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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPetitions & Complaints - Noise September 5 , 2002 To Supervisor Josh Horton , Listening to your recent board meeting on television it was once again with complete disbelief to hear Southold does not have a noise ordinance or plans for one . In vein we and others have requested from each board through out the years to give us protection from unreasonable noise . It is such an injustice not only to the elderly , young sick , fristrating to law en- forcement people who are compleety helpless answering a noise complaint .The last time an ordinance was presented -after pressure- was preset it was so childlike , ludicrous -ra ther in jest or vengeful it completely defeated a reasonable law. Shelter Island , Riverhead and Southampton all have a noise ordinance . Is it so diffuclt for Southold to have a silil r law? Mr . Horton we are impressed beyond words with Your knowledge , sense of fairness in studing the pros and cons of multi problems . A Supervisor \ who not only listens but followups is very I refreshing . Our two votes were well cast . Thank you for your time and any help . Sincerely Mr. & Mrs. Robert .._ 3800 S. Harbor Rd. 1309 I� j ���0 La Sou#iold,.NY 1197145M j ` 1 �I Wesley R Dickinson 7635 Main Bayview Road Southold, New York September 5, 2002 Mr. Josh Horton Southold Town Supervisor Southold Town Hall P.O. Box 1179 53095 Main Road Southold, New York 11971 Dear Mr. Horton, I have enclosed correspondence about the need for a noise ordinance in Southold. The arguments for such an ordinance have not changed, nor are the likely to. For my specific complaints the cast of characters has changed, but the problem remains. The yellow SUV driver is away at school now and the truck and its driver have also gone. In their place we now have a blue TRANS AM, a gray pickup, and two black pickup trucks, all of which make their home somewhere on Cedar Drive (Cedar Lane) in Bayview. In addition there are bass-booming cars and trucks on Bayview Road, too numerous to document. Please consider giving us relief from this intrusion on our senses. Sincerely yours, 12,E f • SFP 9 i i _- - Wesley R Dickinson 7635 Main Bayview Road Southold Newyork 11971 a JULY 9 2001 Mr. William Moore Southold Town Councilman Southold Town Hall P.O. Box 1179 53095 Main Road Southold,New York 11971 Dear Mr. Moore: I understand that you were the Chairman of the committee to decide whether or not a noise ordinance should be enacted in Southold 'Town and that you opposed such an ordinance. It is difficult to understand your reluctance, but it is possible that you live in a quiet neighborhood where noise is not a problem. My wife and I live on Main Bayview Road, at the corner of Cedar Drive (lane) a very heavily traveled road. Our house is on a corner where there is a STOP sign for vehicles � entering Main BaYviewfrom Cedar. This is a blind intersection so all drivers observe the STOP sign and there is the problem. The main offenders are young people with radios, bass enhanced to 200-300 watts, enough to literally rattle the dishes in our kitchen. While radios are the main problem, there is another problem, a truck-tractor with a cutout muffler that sounds like a machine-gun when the truck decelerates,to stop at the STOP sign. Curiously enough both vehicles are painted a bright yellow, not that the color is the reason for the noise, but that the vehicles are easily identified. As it turns out, both drivers live on Highwood off North Bayview Road, once again not a factor in the noise, just a coincidence that these immature, insensitive individuals live on the same road. Highwood is approximately one-half mile from where we live, and we can hear the boom as the drivers leave their homes until they have gone at least that distance on Main Bayview Road. I politely asked the worst offender, a young man with the yellow SLJV to not play the radio so loudly, and he was better about it until he went away to college, however, on his return in June the full bore blast started again and continues. Others in the vicinity are bothered by this excessive noise, and people who live across from Hurt's Hardware, i - I f =WESLEY R DICKINSON 7635 MAIN BAYVIEW ROAD SOUTHOLD where this person is employed, have the same complaint. No one wants to be the one to compla4 but the Quality of life is seriously compromised by these insensitive people and, as you are aware the Police Department will not take action because of no noise ordinance to back them up. We hear excuses such as other statutes existing that could be used for enforcement but no one seems to be able to locate these statutes, if they do exist. Another excuse we hear is that a noise meter is too expensive and that police training would be necessary. I am familiar with the meters and the difficulty in learning their use. The meters can be purchased at Radio Shack for as little as $60, and I would be happy to purchase two for the Police Department, and take the hour necessary to teach them how to use the meters. I am enclosing an article from Suffolk Life addressing the same problem upon which the Suffolk Police are taking action. Mr. Moore, it is not coincidental that surrounding Townships have enacted noise ordinances, they care about their constituents. Please take some action to bring us relief from this problem. Sincerely yours, Wesley R. Dickinson 1 I SCPD Takes Aum AtLewenng Noise Levels The Su&W County Police Department modify their exhaust for more horsepower," recently concluded its training with the said Sergeant James Farrell of the High- new sound level meters that will help to way Patrol Bureau. ,atotne Sections 375.47 and 386 of the Vehi- The ordinances can he as simple as the de.and Traffic Law.These ordinances per- level .of stereo output — one ordinance taro-to the sound output levels—whether holds that no car may exceed 70 decibels at from stereos or exhaust systems—in auto- a distance of 25 feet foam the listener--or c aobiles and motorboats that are considered complicated enough to depend on the to be too loud. weight and speed of the vehicle in question-. While these laws have been in effect for The new devices are equipped to wea- some true, the Police Department has swe any and all bxUrs pertaining to the €asked the appropriate devices for detecting -pacific sordwance that is in violation, Far- such violations and the funds to g VCUre roll said. them_ The sound level meters have finally Each p vcinct wiH send out one trained ! cone clown to a maeageahte cost and Suf- officer to ramlom to monitor far folk County Police have had one ordered for violations. The. fines fca such violations every ptpeirodin the county. begin at$100 for a fist time offense,up to "It's part of the department's overall $200 for a second offense and$500 for the plan to reduce the noise of loud stereos, thirst and successive offensrs. motorcycles, trucks and drag racers, who --PM7A►�mo SUPERVISOR �Q JEAN W. COCHRAIV' V�.�� Ct7 , Town Hall, 53095 Main Road COUNCILPERSONS G�� P.O. Box 1179 q Southold, Nein York 11971 JUSTICE LOUISA R EVANS C4 Telephone(631) 765-1889 WILLIAM D. MOORE JOHN M. ROM.ANELLI Gy • !'� Fax (631) 765-1823 BRIAN G, MURPHY O CRAIG A. RICHTER TOWN BOARD TOWN OF SOUTHOLD July 20 2001 Mr. Wesley R. Dickinson 7635 Main Bayview Road Southold, NY 11971 Dear Mr. Dickinson: Thank you for your letter dated July 9, 2001 with respect to a noise ordinance for the town of Southold. As you may have seen in the local papers, I presented a comprehensive noise ordinance to the town board on Tuesday and a public hearing will be held at the end of July. My problems with noise ordinances in general have been the ability to enforce them in a court when there is a persistent offender and secondly, the idea that we need a law to create civility among neighbors. I am frustrated that as a community we have reached the point where we believe we need a law because some people seem unable to respect their neighbors. I had a professor in law h " a school who wrote In heaven the lion will lie down with the lamb, hell there will be nothingbut law. I have always thought of Southold as heaven and I am not quick to endorse Y g the idea that we need another law. I know that it takes only a few people to make life miserable for others, and unfortunately, we end up with laws to deal with the few lemons. Most everyone else do not need a noisenc r i o d na e to tell to them i e be mindful of their neighbor, Hopefully this law will g p Y keep the few who need it, in line, and we will solve the noise problems in town. I thank you for your comments, and if you are interested in the proposed law, a copy is available ' ab a at the town clerk's office. It will be published as well in the al notices of the paper as p g PP well. A� D.y rs oore i H frog. SUPERVISOR ° �(� r '0 �! Tonsil Hall, 53095 Maii Road J � 1(� I �' �� L'ALV W. CC ,I RAN y+ , Box 1179 ZZ '� 1 P.O couxclLYrJltsoNS Southold, r JUSTICE LOUISA P. EVANS aUuthol.d, New York 11971. WILLLA.M D, MOORS r Telephone (631) 765-1889 JOHN M. ROMAI'vELLI ♦ � Fax (6,31) 765-1823 BRIAN G. MURPHY �'��� �aQ� CRAIG A. RICHTERl. TOWN BOARD TOWN OF SOUTHOLD August 10, 2001 Mr. Wesley R. Dickinson 7635 Main Bayview Road Southold, NY 11971 Dear Mr. Dickinson: Thank you for your letter of July 9'h. As you may now be aware, a noise ordinance was presented to the Town Board several weeks ago and was the subject of a public hearing last week. The proposed law received a lot of criticism and is being reviewed and revised. I have referred your specific complaints with regard to the loud vehicles in your neighborhood to our police department for their action. Thank you for sharing your concerns with me. I hope that, between a revised noise ordinance and the efforts of our police department, the noise problems in your neighborhood can be resolved. Sincerely yours, William D. Moore Councilman I� w Mr. William D. Moore Town Hall P.O. Box 1179 Southold , New York 11971 Dear Mr. Moore: Thank you for your letter of August 10. It was a reassurance that you have some understanding of my complaint, but may be overlooking the obvious solution, equipping the Police Department with decibel meters and ug�&m randomly in the way that speeding violations are kept in check. Referring to you letter of July 20, 20011 am in full accordance; with the biblical `In heaven the Iion will lie down with the lamb...) etc. If onlythe world had come to realize the practicality of that thought, however, 2000 ears p Y g � � Y v of histo have proven it to be more theoretical than radical. Laws, as you certainly p p know from your profession, are the only defense that we have against complete barbarism. I feel thatwor ou will continue to draft an ordinance that will be effective and will Y � improve the quality of many lives. Truly yours, Wesley R. Dickinson