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Dunedin Noise Task Force Meeting Ends In Uncertainty

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By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: May 31, 2008

DUNEDIN - Only a decibel meter salesman might have felt enthusiastic at Tuesday night's conclusion of the city's latest noise task force meeting.

The task force is comprised of representatives of downtown residents seeking tighter controls on use of amplified music and bar and restaurant owners who say they need to provide entertainment to compete and survive.

The City Commission asked the task force to produce a draft revision of the city's noise ordinance.

Assistant City Manager Harry Gross, the task force facilitator, began the May 6 meeting noting the misconceptions left over from the group's last session.

After the last meeting, it appeared the panel had agreed to a compromise in setting an acceptable decibel level for noise created by downtown entertainment establishments.

Now, however, it appears allowable decibel levels are still in question, as well as times during which amplified music should be played. In addition, where sound readings should be taken when noise complaints are being investigated has yet to be resolved, Gross noted.

The business owners say decibel readings have to be sensible enough to allow live musical performances at reasonable sound levels. They want the ability to provide entertainment seven days a week, until 11 p.m.

The representatives of people residing within the downtown core said they should not have to hear the music inside their homes. In addition, music seven days a week would be a deal-breaker, they told Gross.

Members of the task force deliberated technicalities of various types of decibel readings and whether a noise should be measured from the property line of a business or at the home where a complaint originates.

After a discussion of several scenarios the task force reached an apparent impasse, a group of business owners walked out of the meeting. One of the departing business representatives said it appears the noise issue is headed for a floor fight before the City Commission.

One downtown resident who did not want to give his name blamed media reports for making it seem that only a small but vocal group of residents is causing the uproar over amplified music. Even those residents who do not complain should not have to endure the sound of music in their homes for protracted periods, the man said.

After the meeting Commissioner Deborah Kynes, who attended the meeting as an observer, said a battle over noise regulations before the commission would be too divisive. Both sides should continue to seek a compromise before the public hearing, Kynes said.

At the end of the session, John Lewis, owner of La Maision Gourmet, who remained at the meeting after other business owners left, suggested the initial reading of 68 decibels measured at the business be reconsidered. Debate still raged over whether music should be permitted seven days a week.

Gross said he will try to keep the process on track. He said he will eventually submit staff's recommendations for a revised noise ordinance to the Local Planning Agency and eventually to the City Commission.

Mark Schantz can be reached at 727-815-1075 or mschantz@suncoastnews.com.

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