Residents petition for relief of noise

Trustees are encouraging a grass roots effort to abate noise on Route 422.

By MARY SMITH

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

MINERAL RIDGE — Noise from McMenamy’s on U.S. Route 422 and a recent concert at Cafaro Field have prompted McKinley Heights residents to present Weathersfield Township trustees with a petition signed by 108 people asking for noise relief.

Donald Anderson of Gardenland Avenue presented trustees with copies of the petition. Trustees said Wednesday they have prepared a letter to send to Niles City Council, asking that it do something about the noise from bands playing outdoors, mostly at McMenamy’s, until 1 or 2 a.m.

Niles is studying the noise issue. But trustees noted they sent a representative to a previous Niles council meeting and got no satisfaction.

Previous attempts

Last August, McMenamy’s owner Bob Leonard noted that Niles has other events such as fireworks, festivals, baseball games and graduation parties at homes with disc jockeys and bands. McMenamy’s can’t take bands inside the building because there are other events going on such as wedding receptions, the owner added at that time.

Trustees are urging residents to continue calling Niles police. Trustees have offered the township building for a meeting place for the residents, who say complaints after the Cafaro Field concert also caused Howland, Warren and Weathersfield residents to be upset.

Trustees want Police Chief Joseph Consiglio to contact police chiefs from those departments to see if they will join with the township to have Niles enforce its own noise ordinances.

City ordinances

Anderson said there are three Niles city ordinances already on the books: two passed in 1992 and one passed in 1994, prohibiting disturbing loud noise, making the offense a minor misdemeanor. The 1994 legislation sets a maximum of 60 decibels as the boundary line.

Anderson said the noise level has been a problem for three years.

Trustee John Vogel also said trustees are looking at a calibrated decibel meter to test the noise.

Consiglio said he believes civil action is necessary to stop the problem, “because I don’t see any other way of getting something done.”

William Roux, township solicitor, advised trustees against attempting to become involved in a civil suit for residents.

Trustees also discussed the possibility of getting representatives from neighboring municipalities affected by the noise to attend a residents’ meeting to discuss the issue.

Trustees also hired Allan H. Fields Jr. of Warren as a new part-time police officer to work 8 to 12 hours a week at $9.50 an hour. Fields is currently with the Newton Falls Police Department.