Too loud? Residents upset about noise from concert

Clark County

Discussion

November 4, 2009

By DAVID A. MANN The News and Tribune Wed Nov 04, 2009, 09:15 PM EST

A weekend heavy metal concert on Jeffersonville’s Overlook — at the intersection of Spring Street and Riverside Drive — left residents seething Saturday.

By Wednesday, a handful of residents from the Meagan Point building, across the street from the Overlook, had complained to Jeffersonville’s Board of Public Works and Safety about what they characterized as a flagrant violation of the city’s noise ordinance.

The board was aware the concert was to take place, as it arranged for the street in front of the Overlook to be closed.

“With the Hallowfest event that took place on the Overlook Saturday, it appears that the city relinquishes control of an event when a permit is issued,” said Steve Strocen, a resident there.

Additionally, residents took issue with the fact a city employee — the parks department’s special events superintendent Bev Knight — was emceeing the event and repeated complaints to the Jeffersonville Police Department did nothing to stop or quiet down the show.

The drummer for one of the bands is the son of Jeffersonville Police Chief Tim Deeringer.

City of Jeffersonville Communications Director Larry Thomas said that his band, Sacred Sorrow, was the last to go on and only played a few songs before a 10 p.m. cutoff time went into effect.

He said Deeringer didn’t even know there were problems with noise until the day after the show.

The problem, admitted Mayor Tom Galligan, was that the bands were playing at the wrong spot.

They played on the Overlook — which is at street level — rather than the RiverStage, a barge down the bank from the street, floating on the Ohio River.

“It was loud,” said Councilman Mike Smith. “And I like loud music.”

“It is not the place to have a band,” Galligan said. “This event was entirely too close. It was dead, smack, right down in the middle of the street and people across the street get the same experience as those at the concert.”

He said no more concerts will take place on the Overlook. And residents of Megan Point would be notified of future RiverStage events with door hangers.

In other business:

• The board granted permission to Family & Children’s Place to place signs at intersection around the city for 10 days, starting Nov. 15.

The signs are a part of a public relations campaign to raise awareness of child abuse, said Dan Fox, the organization’s president.

• The board agreed to change the name of Virgil Drive to Peach Tree Street. There are no homes on the street, so no one’s address will change, according to Street Commissioner David Hosea. Virgil Drive already turns into Peach Tree Street and Hosea believes the change will make it simpler for the police and fire departments.

• The city approved its 2010 holiday schedule. Jeffersonville City Hall will be closed on the following days next year:

• New Year’s Day — Friday, Jan. 1;

• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day — Monday, Jan. 18;

• Presidents’ Day — Monday, Feb. 15;

• Good Friday — Friday, April 2;

• Primary Election Day — Tuesday, May 4;

• Memorial Day — Monday, May 31;

• Independence Day — Monday, July 5;

• Labor Day — Monday, Sept. 6;

• General Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 2;

• Thanksgiving Day/Day after Thanksgiving — Thursday and Friday, Nov. 25-26;

• Christmas Eve/Christmas Day — Thursday and Friday, Dec. 23-24;

• New Year’s Eve — Friday, Dec. 31.