The Town of Huntington Town Board held a regular meeting on February 10, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Town Hall. The meeting featured presentations recognizing community members, two public hearings (one withdrawn), public comments from residents, and the unanimous adoption of over 40 resolutions, including a road dedication, grant applications, contract extensions, and scheduling of future public hearings. A special meeting was added for February 25, 2026, to consider tax exemptions for surviving spouses of police officers, senior citizens, volunteer firefighters, and active military members.
Routine resolutions were passed unanimously (5-0) as a block, including:
No public speakers. The hearing was closed.
The applicant, B2K, seeks to rezone 1.81 acres at 937 and 945 Walt Whitman Road from R-40 and R-10 to C-6 General Business to build a Starbucks with drive-thru and additional retail. The plan was modified from a prior 2024 application: buffer increased to 30-35 feet, building moved 120 feet away from the sole residential neighbor, and drive-thru activity shifted to the east side. Suffolk County Planning Commission recommended approval.
Supporters (7 speakers):
Opponents (2 speakers):
The hearing was closed. No vote was taken at this meeting.
Please join Councilwoman Brooke Lupinacci for the Pledge of Allegiance. And I would ask you to remain standing for a moment of silence for police officer Patricia Espinoza and our town employees that passed this week, Roy Matheson and Carolyn Paladino. Thank you. Okay. We have several presentations to make in no particular order. I think the first one is going to be. Where is Steve Rossetti from Gershow Recycling? Is he here? There he is. Come on up, Steve. If you can get past him. Face the audience, Steve. You get to smile. So over the past several years, and you're going to hear a common theme tonight, and it all revolves around Andre Sorentino. Where's Andre? There he is. All right. This is Andre's presentation, but he's got a little stage fright, doesn't want to, he wants me to do it, right? So there you go. So over the past several years, Andre has partnered with this town board and like-minded members of the community to combat drunk and distracted driving, especially during the holiday season. One of those key community partners has been Stephen Rossetti and the Gershau Recycling Corporation. That is why today at Andre's suggestion, we are recognizing Steve Rossetti and Gershau for their service and commitment to the town of Huntington. Steve Rossetti has served as the vice president of special projects for Gershau Recycling since 2008, demonstrating strong leadership and deep commitment to the community. Gershau Recycling founded in 1964 as a privately owned company and one of the largest metal dealers and processors in the United States, proudly employing more than 400 Long Islanders. Mr. Rossetti has maintained a strong personal connection to the town of Huntington, where he and his wife Donna have lived and raised their family since 1995. He has played a key role in leading Gershau Recycling's Huntington community outreach efforts, including support of honey of the Town of Huntington's Mothers Against Drunk Driving holiday display and the Chuck Verice Extraction Tournament benefiting first responders and the awarding of scholarships to Huntington High School or Huntington School graduates. Mr. Rossetti has served on numerous civic and nonprofit boards, contributing his time, experience, and leadership in support of economic development and youth-focused organizations. The town of Huntington recognizes and honors Steve Rossetti for his continued dedication, generosity, and service, and extends its sincere appreciation for his positive impact on the town and its residents. And a special thank you to Gershow Recycling. Steve, congratulations, and thank you for all you do for the community. Hey Steve, hold on. Take your photo first. Steve, you want to go to everyone on the podium? We'll just hear a few words from Steve Rossetti. Good evening, everyone. On behalf of myself and Gershow Recycling Corp, I'd like to thank Town Supervisor Edmund Smith, Highway Superintendent Andre Sorentino, and all the council members here for giving me this great recognition. The town of Huntington has always been a special place for my family and I, who spent 30 years here of our lives being a part of. Three of our principals happen to live here in the town. You know about Sam Gershewitz founding the company in 1964. Our greatest marvel is that we get to employ 400 people, and we work in the environmental space, improving Long Island's environment as much as we possibly can as fast as we can. I'd like to recognize tonight Richard DiAngelo, who is sitting right here. He is the manager of a Huntington yard, and who I think runs the neatest and most organized scrap metal recycling facility in the United States. Rich was the original owner of the yard before acquisition 2007, and is now one of our valued team members. Rich also was the first person to work with the Huntington Fire Department on extrication training using our yard and crash cars that we have on site. Rich also presents many scholarships to the Huntington graduates over the years. You should all know that Gershow Recycling has been and will remain committed to being a good neighbor of the town of Huntington and all of Long Island. And a show of that commitment in 2005. We've reinvested just about 90 million dollars in the following projects to help keep Long Island environmentally sustainable.