Riverhead Town at the Enterprise Park at Calverton for $40 million.

The other 75% is owned by Triple Five Group, the company that built large shopping and entertainment centers like the Mall of America in Minnesota.

Luminati owns property at 400 David Court in EPCAL, and also had been leasing space at the former Grumman Plant 6.

However, the owner of Plant 6, Laoudis of Calverton, brought an eviction notice against Luminati in March, claiming they owed rent, and Luminati voluntarily agreed to move out of the property.

Luminati also is facing a lawsuit from Hexcel Corporation, a Stamford, Conn.-based company that claims Luminati defaulted on a $10 million loan it made to Luminati in 2016.

Hexcel is asking the court to seize about $7.4 million worth of property belonging to Luminati at EPCAL and to turn it over to them, citing clauses in their agreement.

Rex Farr, of EPCAL Watch, a civic group, supported the town’s actions and suggested it go further.

“As the news has unfolded over these past several weeks, it is apparent the good will and trust of the residents of the Town of Riverhead has been exploited on numerous occasions by Daniel Preston and his elusive business enterprise, Luminati LLC,” he said.

Mr, Farr urged the town to engage outside counsel with “fresh eyes,” with expertise and experience in contract law, with no prior involvement with Riverhead Town and with no connection or business with any current or prior entity at EPCAL.

“Rex, I don’t disagree with you, I think it’s something we do need to discuss,” Ms. Jens-Smith said.

But she said the resolution being voted on Thursday pertain only to Luminati and the unpaid false alarm and runway use fees.

The Town Board also currently has retained Frank Isler, as outside counsel,  working on the contract of sale with CAT, she said.

That arrangement is not impacted by Thursday’s resolution, officials said.

The Town Attorney’s office is conflicted because they are working on the closing, Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said. “They can’t do both.”

tgannon@timesreview.com

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It’s quite appropriate the Riverhead High School girls lacrosse team got an opportunity to celebrate its dramatic 14-13 sudden-death victory over Smithtown East not once, but twice on Saturday.

After junior midfielder Megan Kielbasa scored with 2 minutes, 29 seconds remaining in overtime at Nicholas Schroeder Field, the Smithtown coach asked for a stick check by the referees.

A minute later, the game officials said Kielbasa’s stick was within regulation and the Blue Waves celebrated their biggest win of the season.

“I knew my stick was fine,” Kielbasa said. “I was just patient and calm. I was ready to call it a goal.”

Riverhead (7-1, 7-1 Suffolk County Division I) entered the overtime with a man advantage after Gabrielle Schneider was penalized for a hard foul with 45 seconds remaining in regulation. The Blue Waves passed the ball around until Kielbasa saw her opening and beat goaltender Kaitlyn Mangiello from close range from the left side.

“I saw my matchup and I saw that it was something I should take,” she said. “I knew I had a good opportunity. I made sure I put the ball low, made sure it went into the back of the net and quickly celebrated with my teammates.”

And, as it turned out, a second time as well.

“We have a lot of faith in her,” said her sister, senior midfielder Kayla Kielbasa, who added a hat trick and won 17 of her 26 draws. “She’s very fast and speedy. So, she can definitely dominate her one-on-one matches. She just got it done.”

Outside of the playoffs next month, the Blue Waves, ranked third with 131.900 points in Division I, are in the midst of the most difficult and challenging stretch of their schedule. Within a span of 19 days, they will have played Middle Country, whom they lost to, 11-10, on April 6, Smithtown East and then Northport on April 19.

“We lost to Middle Country and I’m OK with it,” coach Ashley Schandel said. “Sometimes you need a loss to just [give] you a little perspective and say, ‘We didn’t play our game that day.’ And if we did, I bet you it would have been a different [outcome].”

Smithtown East (6-2, 5-2, 128.090 power-rating points), ranked third, defeated Northport (6-1, 6-1, 141.900), 11-5, on April 6.

“They are coming off a high,” Schandel added. “They took the number one team. It just shows any of these teams will be anybody’s game. I would say that the top chunk of top teams are all very close, very similar. You might have one kid injured that changes your whole thing. It’s definitely going to be an exciting playoff bracket for Division I.”

The game was reminiscent of a bout between two prize fighters, each team having its moment and escape from adversity.

Riverhead had grabbed a 6-3 lead with 9:19 remaining in the opening half behind the first of Megan Kielbasa’s four goals before the Bulls battled back for an 8-8 halftime deadlock.

The second half was a see-saw battle. The goal of Emma Conroy’s hat trick gave Riverhead a short-lived 9-8 edge before the hosts stole the momentum with three consecutive goals for an 11-9 lead.

“I never lost confidence in our team,” Schandel said. “We do have a team that if we dig ourselves into a hole we will fight back and get ourselves out of it.”

Which is what the Blue Waves did as they took control, striking thrice behind Chrissy Thomas, Conroy and Ava Lily Sumwalt for a 12-11 edge with 11:42 left in regulation.

The Bulls took over as Dani Brady and Bella Costa lifted them to a 13-12 lead with 6:30 remaining in the fourth.

Lauren Kenny equalized off a low shot from the left side thanks to a Sumwalt feed with 5:59 to go.

Smithtown East called a timeout with 4:52 left and came out passing the ball around, trying to set up for one final shot. That strategy, however, was thwarted as Riverhead regained possession. The Blue Waves gave it away and the Bulls never got off a shot in their final possession.

The Blues Waves’ ultimate goal is a first county title.

“We know we have the talent this year, more than any years in the past,” Megan Kielbasa said. “We’ve definitely grown as a program and as a team. We’re right there with all the top teams. And we know we can do. So, why not?”

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At a time when trust in media continues to erode and the business model for newspapers continues to be tossed and shaken, working in this industry can be deflating.

Last weekend in Albany, however, the New York Press Association delivered an uplifting reminder to those of us in community journalism that the work we do remains valuable, important and relevant to the people in neighborhoods we cover. The term “media” is often invoked as an over-arching description for journalism, although it most often refers specifically to cable news talking heads. But as we saw once again, a robust group of dedicated journalists remains across New York, hard at work in small newsrooms to deliver stories that might otherwise go untold.

At NYPA’s annual spring convention, we were honored to be among our colleagues, listen to advice from industry experts and bring home a few awards along the way. 

Seeing the honors bestowed on some of the work done by our colleagues is inspirational for us.

Consider, for example, the investigative work of City & State in covering dubious testing of water tanks and the associated public health risks; an eight-month investigation by the Batavia Daily News, titled “Predator in Blue,” about a former Wyoming County Sheriff’s sergeant; the New York Law Journal’s examination of a sexual harassment policy in New York courts in response to the #MeToo movement; and the Oceanside Island Park Herald’s reporting on an Oceanside native’s mission to stop school shootings after his daughter was killed in Parkland, Fla.

A key takeaway from the convention was the need to rebuild trust among our readers, and that’s something we’ll strive to do. The media landscape continues to evolve and we adjust by providing news in different ways. In 2018, we launched a renewed effort into podcasting and produced more videos than at any time in our history. We’ll continue evolving with a redesigned website to better package our digital initiatives.

Another takeaway that seems to be reinforced every year is the strength of journalism on the East End in particular. The Suffolk Times earned Newspaper of the Year for the second consecutive year. Five of the top six papers were from eastern Long Island, including The Independent, Southampton Press and Sag Harbor Express. Digital-only organizations have been represented in recent years as well and RiverheadLocal publisher Denise Civiletti received a well-deserved award for investigative/in-depth reporting on the never-ending drama at the Enterprise Park at Calverton.

For the first time, our papers, along with Sag Harbor and Southampton, received a joint award for coverage of the opioid crisis through our East End News Project. As newsrooms shrink, it’s important for us to find innovative ways to work together. We hope to continue that in the future.

The uncertainty surrounding journalism these days won’t be going away, but we’ll continue to do our best to make our newspapers something our communities can be proud of.

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In order to pitch a no-hitter in baseball, it helps to pitch to contact.

That sounds like a contradiction, but Aidan Crowley believes it’s true, and he should know. Crowley tossed no-hitters in consecutive starts — his first two of the season — this month for Shoreham-Wading River High School.

“It’s pretty special,” said coach Kevin Willi.

Crowley’s first career no-no came in a 10-0 non-league win at home against Eastport/South Manor on April 2. The junior had eight strikeouts and two walks.

That game ended with a Crowley strikeout and he reacted.

“I knew that it was a no-hitter,” he said. “A lot of the guys didn’t realize. I think only like three or four guys knew, so I was pretty excited.”

What did Crowley attribute that no-hitter to?

Defense.

“The defense was insane,” he said. “That was the biggest thing that helped me. There were some really nice plays that they would have been hits but Mason [Kelly] saved me in centerfield, Jared [Sciarrino] made a nice play and then in the seventh, [Nick] Bettenhauser doubled a guy off on a line drive at second base.”

No-hitters can sneak up on people, but Crowley’s second one seven days later didn’t. He fired 14 strikeouts and walked four in a 3-0 Suffolk County League VII victory at Elwood/John Glenn.

“That one, everyone realized” what was happening, Crowley said. “That one was a much closer game. We didn’t score until the seventh, so everyone was really into the game and everyone ran out. Everyone knew what happened.”

Another Aidan, Aidan Hutchins, caught both no-hitters.

The second game showed the value of pitching to contact in order to avoid the pitch count from getting out of hand. Crowley threw 107 pitches and said he would have been pulled out of the game had he walked the last batter he faced.

The 6-foot-3 righthander was SWR’s No. 3 pitcher last year. He has worked on his control since then and is now the team’s No. 1 starter, a power pitcher with a curveball, changeup and slider to augment his mid-80s fastball.

“He goes right at guys, gets ahead of batters,” Willi said. “He’s got a good, sharp breaking ball.”

As Crowley sees it, a no-hitter is the goal every time he takes the mound.

“I mean, a perfect game is a little unrealistic just because I know I’m going to walk some guys once in a while,” he said. “I’m upset every time I give up a hit. It kind of bothers me.”

Crowley said he hasn’t received celebrity treatment because of his no-hitters, but he has heard a lot of jokes from teammates.

“Everyone’s messing around with me,” he said. “After the game we all went out to eat and they’re all like, ‘Who’s paying for his food?’ ”

What Crowley did is reminiscent of Brian Morrell hurling no-hitters in his first two career pitching starts as an SWR freshman in 2014. Morrell finished with five no-hitters for his high school career. In 2013, Riverhead left-hander Matt Crohan also started his senior season with a pair of no-hitters. Both Morrell and Crohan would win the Carl Yastrzemski Award as the top player in Suffolk County during their high school careers. (Morrell won twice).

The question begged to be asked: Can Crowley make it three no-hitters in a row?

“I don’t want to say yes because I feel like I’d jinx it,” he said with a smile. “That’s the goal.”

Photo caption: Aidan Crowley has pitched no-hitters in his first two starts this season for Shoreham-Wading River High School. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

bliepa@timesreview.com

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I’m Michael Grigg. I’m the owner of House of Print, 49 East Main St. in Riverhead.

We do custom apparel for businesses, schools, fun events.

We sit down, we have consultations together. We talk about the art.

We want to make sure that you’re looking your best and that you’re happy with what you’re getting, even if it takes 15 or 20 times to go over.

You can come to us with any design, any idea you have. We can get it done.

The first thing I usually do in the morning when I come in is check my email. Then I figure out what needs to be finished for that day in terms of what orders we have that need to get done.

It’s a daily grind but it’s a great grind. If we have to print 200 T-shirts, we’ve got to print 200 T-shirts. I put my music on, let it blast a little bit in here and get to work.

I worked at [East End Sporting Goods] in Mattituck for five years and learned everything I could from Mr. and Mrs. King. They are outstanding people. But it was time for a change.

I was always an artsy person.

I always liked to make things look better than what anything else was.

Most of the designs I do myself. I taught myself to use a program called CorelDRAW. I’ve done some things for the Riverhead School District, Mattituck and Greenport as well. It’s all word of mouth. People want to come see the new kid.

I’m a Riverhead graduate. From coming up and growing up in the ’90s … a lot of my friends were killed.

There weren’t a lot of opportunities here in town for minorities. My father worked here in Riverhead for 36 years for Sears on Main Street.

It was a place, you know? You went to Swezey’s. It was just the place to go, Main Street in Riverhead.

It seemed like it got lost. I really wanted to come back to the place where I knew and loved for so long.

The best part of the job? Connections. It’s good to talk to and meet new people, especially people on Main Street and other businesses. I’m a people person.

They say history repeats itself, so maybe I’ll be here for 36 years, you know? Maybe 50.

“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town. It is made possible by Peconic Landing. See more photos on Instagram @riverheadnewsreview.

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Riverhead Town police arrested a West Babylon man for allegedly staling assorted tools and plumbing supplies from a vehicle early Monday morning, according to a press release.

Police received a call just before 4 a.m. of a larceny in progress on Route 58. The responding officers found a suspect nearby and he was identified by a witness, police said.

Russell Harman, 48, was arrested and charged with third-degree grand larceny, a felony, police said. Police said the tools and plumbing supplies were located near the scene.

Mr. Harman was processed and held for arraignment in the Riverhead Justice Court.

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A Mattituck woman was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital after a two-car crash on Sound Avenue in Northville Monday afternoon, according to Riverhead police.

The Riverhead Fire Department responded to the crash site with heavy rescue to free the woman, whose SUV police said had meandered into the opposite lane of traffic before colliding head on with a pickup truck.

The woman, who was temporarily trapped inside her SUV, was transported to a landing zone on Northville Turnpike for a Suffolk County Police medevac shortly after 4:30 p.m. Monday.

Sound Avenue was closed between Phillips Lane and West Lane as rescue crews responded to the scene.

Members of the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps transported the victim to the landing zone.

The driver of the pickup truck suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The investigation is ongoing.

This post will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Photo caption: Firefighters and police at the crash scene on Sound Avenue. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

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An East End Drug Task Force investigation resulted in the arrests of two people Monday on multiple drug charges, according to Riverhead Town police.

Police executed a search warrant at 47 Hinda Blvd. and recovered heroin, cocaine and items and materials to cut, process and package heroin for sale, police said.

Richard Kayte, 37, and Charlene Crump, 60, both of whom live at the address, were arrested, police said.

Mr. Kayte was charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Two counts were felonies, one for intent to sell and the other for possession of more than one-half ounce of a narcotic. He was charged with two misdemeanor counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and three counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia, police said.

Ms. Crump was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and three counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia, police said.

Police said the home was the site of prior neighborhood complaints.

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A proposal to build a two-story, 15,000-square-foot medical office on a vacant and wooded 3.45-acre property at the northeast corner of Union Avenue and Main Road in Aquebogue is too intense a use for that area and should be redesigned, according to a majority of Riverhead Town Board members. 

A company called 374 Main Road LLC is proposing the medical office, which requires a special permit from the Town Board. 

The project is also before the town Planning Board seeking site plan approval. 

The applicant had previously submitted two preliminary sketch plans, one showing four one-story buildings in a campus style design, and one showing one 15,000-square-foot, two-story building, according to town planning aide Greg Bergman. 

The Planning Board preferred having just one building, which is what was proposed by the applicant. 

But the town’s zoning guidelines — which are merely recommendations — state that if the property in this zone is greater than three acres, the proposed floor area shall be distributed over four buildings, with no one building having a footprint of more than 5,000 square feet, according to Mr. Bergman.

He said that the two office buildings on the northwest corner of Main Road and Union Avenue are each about 7,000 square feet, to put it in perspective. 

Shannen McCaffrey of Due East Planning, a representative for the applicant, said the are hoping to have just one tenant, but she didn’t know how many doctors would occupy the space. 

Riverhead Town Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said the proposal seems more like a medical complex.

“A complex like this seems out of character for the area,” she said, adding that the intensity of the proposed use is too much, and that this use would be better suited near Peconic Bay Medical Center. 

Councilwoman Catherine Kent and Councilman Tim Hubbard expressed similar sentiments. 

“We have a beautiful rural corridor through Main Road in Aquebogue and I don’t like seeing it disturbed,” Mr. Hubbard said. 

“It would be nice to refurbish some of those big empty buildings on Route 58,” Ms. Kent said. 

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said she would prefer two 7,500-square-foot, two-story buildings, so long as they can’t be seen from the road and have buffers to protect neighbors.

The proposal is bordered on the west by the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and on the north by three homes. The property is zoned rural corridor. 

The planners called for the entrance and exit to the site coming from Union Avenue. 

There was an easement approved in 1989 so that several adjacent properties could exit and enter from Union Avenue, rather than have separate entrances on Main Road, but the town allowed the Kingdom Hall to build solar panels in part of the easement in 2009, according to Mr. Bergman. He said the town didn’t require title reports on site plans at the time, but has since 2013. 

“I feel like the consensus from the Town Board is that this needs some redesign, before we even get into design, aesthetics of buildings etc.,” Mr. Bergman said. 

“I’d like to see something that meets the planning guidelines,” Ms. Jens-Smith said. The proposed use would be out of character with the other permitted uses in the rural corridor zoning district, she said, although the zoning does allow professional offices with a special permit. 

Board members said they will discuss the proposal further at a future meeting.

Top photo caption: The Union Avenue and Main Road intersection. (Credit: Tim Gannon)

tgannon@timesreview.com

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The Riverhead High School softball team paid tribute to fallen NYPD Detective Brian Simonsen Tuesday.

Arm in arm, Det. Simonsen’s mother, Linda, and wife, Leanne, stepped into the pitcher’s circle to throw out two ceremonial first pitches, drawing applause from dozens of supporters at the Riverhead High School field.

Det. Simonsen served with the NYPD in Queens for 19 years. He was killed in the line of duty Feb. 12 while responding to a report of an armed robbery at a cell phone store in Queens. He was 42.

The ceremony, organized by an athletics booster club, paid tribute to Det. Simonsen, who grew up in Jamesport and graduated from Riverhead High School in 1995.

“We wanted to honor Det. Simonsen,” said varsity coach Jackie Zilnicki prior to the team’s game against Bay Shore. “There’s a lot of girls [on the team] that knew him from the neighborhood, or their fathers are cops. We thought it’d be nice to honor them and bring them out today.”

The girls and their coaches wore shirts donated by Digger’s Ales N’ Eats to honor Det. Simonsen — or “Smiles” as he was known to many — and NYPD hats donated by the Suffolk Police Conference and Riverhead Police Department.

Blue plastic cups were arranged in the fence surrounding the field to read “#3877,” his shield number, and “Smiles.”

Linda and Leanne were each presented with flowers and a hat after the ceremony.

Linda expressed gratitude for friends, family and law enforcement who have stayed by their side after a tragic loss.

“Brian was compassionate and kind,” she said. 

Tuesday’s ceremony is just one way the community has rallied to support the fallen detective in the weeks after his death. 

The Riverhead Town Board Tuesday was set to vote on a resolution authorizing the honorary name designation of “Detective Brian Simonsen Way” along South Jamesport Avenue, where he grew up.

“It shows how much he was loved,” Ms. Simonsen said. “They’ve really paid him a heroic tribute.”

Friends have also organized a Detective Brian “Smiles” Simonsen Memorial Foundation Event on Sunday, May 19 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at East Wind in Wading River.

According to Terrence LeGrady, a sergeant with the Shelter Island Police Department and a longtime friend of Det. Simonsen, the event will help raise money for a scholarship to keep his memory alive.

Tickets are $75 in advance, or $85 at the door. For more information, email 3877smiles@gmail.com or contact organizers Lindsay Ekizian (631-664-4381), Mike Lojko (516-769-4727), or Ricky Waters (516-659-6639).

tsmith@timesreview.com

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A plaque fastened to the side of the newly unveiled Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field concession stand lists the names of three dozen donors whose contributions made the facility possible. 

From the beginning, though, they never sought publicity or recognition.

The project was about giving back, about remembering Thomas and his legacy, and giving future Shoreham-Wading River students a better experience on the field where so many football, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse games would be contested.

“They didn’t want to be named,” said Thomas’ father, Frank. “They all did it for the community, for the [Thomas] Cutinella [Memorial] Foundation.”

Mr. Cutinella and his wife, Kelli, cut the ribbon Friday to formally open the new concession stand and many of the donors who contributed were honored during a brief ceremony. Mr. Cutinella acknowledged that while the donors didn’t seek any recognition, it was only fitting that a plaque list their names.

“We thought that it would be appropriate for them, because that’s the kind of people they were,” he said during a speech before the ribbon-cutting. “They were there for us, they were there for the community and they’re an asset to their community and us.”

Mr. Cutinella estimated that the concession stand cost around $750,000, including kitchen equipment, septic system, bathrooms and labor. 

The field has never before had bathrooms to accommodate spectators during sporting events.

Mr. Cutinella said every brick in the building was donated.

“It was a total community team effort,” he said. “There’s no project that’s been like this anywhere in Suffolk County, a project through donations like this. Such a massive project. It’s pretty awesome.”

Three years ago, Ken Gray of Wading River — one of the project managers — addressed the district’s Board of Education on the donors’ behalf to announce the pledge to improve the facilities around the recently renovated field. At the time, he said the donors preferred to remain anonymous.

Shoreham Superintendent Gerard Poole said construction on the concession stand began in the spring of 2017. Friday’s opening came just before the start of the boys lacrosse team’s game against Harborfields. Fittingly, the Wildcats won, 11-7, to remain undefeated.

“What a wonderful gift for the Shoreham-Wading River community,” Mr. Poole said during the ceremony. “What a wonderful gift for our students, who I know are already taking a great sense of pride in having this concession stand here — and what a gift for learning.” 

Shoreham students will work at the stand as part of a new career development program, Mr. Poole said.

The concession stand also features a plaque honoring all of the championship teams from the sport teams that now use the facility.

Mr. Cutinella said that plaque was suggested by the Cutinella Foundation. Now that this project is completed, Mr. Cutinella said, the foundation would be open to taking on any smaller projects around the field.

In May 2015, the school board voted to rename the field Thomas Cutinella Memorial Field. The turf field was completed in early 2016 and opened in time for the spring sports season that year. Mr. Cutinella praised school administrators and board members for their efforts to see this project to the finish line. 

As he concluded his remarks to the audience Friday, Mr. Cutinella said: “This is a gift from Thomas to you.”

joew@timesreview.com

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Would you believe he did it again?

He did.

Aidan Crowley pitched his third successive no-hitter for the Shoreham-Wading River High School baseball team Tuesday. The junior righthander extended his string of hitless pitching to 25 innings with his latest no-no, a 6-0 non-league victory over Hauppauge at Medford Baseball Complex.

With college coaches and a major league scout watching, Crowley capped the game with a Hauppauge batter looking at a curveball for a called third strike, his 10th of the game.

“Unbelievable,” SWR coach Kevin Willi said. “I think most [of us were] like, ‘Wow, did he just actually do that again?’ … I don’t think anyone’s ever done that, thrown three no-hitters in a row on Long Island.”

Crowley (4-0) walked four. He had a number of first-pitch, early-count outs that helped keep his pitch count down. He threw 94 pitches.

“He was great,” said Willi, who said the 6-foot-3 Crowley’s fastball was hitting 85-87 mph. “His breaking ball was sharp and he was around the zone … There were maybe two balls the whole game that were hit hard against him.”

It was a scoreless game until the sixth when SWR (6-0) plated all of its runs, the first four coming on Everett Wehr’s grand slam over the leftfield fence for his first homer of the season. D.J. Brown had a second straight three-hit game for the Wildcats.

Hauppauge dropped to 3-4-1.

Crowley’s previous no-hitters were against Eastport/South Manor on April 2 and Elwood/John Glenn on April 9. For the season, he has 40 strikeouts and 11 walks.

Aidan Hutchins caught all three no-hitters.

Crowley’s next scheduled start is next Tuesday at home against Miller Place.

bliepa@timesreview.com

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A German-based company that sold a $147,000 machine to Luminati Aerospace in 2016 has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Luminati failed to pay the final $91,000 owed and failed to return or disclose its location once the payments stopped, according to court documents filed April 10 in the Eastern District Court of New York.

The company ZSK Stickmaschinen GmbH is seeking the $91,000 plus interest, repossession of its machine and €7,600 plus interest for failing to pay for tutorial/training sessions that were held for eight days following delivery of the machine. The euros figure is equivalent to about $8,500.

Luminati had agreed to pay for the tutorial/training sessions and expenses associated with it, including flights, hotel, daily allowances and car rental, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit is the latest trouble for the beleaguered company that is also facing legal action from a Stamford, Conn.-based company that alleges Luminati defaulted on a $10 million loan in 2016. Luminati was also facing eviction from the space it had been leasing at the Enterprise Park at Calverton when it agreed to leave the former Grumman Plant 6 earlier this month.

Luminati is owned by Daniel Preston, and owns 25 percent of Calverton Aviation & Technology, the company in contract to buy 1,643 acres of land at EPCAL from Riverhead Town for $40 million. Triple Five Group, which is best known for developing large shopping malls like the Mall of America in Minnesota, owns the other 75 percent of CAT.

• See also: Town seeking outside counsel to examine CAT contract

The latest lawsuit says Luminati entered into a contract with ZSK to purchase an embroidery machine for $147,000 around Aug. 16, 2016. A $43,000 downpayment was to be followed by eight quarterly payments of $13,000, according to the lawsuit. Luminati payed the downpayment and one quarterly payment. The balance remains unpaid and ZSK has been unable to track down where the machine is currently located.

The contract agreement does not give Luminati the right to resell or relocate the machine without written consent. The machine is “highly sensitive, sophisticated and valuable,” the lawsuit says.

ZSK believes the machine is either still at Plant 6, at 400 David Court in Calverton or at a facility in Little Falls, N.Y. The company says a “Sheriff of the State of New York will likely [be] needed to enter the premises” where the machine is located to retrieve it. Luminati purchased the former Skydive Long Island property in 2016 for $3.4 million, which is listed on the town’s tax map at 400 David Court.

Luminati leased the former Plant 6 from Laoudis of Calverton, which began the eviction process before Luminati agreed to leave. The process of fully vacating Plant 6 was expected to take some time, attorney Jonathan Brown said outside Riverhead Justice Court April 3.

The lawsuit also says Luminati approved payment of ZSK’s invoice for the training, but the company has yet to make good on the payments.

The contract says that if the purchaser fails to pay by due date or it becomes clear the company cannot make further payments, the merchandise “shall be immediately returned to us at the purchaser’s cost,” according to the lawsuit.

Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said she was unaware of the lawsuit Wednesday night. She said it was “modus operandi,” for Mr. Preston.

“He goes in and gets stuff or does stuff then he doesn’t follow through,” she said. “Debts follow him wherever he is. … I don’t think anyone has conducted business with them that hasn’t come out being harmed in some way.”

An attorney for Luminati did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.

WITH TIM GANNON

joew@timesreview.com

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August and September are traditionally when students, parents and teachers scramble to stock up on school supplies for the year ahead.

But by March, most of those stockpiles have run low and teachers may find themselves dipping into their own wallets to provide supplies for their students.

A study released last year by the National Center of Education Statistics found that during the 2014-15 school year, 94% of public school teachers nationwide spent an average of $479 of their own money on notebooks, pens and other materials — without reimbursement.

In an effort to help teachers get what they need, actress Kristen Bell joined the #10FeaturedTeachers movement, an Instagram contest that helps crowdfund school supplies for teachers.

Each week, Ms. Bell features the photo and story of a different teacher — and puts a link in her bio to the teacher’s Amazon wish list. Ms. Bell tasks her 10 million followers with purchasing the items on the wish list, which range from the basics to items you might not think of: umbrellas for students who walk to school or snacks for kids from food insecure households.

Last month, the featured teacher was Tonya Gonzalez from Phillips Avenue Elementary School. 

After responding to the Instagram contest in December, Ms. Gonzalez figured she hadn’t been selected. “I kind of put it aside and forgot about it until [Ms. Bell] reached out to me in March,” she said Monday. “We talked about the school, how amazing the students are and how important it is for them to feel recognized.”

View this post on Instagram

Happy #FeaturedTeacherFriday everyone! Today’s amazing teacher is Tonya Gonzalez from Long Island! Here’s her story: “I have been teaching for two years in a Title 1 school on Long Island, New York as a 4th grade bilingual teacher. These two years have been the best years of my life! I absolutely love what I do and my students have made me a stronger and more positive person. No matter what is happening at home or in their lives, they come into my classroom with a huge smile ready to start the day! My school is a supportive and fun-filled diverse family. My entire class consists of 27 English Language Learners with many being new to the United States. The population is about 70% Hispanic 30% African American and Caucasian. Their journeys here are an inspiration and one of the many reasons I advocate for them. Supplies are very limited in the classroom and my students are struggling to get by at home. Many of our students come from low-income families and qualify for low and reduced lunch, and for some the school is their main source of food. My school tries their best to provide food and resources to our families. I try my best to support my students in whatever they need – school supplies or snacks. Since I teach a bilingual classroom, students have the opportunity to express their knowledge of reading and writing in both English and Spanish. This opportunity would help me provide books for my classroom library, especially in Spanish. This would help me create a multicultural diverse environment in the classroom. I teach my students to be proud of who they are and where they are from! Any help would be amazing!” Let’s help Tonya and her students and send books and snacks galore their way- her amazon wishlist is in my bio THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. Love you guys.

A post shared by kristen bell (@kristenanniebell) on Mar 29, 2019 at 1:24pm PDT

Soon after being featured on Ms. Bell’s Instagram page, packages began arriving at her Phillips Avenue classroom. The nearly 200 packages contained her entire wish list: chapter books for her fourth-grade students, games, gardening supplies and an incubator for chicks.

“One morning I had all of the packages in the front of the classroom. I was watching [the students’] reaction as they got off the bus and walked into class.”

Her students were in disbelief, filled with gratitude to people who sent packages from all over the United States and even Canada.

Ms. Gonzalez said the donations will help jumpstart projects she wanted to do as a class but didn’t have the budget for. “The students are very excited about the incubator, since we’ve been learning about the life cycle,” she said, noting that they plan to hatch the chicks when students return from spring break.

Every box also came with a note of support addressed to Ms. Gonzalez and her 27 students, who she said are more than deserving of the recognition. 

“My students have made me a stronger and more positive person. No matter what is happening at home or in their lives, they come into my classroom with a huge smile ready to start the day,” Ms. Gonzalez wrote in her original pitch to Ms. Bell.

Ms. Gonzalez began teaching at Phillips Avenue in 2017. She said her two years at the school have been the best of her life. “I was immediately drawn to the teachers and the students. I had a lot in common with them,” said Ms. Gonzalez, whose parents hail from El Salvador and Puerto Rico. 

Many of her students are English Language Learners. Demographically, she said, Phillips Avenue students are approximately 70% Hispanic and 30% African-American and Caucasian.

It is classified as a Title 1 school because many students come from low-income families and qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

She said the supplies will help her create a multicultural environment in her classroom. “A big part of that is making sure the students don’t forget who they are. They speak Spanish and English. I try to reinforce that because it is an important skill to have. It will better their future,” she said.

“I teach my students to be proud of who they are and where they are from,” she said.

In addition to the packages from supporters around the world, NBC donated $1,000 to Phillips Avenue as part of the contest.

“My students are so grateful,” she said, adding that the children are at work creating handwritten thank-you notes to their supporters and Ms. Bell. “She’s a big advocate for teachers.”

Photo caption: Tonya Gonzalez from Phillips Avenue Elementary School joins her students with some of the donated supplies. (Credit: Riverhead Central School District)

tsmith@timesreview.com

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Days after hiring an outside law firm to help collect unpaid runway use agreement fees and unpaid false alarm fees owed to the town by Luminati Aerospace, the Riverhead Town Board is also considering hiring a second outside attorney to look into whether the town’s contract with Calverton Aviation and Technology for the proposed sale of land at the Enterprise Park at Calverton has been violated.

Town Board members agreed informally Tuesday to seek an attorney who has not previously worked with the town or on that specific contract.

“What we talked about [Tuesday] was to hire outside counsel to review the contract in light of the recent things we’ve seen in the paper regarding Luminati,” Ms. Jens-Smith said.

A vote on hiring that attorney will take place during an April 25 Community Development Agency meeting, rather than a Town Board meeting, because EPCAL is officially owned by the CDA, although the membership of both are the same.

Luminati owns 25% of Calverton Aviation and Technology, the company in contract to buy 1,643 acres of land from Riverhead Town at the Enterprise Park at Calverton for $40 million.

The other 75% is owned by Triple Five Group, a company that has built large shopping and entertainment centers like the Mall of America in Minnesota.

Luminati owns property at 400 David Court in EPCAL and also had been leasing space at the former Grumman Plant 6.

However, the owner of Plant 6, Laoudis of Calverton, brought an eviction notice against Luminati in March, claiming it owed rent, and Luminati voluntarily agreed to vacate the property.

Luminati also faces a lawsuit from Hexcel Corporation of Stamford, Conn., which claims Luminati defaulted on a $10 million loan it made to Luminati in 2016.

Hexcel is asking the court to seize about $7.4 million worth of property belonging to Luminati at EPCAL and turn it over to them, citing clauses in their agreement.

Rex Farr of EPCAL Watch, a civic group, supported the town’s actions and suggested it go further.

“As the news has unfolded over these past several weeks, it is apparent the good will and trust of the residents of the Town of Riverhead has been exploited on numerous occasions by Daniel Preston and his elusive business enterprise, Luminati LLC,” he said.

Mr. Farr urged the town to engage outside counsel with “fresh eyes,” with expertise and experience in contract law, with no prior involvement with Riverhead Town and with no connection or business with any current or prior entity at EPCAL.

The Town Board has also retained Frank Isler as outside counsel, working on the contract of sale with CAT, the supervisor said.

That arrangement is not affected by last Thursday’s resolution, officials said.

The town attorney’s office is conflicted because they are working on the closing, Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said. “They can’t do both.”

Mr. Farr read a letter at Tuesday’s meeting from Richard Amper of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society in support of hiring outside counsel.

Mark Haubner, vice president of North Fork Environmental Council, said that without Luminati’s Daniel Preston, “CAT has no aviation expertise any longer” and Triple Five is no longer qualified to be part of the deal.

At the Feb. 27, 2017, qualified and eligible sponsor hearing, CAT indicated that Steve Rodgers of Utah, who has more than three decades of experience in the aerospace field, was part of their team.

Councilwoman Jodi Giglio said the contract with CAT requires them to build 1 million square feet at the property in five years. “They can’t sit on it,” she said.

Councilman Tim Hubbard said CAT can be found in breach of their contract if they don’t meet those goals.

John McAuliff of EPCAL Watch questioned how many acres can be built on at EPCAL, since former supervisor Sean Walter had originally said the state would only allow about 600 acres to be developed, but then later said the town would sell all 1,643 acres to Luminati.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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The Riverhead Board of Education has approved a $144.4 million budget for the 2019-20 academic year. 

Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez and assistant superintendent Christine Tona reviewed the approved budget at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

This year’s budget is divided into three main parts, Dr. Henriquez said, which closely mirror last year’s figures: Programs, which account for 76% of this year’s budget, Capital, which accounts for 15%, and Administrative, 8% of the budget.

This year’s total expenditures fall into four major categories: general support, which includes central and BOCES administration, auditing, legal assessments and more; instruction and administration, comprising extracurricular activities, special education and other instructional expenses; transportation, which pays drivers, fuel costs and more; and benefits and debt, covering Social Security, workers’ compensation, unemployment and district debt. The budget represents a 2.88% increase over last year’s budget of $141.1 million, Dr. Henriquez said.

The district’s tax levy remains below the state cap on property tax increases. Last week, the superintendent said, the district reduced the tax levy to 2.21% after Riverhead town representatives informed the district that an additional solar farm in Calverton would be operating in the 2019-20 school year. 

The new solar farm will provide a payment in lieu of taxes of $301,388 to the district, which required a recalculation of the original 2.51% tax levy rate , Dr. Henriquez said.

Based on increased student enrollment at Riverhead High School, Ms. Tona said, the district will bring in six new faculty members to teach across subjects. 

Board member Gregory Meyer thanked the administration for completing the budget and compiling it into comprehensive presentations.

Next month’s ballot will also include two new propositions for voters: the first will seek voter permission to spend $3.9 million on a five-year plan to purchase about 44 new school buses through bonds. The second ballot proposition seeks voter approval to spend $275,000 from the Cafeteria Capital Reserve Fund to tackle modifications at the high and middle school cafeterias.

At the meeting, board president Susan Koukounas noted that funds for the cafeteria renovations would not impact taxpayers because the project is funded through the Cafeteria Capital Reserve Fund. 

At the high school cafeteria, the proposition would demolish a walk-in refrigerator; install a walk-in freezer; renovate the loading dock, replace swing doors, overhead doors, ceiling and lighting; and replace exterior steps and rails.

Board members Therese Zuhoski and Laurie Downs were not present at the meeting. 

The district will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget Tuesday, May 14, at the high school. Aquebogue, Phillips Avenue, Riley Avenue and Roanoke Avenue elementary schools will be open for budget voting May 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

WorldStrides Competition

Members of the school jazz ensemble filled the Riverhead High School auditorium with instruments Tuesday night to perform a tune for school board members following their performance at the WorldStrides Competition. The performance was conducted by music teacher Crystal Crespo.

Dr. Henriquez acknowledged the recent accomplishments of the jazz and wind ensembles and chamber orchestra and choir, which attended the WorldStrides OnStage New York Heritage Festival in New York City March 22 and 23. The competitive on-stage music festival welcomes high school student bands from across the country. Eighty-three RHS students were guided by music teachers Marisa Macchio, Peter Falango, Dena Tishim and Ms. Crespo. 

Lauren Lewonka, district director of fine arts, said the group has participated in the competition for the past four years. After competing against other ensembles before a panel of judges, they receive feedback and awards based on their performance. 

The jazz ensemble earned a first-place silver award. The chamber orchestra received a gold award and an adjudicator’s award for an overall score of 92 points or higher. The chamber choir brought home a silver award, and the wind ensemble received a gold rating, an adjudicator’s award, and an outstanding band group award, Ms. Macchio said.  and an award recognizing the group as one of the best at the competition, Ms. Macchio said.

Individual students received awards for their performances, too — chamber orchestra member Sarah Anne Fried and vocalist Sarah Jordan garnered Maestro awards for excellence in performance, while choral member Lily Kutner was presented with an Ovation award for overall excellence among her peers. 

“As a Riverhead music educator, I was very proud to see these students perform,” Ms. Macchio said. “The musicality, the talent, the maturity, was so impressive, and made me very proud.” 

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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Another shopping center is headed for Route 58 — and more could be coming in the future. 

Clearing has begun for the Garsten Retail Center on Route 58, between Riverhead Centre and the Riverhead Highway Department property. 

The project calls for construction of a 60,048-square-foot shopping center on 12 acres just east of the Riverhead Centre complex on the north side of Route 58. 

It will comprise five retail buildings ranging in size from 10,008 square feet to 14,976 square feet and a parking lot with about 240 spaces toward the south part of the property, nearer to Route 58, according to the approved plans. 

Access to the site will be from both Route 58 and Osborn Avenue.

The land is owned by the family of the late Irwin Garsten, who also owned the Apple Honda dealership just east on Route 58. Mr. Garsten died Feb. 7, 2017 at the age of 86, before the Riverhead Planning Board’s Aug. 17, 2017, approved the site plan for the retail center. 

The Riverhead Town Board approved an exportation/importation permit for the project early in March, allowing the removal of up to 8,156 cubic yards of soil from the property.

In accordance with town law, the town will collect a permit fee of $16,412, representing a charge of two dollars per cubic foot of material taken from or brought into construction sites.

Riverhead Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith wrote a letter to the News-Review and other media this week regarding the clearing

“I know that many Riverhead residents are upset about the recent clearing of additional acres of wooded land on Route 58,” she wrote. “I believe that we all agree that we need and want to preserve our natural landscapes as much as we can.  No one wants Riverhead to lose its rural character or to become another crowded Long Island suburb.

“It is disheartening to see more woodland eliminated in order to make way for another shopping center, but property owners cannot be prohibited from building on their own land.”

Ms. Jens-Smith said the town expects to update its master plan, and urged residents to get involved. 

Sonic proposal still in play

East of the Garsten site, a proposal for a Sonic Drive-In restaurant is still active, according to Jeff Murphree, Riverhead’s building and planning administrator.

The Sonic application hasn’t appeared on a Planning Board agenda in some time, but Mr. Murphree said “it’s still in the pipeline. The big holdup for them is that they have to get the sewer hookup across Route 58.” 

The Sonic is planned for 1.8 acres across from Apple Honda and immediately west of the BP gas station at the northwest corner of Route 58 and Osborn Avenue. The application calls for a 2,579-square-foot drive-in restaurant and a second retail building of 5,250 square feet, which would be built in a second phase of construction.

BJ’s gas station

Another project that began this past week is TSA Capital’s proposal to replace the abandoned gas station at the southeast corner of Ostrander Avenue and Route 58. The new station will have eight fueling stations, a 2,628-square-foot canopy and a 165-square-foot kiosk for the attendant. 

The station will be affiliated with BJ’s Wholesale Club, and BJ’s members will pay a cheaper price for gas there. 

tgannon@timesreview.com

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A German-based company that sold a $147,000 machine to Luminati Aerospace in 2016 has filed a federal lawsuit alleging Luminati failed to pay the final $91,000 owed and failed to return or disclose its location once the payments stopped, according to court documents filed April 10 in the Eastern District Court of New York.

The company ZSK Stickmaschinen GmbH is seeking the $91,000 plus interest, repossession of its machine and €7,600 plus interest for failing to pay for tutorial/training sessions that were held for eight days following delivery of the machine. The euros figure is equivalent to about $8,500.

Luminati had agreed to pay for the tutorial/training sessions and expenses associated with it, including flights, hotel, daily allowances and car rental, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit is the latest trouble for the beleaguered company that is also facing legal action from a Stamford, Conn.-based company that alleges Luminati defaulted on a $10 million loan in 2016. Luminati was also facing eviction from the space it had been leasing at the Enterprise Park at Calverton when it agreed to leave the former Grumman Plant 6 earlier this month.

Luminati is owned by Daniel Preston, and owns 25 percent of Calverton Aviation & Technology, the company in contract to buy 1,643 acres of land at EPCAL from Riverhead Town for $40 million. Triple Five Group, which is best known for developing large shopping malls like the Mall of America in Minnesota, owns the other 75 percent of CAT.

• See also: Town seeking outside counsel to examine CAT contract

The latest lawsuit says Luminati entered into a contract with ZSK to purchase an embroidery machine for $147,000 around Aug. 16, 2016. A $43,000 downpayment was to be followed by eight quarterly payments of $13,000, according to the lawsuit. Luminati payed the downpayment and one quarterly payment. The balance remains unpaid and ZSK has been unable to track down where the machine is currently located.

The contract agreement does not give Luminati the right to resell or relocate the machine without written consent. The machine is “highly sensitive, sophisticated and valuable,” the lawsuit says.

ZSK believes the machine is either still at Plant 6, at 400 David Court in Calverton or at a facility in Little Falls, N.Y. The company says a “Sheriff of the State of New York will likely [be] needed to enter the premises” where the machine is located to retrieve it. Luminati purchased the former Skydive Long Island property in 2016 for $3.4 million, which is listed on the town’s tax map at 400 David Court.

Luminati leased the former Plant 6 from Laoudis of Calverton, which began the eviction process before Luminati agreed to leave. The process of fully vacating Plant 6 was expected to take some time, attorney Jonathan Brown said outside Riverhead Justice Court April 3.

The lawsuit also says Luminati approved payment of ZSK’s invoice for the training, but the company has yet to make good on the payments.

The contract says that if the purchaser fails to pay by due date or it becomes clear the company cannot make further payments, the merchandise “shall be immediately returned to us at the purchaser’s cost,” according to the lawsuit.

Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said she was unaware of the lawsuit Wednesday night. She said it was “modus operandi,” for Mr. Preston.

“He goes in and gets stuff or does stuff then he doesn’t follow through,” she said. “Debts follow him wherever he is. … I don’t think anyone has conducted business with them that hasn’t come out being harmed in some way.”

An attorney for Luminati did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday night.

WITH TIM GANNON

joew@timesreview.com

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