The Noise Noses Down

Interesting to see that this summer that the Grucci Fire Works display and the Battle of the Bay Boat race are moved elsewhere. I know that there are fans of both events that are going to miss them. The boat race moves to Sayville, . Maybe that will turn out to be a better fit for those events and the local communities that are now going to host them.

But probably those who live near by where those events were going to happen feel differently about these cancellations. While the fireworks display was limited in time it brought a crush of people to the neighborhood around Shorefront park that has been heavily impacted by the booming business at . The Boat race was a louder event for three days and also brought another crush of crowds to a relatively small part of the village, The shore front park neighborhood is already a popular summer venue because of the park, Village summer events held there, access to the ferry to Davis Park. I am not sure if scheduling conflicts for the fire department or code enforcement alone explain why these venues were no longer scheduled but I suspect neighbors could use a rest from them whatever the real reason for the change.

I see these changes as part of what the Village is going to be struggling with for some time. As the revitalization of the Village continues on it has become a friendly venue for businesses that host live music events that are open air. As a result local neighbors have to experience loud, although apparently legal, bouts of music. While the sound begins as music in some cases the sound can also drift into local homes in the form of annoying booms disrupting the lives of those who are affected again and again and again. Not really party time for those so impacted.

Balancing the desire to build a buzz for the village in terms of having "cool" places to party while preserving the quality of life of Village residents who are also voters is going to be a real test. The final grade on that test is not in.

And by the way for those of you who may not know here are the rules for calling in noise complaints. You can call in if you think that invasive sound is over 70 decibels and has crossed over into your home. Code Enforcement does have sound meters. Tickets will be issued if violations occur. Just as importantly though is making sure that music ends when it is supposed to. After hours of noise I for one like it to end when it is supposed to and the law says it should.

Sunday through Thursday, amplfied music off at 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturday music off at 11 p.m., anytime over these limits again a call to Code Enforcement can be made, the officer must witness the violation, a ticket will be issued if a violation is witnessed. Penalties include substantial fines, multiple violations can lead to the commercial noise license being suspended.