The following letter was sent to Dewey Beach commissioners with a copy provided to the Cape Gazette for publication.
My wife and I are property owners on Dickinson Avenue. We are very concerned about the existing Nalu noise problems, and are against the proposed expansion.
As many letters in opposition to this expansion have documented, I believe that Nalu has a dismal track record of complying with its conditional-use permit, particularly with regard to closing the sliding-glass doors at 11 p.m., as required to do. I have had to call them several times myself to ask to close the windows after 11. As bar owners, it is not in their interest to do so; they want patrons on their patio to enjoy that music and keep ordering more drinks. Even if the doors were to be more conscientiously closed, the servers coming in and out would likely leave them open to run back and forth. Bottom line: I do not trust any promises made by the owners, due to their failure to live up to their conditional-use permit. So why should the commissioners trust them now? The facts and history speak for themselves.
While there may have been no noise violations over the last four summers, where there have been complaints at night, police may have not responded due to their having more pressing responsibilities, or as one letter writer has said, the police have responded that it was the building official’s job to monitor sound because the police don’t have decibel meters. So, are building officials working late at night to deal with noise complaints? I think that is unlikely. And why not equip the police with decibel readers, assuming they are available?
Somebody has to hold Nalu to its promises. If not the police, then who? I hope the commissioners will find a way to have the police equipped with decibel meters.
As commissioners, I hope you will balance the interests of the businesses in town with those of the residents. Letters that have been received supporting this expansion have been written, I believe, by people who live at least two blocks from Nalu. They will not be having to deal with the noise. In my view, those writers lack firsthand knowledge of the late-night noise.
I won't dwell on my concerns about greater parking problems, people parking in private driveways, etc. Dickinson Avenue is just a mess on weekend nights.
As always, I am grateful to our commissioners for their service to the town. I know it requires homework, and your attendance at meetings, and I appreciate your volunteering.
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