New Niles ordinance cracks down on noise

By Jordan Cohen

Police will have ‘clear guidelines’ for dealing with the nuisance.

NILES — After more than eight months of deliberations and revisions, council has unanimously passed its ordinance to prohibit “loud and raucous noise during outdoor activities in the city.”

“It gives the police clear guidelines to deal with neighborhood [noise] issues,” said Councilman at-large Stephen Papalas, one of the sponsors of the ordinance. “We want to make sure that people living around bars in the middle of neighborhoods can have a high quality of life.”

The issue had been brought to a head last September when residents complained about loud music emanating from McMenamy’s, a Youngstown-Warren Road restaurant, with one resident threatening a lawsuit if the issue was left unresolved. Among the issues council had struggled with before passage was a late-night noise restriction that business representatives warned could affect activities such as baseball games at Eastwood Field and other community events.

The restriction was later modified, as was a provision that would have placed a restriction on noise enforcement based on distance. Police had encouraged those changes.

“This ordinance will help our police officers stop all the loud music in Niles,” said Safety Director Maurice Guarino.

The ordinance’s primary sponsor, Councilman Edward Stredney, D-3rd, was out of town.

In other council matters Wednesday, Mark Hess, grant and development coordinator, said he expects street resurfacing and paving to begin in June.

Hess said he hopes that the city will be able to resurface 10 to 12 streets depending on the price of asphalt, which went up considerably last year. The city has allocated $300,000 for the summer project.

Council also authorized an agreement with Trumbull County commissioners that could provide the city with $550,000 to help clear up blighted neighborhoods.

Law Director Terry Dull said the project, the Community Development Block Grant Neighborhood Stabilization Program, would include considerable demolition and residential property rehabilitation on Niles’ west and south sides. The Ohio Department of Development awarded the funds.