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Heart of the Hamptons hopes to move in to the old ambulance barn in Southampton Village. KITTY MERRILL
Heart of the Hamptons, the Southampton Village-based charity that serves more than 2,000 people each year, providing food, clothing and emergency financial aid, may lose its home within the parish hall of the Basilica Parish of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary on Hill Street.
In a letter to the Southampton Village Board, Executive Director Hilton Crosby and the organization’s board of directors asked about the possibility of relocating to village-owned property on Meeting House Lane — the site of the soon-to-be-vacated Southampton Village Volunteer Ambulance barn.
Mr. Crosby declined to be interviewed this week, citing the COVID-19 health emergency.
In the letter, he informs village officials that Heart of the Hamptons has operated out of the church basement since its inception some 40 years ago, noting, “The survival of HOH depends on finding a new location immediately.”
The Meeting House Lane ambulance barn was built in the mid-1970s. In October 2016, the village approved plans for a new ambulance headquarters to be constructed next to the Southampton Village Police Department headquarters on Windmill Lane.
Village Administrator Russell Kratoville said that officials have been receiving requests for the use of the old ambulance space “since the first shovel went into the ground” for the new facility. He said that before the village can agree to allow outside entities to use the old ambulance headquarters, officials must prove it’s not needed for any municipal purposes.
“We have to officially surplus it,” Village Board member Richard Yastrzemski, who served as commissioner for both fire and EMT, explained. “It’s hard to believe anyone can say with certainty that the village won’t need that property ever again. We’re not anywhere near deciding what to do with it.”
According to Mr. Crosby’s letter, the church needs to “re-purpose” the space for its own programming.
On Monday, March 16, however, church pastor Father Mike Vetrano said, via email message: “There is no plan of eviction or any other termination of agreement with Heart of the Hamptons. We respect our long and profitable relationship. We are discussing the mutual benefit of the Community Ambulance barn being made available to Heart of the Hamptons.”
Sacred Hearts, HOH, and other community churches are invested in the expansion of services for all residents of the community, the pastor said, adding, “We are working positively and collaboratively on this. Our own needs for expansion are all on the level of our current ministries, especially religious education.”
The food pantry distributes 65,000 meals annually, three days per week. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, to limit contact on February 13, the pantry staff began serving clients at the door to the pantry, and has asked clients to call ahead.
In addition to the aid offered by the food pantry, every year the organization’s financial assistance program provides 300 local children, adults, seniors and veterans with emergency medical assistance, utility shut-off avoidance, rent stabilization, clothing, and more, according to Mr. Crosby’s letter.
Leasing a free-standing building in the village, the letter states “would increase visibility and help us attract volunteers, donors and clients.”
“Such a move would also make it clear that HOH is a non-religiously affiliated, nonprofit organization open to all community members in need and supported by the community at large,” the letter reads.
