Gyrodyne Development Opponents Hold Protest

ST. JAMES, NY — A group of concerned Smithtown and Stony Brook area residents met on Monday to raise concerns over environmental toxins at the Gyrodyne site in St. James. The former helicopter manufacturing facility is the site of a proposed development including a hotel, assisted living and medical offices.

The protest, held at noon on Mill Pond Road outside the front entrance to the Gyrodyne property, was organized by civic groups We Are Smithtown and The Greater Stony Brook Action Coalition. Speakers called for an independent environmental study, citing parallels between environmental concerns at the Gyrodyne site and the problems seen at former Grumman sites on Long Island.

We Are Smithtown President James Bouklas said in his speech, "This community needs to ask itself what's behind this fence and these gates?"

Bouklas pointed out that although previous environmental reports from the company showed "a host of dangerous substances that have been used here," the development plan submission did not show the same chemicals.

Concerns about chemical runoff were raised a concerned resident Justin Bryant.

"It's important to remember that there is an Superfund site located about 2000 ft in front of me," he said, referring to a Smithtown groundwater contamination site which is down grade from the Gyrodyne property in the Nissequogue and Head of the Harbor area.

Representatives from The Citizens Advisory Committee for 25A were also on hand to raise concerns over the possible development's effect on traffic and the historic nature of that stretch of Route 25A. Most speakers echoed the call for the Town of Smithtown to order an independent environmental review of the site.

"We are only about a mile and a half from Stony Brook Harbor," George Hoffman, co-chair of the 25A committee pointed out.

Head of the Harbor mayor Douglas Dahlgrad, Brookhaven Supervisor Edward Romaine and Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn from Setauket are some of the local politicians who have raised concerns about the proposed development's affect on traffic and conegestion, according to earlier reports.

"This would be akin to the Smith Haven mall on this rural stretch of 25A," Bouklas said.

Town of Smithtown spokesperson Nicole Garguilo told Patch that "It would be negligent, not to mention a dangerous unethical precedent, of a local government to ask the hard working taxpayers of our community to foot an approximate $500,000 bill for a private property owners environmental impact statement. An environmental impact statement is conducted by licensed engineering and environmental experts who have nothing to gain and everything to lose if they were to produce data that was not completely fact-based analysis. The process requires that the results of the draft impact statement be reviewed and verified by a number of the town of Smithtown engineering & environment experts."