By Max Oppen
TANNERSVILLE — Elka Park resident John Aizstrauts presented concerns over a recent violation of the Town of Hunter's noise ordinance during the Town Board meeting held in July. Aizstrauts detailed an incident during the Fourth of July when a local venue was rented to a group whose noise levels he described as "unacceptably and obnoxiously loud." "They literally brought in equipment that sounded like it was meant for a stadium. My windows shook," Aizstrauts stated. He had canvassed the neighborhood and received numerous comments from neighbors troubled by the noise, prompting him to review the Town's noise ordinance and nearby municipalities' noise ordinance laws.
Supervisor Mahoney confirmed receiving a detailed letter from Aizstrauts about the Town's and surrounding municipalities' noise ordinance laws, calling it "an excellent letter." Aizstrauts emphasized the importance of language in these laws and urged the Town to strengthen its noise ordinance. He quoted his letter: "The desired benefit of reviewing the Town ordinance is to ensure it is sufficiently vigorous to proactively and preemptively stop violations."
During his presentation, Aizstrauts cited the Town's Comprehensive Plan, highlighting that one of the Town's most valued resources is its rural peace and quiet. He urged the Board to consider enhancing the current noise ordinance to protect residents' quality of life and the area's attractiveness. "We're the taxpayers, we're the residents. We deserve to live in an environment suitable to us," Aizstrauts said, offering his assistance in revising the law.
The incident occurred at the Latvian Summer Camp in Elka Park and has reportedly been an issue for several years. "It was as if God was yelling at us; the noise was so loud," Aizstrauts remarked.
Supervisor Mahoney said that the Town's Short Term Rental would apply to this situation but that it would be outside the purview of Granicus, the company that the Town hired to help with STRs. Mahoney explained, "If this group was staying at this property for less than 30 days, and if they left, and another group came and stayed for less than 30 days, that's the definition of a short-term rental." He noted that short-term rental regulations could apply in this scenario but acknowledged the debate on updating the noise ordinance's impact.
Referring to measures taken by the Town of Jewett, Mahoney mentioned their purchase of a decibel meter, which had proven ineffective. "It's difficult to enforce the noise ordinance," he said, pointing out that while the ordinance allows police to intervene, it did not yield the desired outcome in Aizstrauts' case.
Aizstrauts proposed moving the start time of the noise ordinance from 10 p.m. to 9 p.m. and suggested including more actionable language applicable 24/7. "If it's midday on a weekday and you're blaring something so loud that I can tell from a half mile away, that's intrusive and objectionable," he explained.
Councilperson Ernie Reale noted that since the Latvian Camp doesn't advertise on Airbnb, it's not under the Town's short-term rental law. However, Mahoney clarified that the law does apply and is enforced by the Town's Code Enforcement department. Mahoney assured that the Town is seeking to bolster this department to handle such complaints effectively. "We have to find balance," Mahoney added.
Aizstrauts voiced his frustration with the Latvian Camp management, stating, "I've never had an issue with the people at the Camp – it's the people who come up to rent it out. I'm disappointed that the Camp hasn't taken it to heart that there have been multiple complaints over multiple years." Despite contacting the camp manager, Aizstrauts noted that the noise only subsided temporarily.
Supervisor Mahoney was amenable to revisiting the Town's noise ordinance, adopted in 1981. He welcomed Aizstrauts' suggestions and invited him to participate in a publicly-held workshop in the near future to review and compare noise ordinances from other municipalities. "This requires work and effort on the part of the Board to do that," Mahoney said, expressing his openness to Aizstrauts' involvement in the process.
Aizstrauts concluded, "We're here to protect our way of life." Mahoney then thanked him for his dedication and detailed letter.
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