Riverhead Ache

THE BIGGEST event in Riverhead history is just weeks away, but there are no signs up in the town’s business district. Nor is it listed on the town calendar. When I walk over to the customer-service desk at the King Kullen on the Main Road, less than 10 miles away from the site of the event, the two nice twenty-something gals working there have no idea what I’m talking about. I tell them that Radiohead, Beck and the Beastie Boys are scheduled to play their town on June 7 and 8. Both Jessica and Dawn are excited about going, especially Dawn, who adores Beck.

If it seems odd that the town of Riverhead, Long Island, is trying to keep things quiet, there’s a good reason for it. As well-intentioned as the promoters may be, area residents believe that the first ever Field Day Festival is poised to be a logistical, financial and political disaster.

"I think it’s ridiculous," says Rex Farr, president of the Greater Calverton Civic Association. "The bottom line is that it is a very, very bad business deal that could cost the town money."

This is a town with no tradition of contraversy. The North Fork of Long Island is a peaceful hideaway that shares a body of water with the Hamptons and little else. It’s an idyllic, slow-paced world of farm stands, antique stores and old-fashioned restaurants that call themselves "snack bars." The last thing most residents here want is for their home to become a tourist destination that in any way resembles the Hamptons.

This isn’t the total sticks. Locals may want to preserve their rustic way of life, but they also love their local outlet mall, Home Depot and Wal-Mart. The Applebee’s is always busy. But try finding a rock club or going to a movie at midnight, and you’re out of luck.

To get most places on the North Fork, you take a two-lane road that turns into another two-lane road. The Calverton Enterprise Park, site of the June 7 and 8 Field Day Festival, is on Grumman Boulevard, one of those two-lane roads. On the weekend of the festival, if all goes as planned, more than 30 acts, which also include Spiritualized, the Roots, Beth Orton and Liz Phair, will bring the noise in front of perhaps 60,000 fans a day. That’s more than twice Riverhead’s population.

"We’re going to build a city larger than the town of Riverhead," festival founder Andrew Dreskin tells me.

Locals are pissed for several reasons. For starters, Riverhead’s town board signed an agreement under which the town receives just $150,000 for a festival that, according to sources close to the situation, could incur $1.8 million in police expenses. In short, they feel ripped off.

"We’re against the business deal," Farr, a farmer and former music/theater producer, elaborates. "We are not against the music. It’s not the music; this whole thing is just one more indication of how inept the town board of Riverhead is. They did this without really asking the public. It was a done deal before we found out about it."

Traffic and overcrowding are major concerns as well, especially given that the promoters and town officials are still working out a public transportation plan.

Dreskin wants to make it clear that his goal is to create a lasting, important annual cultural event, and that the festival is paying Riverhead more than the fair market value for its space. He says he’s hired an economist who’s estimated that the festival will create more than $5 million in economic stimulus.

Dreskin concedes that traffic will be a big issue, but "there’s traffic whether you’re going to Nassau Coliseum or Giant Stadium or wherever… The positive elements will outweigh the negative elements. I think people will see that the festival is very mellow, very well-run, with a lot of nonprofits there and very cool art. And afterward, you’ll see we were just trying to do a good thing."

Tell that to Bill Schulman, owner of the Calverton Links golf course right next to Enterprise Park, which is contiguous to the course’s back nine. Schulman, whose property includes a restaurant and is often booked for special events like weddings, knows he could suffer more than $10,000 in lost revenue, not to mention security costs. He’s already had to turn down one wedding. Schulman’s been to three town meetings, but board members have told him not worry, even though all festival-goers would have to do to invade Calverton Links, Schulman says, is climb a six-foot fence.

"These jokers, they aren’t listening," Schulman says of the town board. He and others hold out hope, though, because the Field Day facilities still need to be examined by the local health department. And permits, including a mass gathering permit, are still pending.

"I’ve been wishfully hoping that it will all go away," Schulman says. "At this point, I would say there’s a 20 percent chance or 25 percent chance it will disappear because people who run certain things in the town are saying, ‘We’ll take care of it.’"

It’s unlikely that the festival won’t occur, but who knows what can happen when a community feels like they’ve been snowed.

Says Farr, "It would be different if there was a fair and equitable deal, if they said, ‘Here’s a million dollars.’"

That’s about as likely as Radiohead covering a Justin Timberlake song.

When I call Riverhead town supervisor Bob Kozakiewicz, he admits that residents are steamed. When I ask whether the amount of money Riverhead is receiving is adequate and makes sense, he replies, "We made a deal. I’m a person that once a deal is made, we’re bound by it. We’ll look at the actual cost and expenses on town resources. If the number’s inadequate, then clearly and unequivocally, they have to come up with more if they want to come back."

Problem is, the town board has already signed a contract with promoters for another massive concert in August, the Bonnaroo NE, which will feature acts including–get this–the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Dave Matthews, Tom Petty and the String Cheese Incident. Riverhead’s getting $150,000 for this festival too.

Kozakiewicz somewhat defends the town board’s decision to allow the festival by telling me that "the business community seems happy," and that the owners of some bed and breakfasts told him that business was going to be good that weekend.

However, the proprietors of one hotel listed on the Field Day website don’t want the festival business, and they’re angry because they never asked to be on the website. They point out that there may only be 1,000 hotel rooms in the entire North Fork, and though lots of people will camp at Enterprise Park, what of the thousands of others? They predict camping at Schulman’s golf course and at the Wal-Mart that’s not even 10 miles away–anywhere with an open space. Given that the Riverhead jail may not even be able to fit 100 people in holding cells, this could lead to problems.

Riverhead police chief David Hegermiller did not return a call for comment, but he has previously expressed displeasure to reporters about the event and the lack of communication from the promoters.

Schulman says, "The town agreed to take $150,000 to cover the expenses, and the truth of the matter is the chief of police, who knows what is needed for a gathering like this, he gave a number of $1.8 million that would be necessary for extra security. He’s a decent guy, a capable guy, and the town board ignores him."

If the Field Day organizers can’t get everything together at Enterprise Park, it won’t be for lack of time. The staff will occupy the site from May 5 until June 22. They will attempt to turn more than 1,000 acres of empty space into a virtual city with multiple huge stages, a campground, art installations, concession stands and restrooms. How this is all going to happen isn’t quite clear.

"There has been a number of events [at Enterprise Park]," says Andrea Lohneiss, Riverhead’s community development agency director. "Horse shows and county fairs and things along those lines. There’s never been something this big before, of course."

"This is a test run," Kozakiewicz admits. "It’s a little bit experimental. It’s going to require refinement. We’re carefully monitoring it. We’re working very closely to make sure our questions are being answered."

According to Schulman, the promoters have been given "exclusive rights to do the same thing in 2004." But with a local election coming in November and a supervisor and two council positions in question, he believes "there’s going to be a new boss who may change things."

Adds Farr, "I think there will definitely be a change in November."

Dreskin, who still doesn’t quite understand what he and the town board may be up against, sees things differently.

"What people neglect to see is that the town of Riverhead was very keen to spur tourism, to create a profile for the Calverton site, to create new revenue opportunities, and to create new economic development," he says. "They’ve done all four."

He continues: "Bob Kozakiewicz and the town board of Riverhead, that’s a visionary administration as far as I’m concerned. In short order, they managed to bring in two world-class events and increase the profile of Riverhead. Riverhead’s in every paper from Miami to Seattle, on tv all over the world. If I was a resident, I would be voting for Kozakiewicz to be my town supervisor for years to come."

The spotlight is no doubt bright. Come June, we’ll see whether Riverhead is shining in it or hiding from it.