Riverhead Town seeks to build solar energy farm

Riverhead Town officials are looking for companies interested in building a solar energy production farm at the town’s now-closed Youngs Avenue landfill.

Nearly a decade ago, the town decided to mine the closed 40-acre landfill to reclaim sand and recyclable materials, with an eye toward reclaiming the entire 70-acre property — including the surrounding buffer — for municipal use.

Riverhead Town had been under a consent order from the state in 2002 to cap the actual landfill, and removed nearly 678,000 cubic yards of material at a cost of $40 million, but ended up closing and capping it after discovering that it would be less expensive to do that than continue the recycling work.

Town engineers have studied the property and determined it would be appropriate for ground-mounted solar panels and other necessary equipment for a solar farm, and are seeking proposals from companies interested in constructing such a farm on part or all of the property.

The proposals will be accepted until July 30 in Town Hall (200 Howell Ave.).

Above: Riverhead Town Hall