UPDATED: San Simeon Chairperson Disappointed in Village Decision

Representatives of nursing home in Greenport will have to find another location for their annual fundraiser because members of the Greenport Village Board did not approve their request for a mass public assembly permit to hold their gala at Mitchell Park.

The vote to deny the request was unanimous at Monday night’s board meeting. Though at the park this past summer, Trustee Mary Bess Phillips said last week that the board has not come up with a plan yet for park use by nonprofit and charity groups. She said she was not ready to approve a permit for San Simeon.

Mayor David Nyce agreed that opening up the public park for use to groups that want to hold events to benefit only themselves and not the village directly “might get difficult to maintain.”

Nancy Morrow, chairperson of development for San Simeon By the Sound, said in an email statement that she is disappointed in the board's decision, to say the least.

"We were hoping to return in the summer of 2012, after having hosted a very successful event in July this year," she wrote. "Our two-hour reception brought over 200 people to the village on a Sunday afternoon. We supported all the local businesses by utilizing local service providers and many of our guests stayed on to frequent the local shops and restaurants."

San Simeon is a not-for-profit facility based Greenport  — outside the village itself — on Route 48. For 40 years, it has offered short-term rehabilitation, adult medical daycare and long-term nursing services to the community. The proceeds of the annual fundraiser are used to enhance the quality of care including the purchase of new beds.