Back-up beepers and other noises a 24-7 problem
We’ve been fighting with the Town of Oyster Bay for two years and not getting anywhere. There are distribution centers operating on the former Grumman site, close to a residential area in Bethpage. Businesses there operate all night and violate town noise ordinances. The are backup beeps all night long. It’s ruined our quality of life and nothing is being done about it. The owner has tried to work with us but we still hear the beeps.
--Kathy Chiddo, Bethpage
Everyone is frustrated with this issue, but town officials say they’ve taken measures to reduce the noise levels from two new distribution centers at that site so the businesses won't add to the on-going problem.
While our caller believes that the town’s noise ordinance is being violated at night when 600-900 tractor trailers enter the complex of warehouses for the U.S. Postal Service, Goya foods, FedEx and other businesses, the town says there are no violations based on inspections conducted since 2006.
“We hired an outside consultant who did tests there,” Planning and Development Commissioner Jack Libert said. “The final analysis of his report is that there is some noise there but it does not rise to the level where they’re breaking any laws or violating any codes.”
The property owners have tried to help by shutting off a buzzer on an entrance gate, he said. Chiddo said the owner’s efforts have helped in the past, but the fixes are only temporary and the noises created by tractor trailer back-up beepers, horns and air brakes return.
Town efforts have included sending inspectors to the site to take noise samples at different times of the day and night, several times. The levels, Libert said, “were sufficient to create a small nuisance but did not violate the town’s noise ordinance.”
Libert said steps taken by the town for the new warehouses include the construction of more than 1,300 feet of sound wall between the buildings and the LIRR tracks that separate the industrial area from the residential streets, but he knows Chiddo will still be unhappy with existing noises and wants to find a way to help.
“If it doesn’t violate town code, maybe town code needs to be fixed,” he said. “We’re going to keep trying…I know it’s a disturbing problem for her.”
Also related to this topic:
*Oyster Bay Town Codes
*Noise Pollution.org, a non-profit organization with noise-related resources
