Town to finish condo road, bill developer

After years of legal wrangling over the condition of roads in the Wading Woods condominium development in Wading River, the Riverhead Town Board voted Tuesday night to finish the roadwork itself and bill the developer nearly $40,000 for the job.

While roads in most condominium developments are private, when the town approved the final map for Wading Woods in 2001, it was agreed that the streets would be built to town standards, then accepted into the town highway system.

But that never happened.

Over the years, there have been lawsuits and negotiations over the issue between the condo association, the town and the developer, Wading Woods Associates, which maintains that the roads do meet town standards.

The developer could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Even the decision to declare the performance bond in default took two years to make.

The town board voted in August 2009 that Wading Woods Associates failed to fully and properly complete the roads. The developer disagreed and sued the town, and both sides have been in negotiations ever since. The condo association is also suing the developer in a separate suit.

Meanwhile, the flooding and drainage problems remain, with Councilman John Dunleavy noting that the roads continue to get worse, becoming icy and dangerous each winter because of drainage problems.

The board unanimously voted to declare the builder's performance bond in default. Councilwoman Jodi Giglio was reluctant to support the move until she was reassured that the bond was large enough to more than cover the anticipated $37,000 cost of needed road work.