Calverton Executive Airpark also known as Peconic River Airport and Enterprise Park at Calverton (EPCAL) is a public-owned private-use

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

located three miles (5 km) west of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

of the Calverton hamlet, in the Town of Riverhead, Suffolk County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is owned by the Town of Riverhead. It was formerly the

Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Calverton Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, Calverton (NWIRP) was a government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facility which had the mission of designing, fabricating, and testing prototype aircraft from 1956 until 1996, in Riverhead, New York, Un ...

which was owned by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and used to assemble, test, refit and retrofit jets built by the

Grumman Corporation The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 1994 ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. The airport covers an area of which contains two

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

and

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

s: 14/32 measuring and 5/23 measuring . The airport is lightly used for air traffic in lieu of the nearby

Francis S. Gabreski Airport Francis S. Gabreski Airport is a county-owned, joint civil-military airport located north of the central business district of Westhampton Beach, in Suffolk County, Long Island, United States. It is approximately east of New York City. Known ...

. Its last remaining air client, Skydive Long Island, relocated to

Brookhaven Calabro Airport Brookhaven Calabro Airport is a public airport located one mile (1.6 km) north of the central business district of Shirley, in Suffolk County, New York, United States. This airport is publicly owned by the Town of Brookhaven. Although mo ...

in 2015. In 2021, The Town Board of Riverhead approved the airport to be the venue of Division 1

National Hot Rod Association The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...

(NHRA) drag racing events. The airport held inaugural NHRA drag racing events in Summer 2021.

History

In 1996, the wreckage of

TWA Flight 800 Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 8:31pm. Eastern Daylight Time, EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. K ...

, which had exploded, disintegrated and crashed about south of the airport, was reconstructed in a hangar. In September 1998, the bulk of the developed land, , at the airport was donated to Riverhead. Another was donated to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation for wildlife management. In the 1998 transactions, East End Aircraft Long Island Corporation was given on Highway 25 which it is developing into the Grumman Memorial Park and Aerospace Museum. As of January 2006, the Navy still owns 358 acres (mostly areas requiring environment cleanup) at the site. In January 2013, one of the Calverton airport's two runways is being used to store thousands of flood-damaged vehicles from

Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...

Development efforts

Development for the central portion of the complex is still undecided as of March 2018. Various proposals have included building a 35-story artificial ski mountain, a racing track, a plant to build solar-powered planes, building a solar farm and building a large shopping center. In January 2008, the Riverhead Town Board approved the sale of the airport for $155 million to Riverhead Resorts which planned a 35-story ski mountain in a proposed $2.2 billion project.Riverhead officials approve ski mountain project - Newsday - January 3, 2008
/ref> In 2010 Riverhead cancelled the contract after Resorts did not make a $3.9 million payment. Grumman-memorial-park

On February 11, 2010, it was announced that the dormant railway track into EPCAL would be reactivated for freight service. According to

Railway Age ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine's ...

magazine, Riverhead's town board awarded a $3.49 million contract to Railroad Construction Co., of

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk Co ...

Main Line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

out to Greenport, for

New York & Atlantic Railway The New York and Atlantic Railway (NY&A) is a short line railroad formed in 1997 to provide freight service over the tracks of the Long Island Rail Road, a public commuter rail agency which had decided to privatize its freight operations. An a ...

freight trains. The project is being paid largely through federal stimulus funding. In 2017, a tentative deal was struck with the Town of Riverhead and Calverton Aviation and Technology (a joint venture with Luminati Aerospace and

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

developer Triple Five Real Estate I, LLC) to build solar power aircraft at EPCAL with Luminati initially saying it would employ 2,000 at the plant. Luminati Aerospace obtained tenancy at EPCAL in 2015, via the vacated Skydive Long Island space. As the plans to build planes fell into financial difficulties, the shopping mall developers were signed on to the deal. The full details of the project were still being discussed in 2018. In February 2018, Sustainable Power Group filed suit, saying it offered a higher bid for the property so it could become a

solar farm Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

NHRA Membership and Events

In early 2021, The Town Board of Riverhead voted to approve the airport to host drag racing events for

(NHRA) Division 1 events, with the first events taking place in Summer 2021 with Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar driving a race car to "cut" through the ribbon in the inaugural ceremony. The event ended a 17-year hiatus of

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

on Long Island and will host NHRA events approximately five times per year, in addition to non-NHRA town-sanctioned events dubbed the EPCAL Racing Series, as of 2022. In 2022, The Town of Riverhead again voted to approve racing events at the airport for upcoming seasons.

Ecology and endangered species

The airport contains the largest remaining

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

, providing documented breeding and/or foraging habitat for numerous grassland birds, including at least one

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

(the

short-eared owl The short-eared owl (''Asio flammeus'') is a widespread grassland species in the family Strigidae. Owls belonging to genus ''Asio'' are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or ...

)The Nature Conservancy. Geospatial analysis of grasslands on

.National Audubon Society's Avian Inventory and Monitoring (AIM) Survey ProgramNew York State Breeding Bird Atlas. Conducted and published by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation including five New York State Species of Special Concern (

common nighthawk The common nighthawk (''Chordeiles minor'') is a medium-sized crepuscular or nocturnal bird of the Americas within the nightjar family, whose presence and identity are best revealed by its vocalization. Typically dark (gray, black and brown), ...

grasshopper sparrow The grasshopper sparrow (''Ammodramus savannarum'') is a small New World sparrow. It belongs to the genus '' Ammodramus,'' which contains three species that inhabit grasslands and prairies. Although sometimes found in crop fields and they will re ...

vesper sparrow The vesper sparrow (''Pooecetes gramineus'') is a medium-sized New World sparrow. It is the only member of the genus ''Pooecetes''. Taxonomy The Vesper Sparrow is believed to be most closely related to the Lark sparrow. It is the only species ...

horned lark The horned lark or shore lark (''Eremophila alpestris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere. It is known as "horned lark" in North America and "shore lark" in Europe. Taxonomy, evolution and systema ...

, and

whip-poor-will The eastern whip-poor-will (''Antrostomus vociferus'') is a medium-sized (22–27 cm; 8.7-10.6 ins.) bird within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, from North America. The whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less of ...

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...

notes these grasslands are the most productive breeding grounds for

in all of New York State. EPCAL contains 10

kettle hole A kettle (also known as a kettle lake, kettle hole, or pothole) is a depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating gla ...

ponds which are documented breeding sites for the eastern

tiger salamander The tiger salamander (''Ambystoma tigrinum'') is a species of mole salamander and one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America. Description These salamanders usually grow to a length of with a lifespan of around 12–15 years. ...

, a New York State endangered species.New York State Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Project ("Herp Atlas"). Conducted and published by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation The site also contains five additional reptile and amphibian species which are identified as Species of Special Concern in New York State (

marbled salamander The marbled salamander (''Ambystoma opacum'') is a species of mole salamander found in the eastern United States. Description The marbled salamander is a stocky and boldly banded salamander. The marbled salamander exhibits sexual dimorphism w ...

, eastern spadefoot,

spotted turtle The spotted turtle (''Clemmys guttata''), the only species of the genus ''Clemmys'', is a small, semi-aquatic turtle that reaches a carapace length of upon adulthood. Their broad, smooth, low dark-colored upper shell, or carapace, ranges in its ...

, eastern

box turtle Box turtle is the common name for several species of turtle. It may refer to those of the genus '' Cuora'' or ''Pyxidea'', which are the Asian box turtles, or more commonly to species of the genus '' Terrapene'', the North American box turtles. T ...

, and

eastern hognose snake The eastern hog-nosed snake (''Heterodon platirhinos''), also known as the spreading adderAlbert Hazen WWright, A.H., and species:Anna Allen WA.A. Wright (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. (in 2 volumes). Ithaca and L ...

).Eastern Hognose Snake Survey, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Rutgers University conducted by Jeremy Feinberg A total of 24 amphibian and reptile species have been identified on or near the EPCAL property. As discussions over whether the airport could be developed the

announced in February 2008 that endangered

s and

northern harrier The northern harrier (''Circus hudsonius''), or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA. The northern harrier migrates to more southerly areas ...

s had been spotted at the airport which would prompt the DEC to make the ultimate decision of future development.

References

External links

*{{US-airport-minor, 3C8, CTO Airports in New York (state) Airports established in 1956 Riverhead (town), New York 1956 establishments in New York (state) Airports in Suffolk County, New York