Plan Nixed To Pitch Alcohol Sales At Hallock State Park Preserve

RIVERHEAD, NY — A plan to pitch the sale of alcohol at a state park that had local town supervisors seeing red was scrapped Tuesday by New York State Senator Ken LaValle.

One day after Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter and Southold Supervisor Scott Russell announced a press conference to take a stand against the sale of alcoholic beverages at a Taste NY retail sales operation at Hallock State Park Preserve — located on a Sound Avenue parcel that encompasses both Riverhead and Souhthold — the New York State Parks Department agreed to withdraw their request for proposals for vendors at the site, a release from the Town of Riverhead said.

The supervisors were outraged at the idea of proposal to sell alcohol at the Hallock State Park Preserve Welcome Center.

After hearing the concerns of local officials, LaValle urged the Parks Department to reconsider their position and has coordinated a meeting where local officials can work together to draft a proposal consistent with the goals and objectives of the park’s master plan, the release said.

“I reached out to the NY State Office of Parks and Recreation to express that local officials are 100 percent against alcohol being sold at a family park. I am pleased that they have agreed to withdraw the RFP and have a meeting with us to discuss plans for the Hallock State Park educational center moving forward," LaValle told Patch.

After hearing about the request for proposals that would have opened the door for alcohol sales at the park, located on Sound Avenue in Jamesport, Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter and Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell saw red.

“It seems to me that when the residents of eastern Long Island and officials from the State of New York advocated to purchase this property to develop a park, they saw it as an opportunity to promote outdoor recreational activities for people of all ages to enjoy,” Walter said. “How we landed here isn’t clear but I am grateful that our concerns did not fall upon deaf ears."

He added that thanks to LaValle’s assistance in getting the NYS Parks Department to withdraw their RFP, "we can sit down to develop a sensible proposal is truly appreciated.” “

Russell was also happy to see the idea of alcohol nixed. "I’m pleased with Senator Lavalle’s direction on this. As it is a state park it should still include a local vision," Russell said.

At Tuesday's Southold town board work session, Russell said that he and Assistant Town Planning Director Mark Terry had gone to an "introductory roll-out meeting" with the NYS Department of Parks and Recreation on March 3 to discuss goals and initiatives about the Hallock State Park Preserve.

"I was blindsided"

Russell said he'd planned to have Terry give the town board an update on those goals at the work session but, in the past few days, the news that alcohol was planned as part of the Taste NY concession stand flew in the face of what he and others had been told in regard to plans for the site and violated state law because the move was made without a public hearing.

"I was blindsided chiefly because of how the proposal was originally presented. Don’t bother inviting me to a roll out event when your aren’t going to roll out your plans," Russell said.

Terry said an RFP had been issued to site a brewery, winery, distillery or cider operation at the retail concession stand at the 220-acre park's entrance off Sound Avenue.

The idea would have been to sell growlers of beer at the concession stand that visitors could have consumed at picnic tables, Terry said. The plan, he said, was to serve the liquor within a designated 621-square foot room; he added that the goals of a state park were to provide natural experiences outdoors that did not include alcohol consumption.

The informational meeting that he and Russell attended in early March was focused on vending machines for coffee and prepackaged snacks; the RFP, with a "much broader vision" was issued "without any public input," Terry said.

"The whole process was not disclosed and it was a sort of disingenuous approach, to add on, or try to propose it now, after the park is nearly complete," he said.

"It changes the whole feel of the park," Southold Town Councilwoman Jill Doherty said.

Terry and the board agreed that parking and traffic on Sound Avenue are major concerns.

"There's a whole list of reasons why this should be reevaluated as proposed," Terry said.

At the meeting on March 3, Russell said, when discussions arose about the small concession stand, he asked about blackout dates during the high point of the season, when traffic is so congested already that cars are moving "about three feet an hour." Parking and traffic, he said, are critical concerns.

And, Terry added, the issue of planned public bathrooms at the park could prove problematic because they'll see high intensity use, as Sound Avenue has no other public facilities.

Russell blasted the plan, saying retail on a nature preserve is bad enough, but "adding alcohol is preposterous."

While the supervisor said the Taste NY program, designed to spotlight the regional foods, wines, beers and spirits of NY, are all produced in New York, he added, "What do I care if they're made in the trees by Keebler elves? I don't care. It's retail in a rural corridor."

Russell added that when applying for an onsite consumption license from the State Liquor Authority you have to identify interior and exterior areas. "Let's not pretend everyone is going to stay on 600 square feet," he said. "This is completely inconsistent with a rural corridor. It's a preserve."

Southold Town Councilman Jim Dinizio agreed, stating that if a farmer wanted to sell lamb, or even growlers that could be taken away to drink offsite, that could be acceptable, but the location itself was problematic, with no turning lane or place to pull over.

And, Russell added, with nominal parking.

Taste NY — at what cost?

Russell said the entire Taste NY program is "overblown" and an expense to taxpayers; an retail operation off the Long Island Expressway cost $20.2 million, he said. "Taste that, New Yorkers," he said.

The Taste NY welcome centers have not been without controversy.

According to the New York Times, the Federal Highway Administration said the new Taste NY market on the LIE in Dix Hills might be out of compliance with federal regulations that forbid over the counter sales at rest stops, with only vending machines given the green light.

On the flip side, according to NBC New York, New York State Department of Transportation officials believe sales at the locally-sourced markets are fine, because the welcome centers are meant as a boon for tourism and not commercial endeavors.

On Monday, a 6 News, WGRB Albany report questioned the hefty pricetag of the program: The post stated that a new Taste NY store along the NYS Thruway just west of Fultonville was gutted, after only just opening in July, 2016. According to the network, the cost of the original project was $7.5 million, and the redo, another $1 to 3 million, all at the taxpayer's expense. A Thruway representative said the upgrades would include room for state police, electric charging stations, and playground, according to the article.

Cuomo praises program

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, has lauded the program. In a February release, Cuomo announced that Taste NY sales had nearly tripled in 2016, surpassing his goal of doubling sales of participating businesses in one year.

Total gross sales of New York products from Taste NY stores, cafés, bars, concessions and events topped $13.1 million last year, he said.

“Taste NY continues to connect New York’s world-class farmers and food and beverage producers with New Yorkers hungry for locally made goods, as well as those across the nation and around the world who crave the high quality of Empire State-made products," Cuomo said. “These sales numbers are proof positive of Taste NY's success and we will continue investing in this program to help create jobs and spur economic growth in businesses and communities across New York."

The increase of sales in 2016 was supported by the addition of four new Taste NY stores and cafés last year, the release said.

In addition, Governor Cuomo announced the first-ever Taste NY Bar at Barclays Center; next, Taste NY partnered with the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Live Nation Entertainment to promote New York’s craft beverage industry through the launch of a second Taste NY Bar at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater; locally made products are also offered at Jones Beach, he said.

In 2017, the release said, Cuomo’s 2017-2018 executive budget proposes support for Taste NY at new welcome centers across New York State.

"The governor’s budget also includes expanding the sale of alcoholic beverages in certain venues, such as movie theaters, which will provide a boost to the state’s craft beverage industry. In addition, the governor is proposing the launch of a first-ever New York Craft Beverage Week and a new grant for craft beverage producers to engage in joint marketing campaigns and enter products in national and international competitions," the release stated.

Local pushback

But in some communities, the program is reminiscent of large blue signs, part of Cuomo's efforts to amp up a tourism marketing campaign, that ignited public outcry.

In November, Cuomo pledged $25 million of a $50 million campaign to be utilized for tourism marketing, featuring the I LOVE NY, Path Through History and Taste NY initiatives, Cuomo's website states.

The signs sparked outrage on the East End as elected officials worked to get them removed in Orient and Montauk.

The bottom line, Russell said, is that the state's cookie cutter approach doesn't sit well on the North Fork. "If the Finger Lakes need help I wish them well, but it's not my concern."

Other elected officials, including Suffolk County Legislator Al Kruspki, agreed with Russell that the idea of serving alcohol at a state park was "bone-headed," and had regional impacts, the supervisor said.

He added, "How about you have a couple of trails, and a kiosk to explain where things are and what you'll see on those trails and then call it a day?"

Dinizio said maybe a farmers' market would work; Russell said any type of retail at the location would be inappropriate, whether a retail concession stand or "a 7-Eleven. They'll be selling Lotto before you know it."

Perhaps its time to rethink the program, the supervisor suggested.

"I'm not sure how this whole idea started but it would appear that continuing these initiatives — anywhere in New York — should be reconsidered. How many lead balloons have to fall before the powers that be say, "maybe we need to try something else?'" Russell said.

And, Russell said, the idea was particularly egregious in a location that's already struggling as the North Fork continues to emerge as a tourist destination while shouldering the weight of traffic, quality of life, and other concerns.

"The idea is terrible because New York State should not be in the business of promoting drinking particularly in a region that already has a preponderance of drinking establishments. It’s on a rural corridor and located on a road already stressed from the volume of traffic it gets. It violates the very intent of local zoning," he said.

The town was hit hard in recent months: Southold's general liability insurance carrier dropped the town this year — citing "too much risk" after the deadly Cutchogue limo crash and the growing number of wineries in town, according to Russell. Russell said the town's general liability insurance carrier for 2016 was Houston Casualty Co. and its premium for 2016 was $321,000. But now that premium has risen an additional $142,000 per year, due to the need to find a new carrier.

Cuomo, Russell said, needs to take the needs of its communities into consideration and forego sweeping initiatives that may have negative repercussions.

"Yes, this is a New York State Park but with that said, it should still include a local vision. This is one of many examples that show that Albany is completely out of touch with the East End of Long Island. Others are promoting alcohol sales in rural areas despite what local zoning allows. The governor seems to have a vision of the state’s economic future and it is centered around gambling and drinking — regardless of impacts on communities."

Caption: Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell expressed his opposition to the idea of alcohol in a rural corridor at Tuesday's town board work session.