Letters

I’m writing this letter to address my biggest concerns about our new neighbor in Pine Neck, Yacht Hampton [“Hidden Cove Marina in Noyac Undergoes a Major Transformation,” 27east.com, September 5].

I have only lived in Pine Neck for 18 years, but my daughters are the fourth generation born in Southampton, and my family and I plan on staying here forever; my mother always joked that I was born with potato dirt under my fingernails.

There has been a lot of talk among the residents of our neighborhood recently about what the future holds for Yacht Hampton, our quiet little neighborhood and its environment, in the water and out. The obvious red flag is the ecological disturbances that have been evident recently due to the size of the boats. I, however, am more concerned with how our quality of life here could change if Yacht Hampton gets a liquor license.

I heard about a meeting of Pine Neck residents at Circle Beach on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. I attended the hourlong meeting with what felt like about 100 others. Several took turns voicing their concerns. Halfway through, Joe Ialacci took some questions. I asked, “Did you recently apply for a New York State liquor license?” He replied, “Yes, but only to see if I can get one.”

Another resident asked, “What would you do with a liquor license if you got one?” Mr. Ialacci replied, “I’d like to be able to serve my clients drinks while waiting to go out on boats.”

I also asked if he was the same Joseph Ialacci that the Town of Southampton had a multitude of code enforcement issues with over a group rental party house, and he replied, “That was, like, 10 years ago.”

I am worried that if Yacht Hampton gets a liquor license, they will have a lot of latitude with what they can do, which is very concerning to me and a lot of others I’ve spoken to. Yes, any one of their boats can essentially be a floating nightclub when out on the water, but what happens if there is a “members only club” serving alcohol, playing loud music, who knows what?

Several great restaurants serve alcohol nearby, but they are all on main roads, not tucked inside a quiet little neighborhood. I used to go the Conscience Point nightclub when I was in my 20s till all hours, which also started as “a quaint little marina,” in a “quiet little neighborhood,” before the Town of Southampton shut it down.

I do believe Mr. Ialacci can have an extremely successful business doing just the boat rentals, with boats sized appropriately for our creek, but fear that throwing a liquor license into the mix could potentially be horrible for our community.

Andrew Miller

Noyac