Noise complaints increasing in Snoqualmie
Published 2:35 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
SNOQUALMIE _ Growth has its benefits, but Snoqualmie
Mayor Randy “Fuzzy” Fletcher knows it sometimes has its drawbacks.
Fletcher has been awakened several times in the pre-dawn
mornings by residents’ complainting about loud noises in their neighborhood. And
as more and more people move to Snoqualmie, the number of noise
complaints is increasing.
The city has a noise ordinance in place that prohibits loud noise
from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., but Fletcher said that not everyone is aware of it. He
said noise complaints have grown from one about every six weeks to three or
four a week beginning this summer.
“We have penalties in the ordinance, but I don’t want to have to
impose any fines if we can get people to understand the problem and take
responsibility for their own actions, whether it be individual citizens or
a company.”
Fletcher said common problems are street sweepers starting early
in some parts of the city and construction crews working on
Snoqualmie Ridge.
“We have directed the street sweeper to change its route before
7 a.m. to minimize the impact on the residents,” he said. “We have also
had talks with all the construction crews on the Ridge, and all building
projects that occur in the city are routinely to be given a copy of the noise
ordinance before they begin work on their projects.”
Noise complaints originate throughout Snoqualmie, Fletcher
said, but with all the construction work on the Ridge, the city has had to
respond to a large number of complaints there.
“(The noise complaints come) pretty much from the entire town,
but there are a lot from the areas of heavy construction,” he said.
“Remember that when you have construction trucks, sweepers
and trash trucks have a hard time doing their jobs, so they desire to start a
little early to get in and out of the area before workers show up and block
access for them.”
City Clerk Jodi Warren said another common complaint
concerns garbage pickup. She said in one instance, a resident complained
that trash trucks were collecting garbage at 6:45 a.m., 15 minutes before
the ordinance’s ban on loud noises was set to expire.
She said it’s a balancing act between strictly enforcing the law
and making sure the city provides the necessary services to residents.
“Our code states that you can’t go out and do anything until 7 a.m.,”
she said. “But it’s a real problem when your start time is 7 a.m., and
you’ve got construction vehicles and cars on the street.”
Fletcher agreed.
“Some city services must start a little early, at times, to provide the
service they have contracted to do. If trash trucks have to always start
after 7 a.m., some will not get their trash picked up, and some streets may
not get swept well,” he said.
Jim Tinner, building code enforcement officer for the city
of Snoqualmie, said the noise ordinance is just as thorough as what one
might find in a much larger city. But because of Snoqualmie’s rural character,
some assume an ordinance isn’t in place.
“People just don’t seem to realize (the ordinance exists),” he said.
The city has tried to respond to residents’ complaints by making
the noise ordinance tougher and changing the times it is in effect, Fletcher
said. Police officers also respond to noise complaints and give verbal
warnings, but many times the response is too late.
“In order for the police to do anything, they have to catch someone
in the act, and when the city gets the complaint after the fact, it makes
it more difficult to prove who is making the noise,” he said.
If the noise happens regularly and city officials are alerted to it, then
it’s much easier to catch the violator, Tinner said. However, he said,
“The problem is the majority of these are one-time shots.”
Fletcher said residents should try to provide as many details as
possible when making a noise complaint.
“It would be helpful if the city got the name off the side of the
vehicle making the noise, where possible, and then we could go to the right
company. Sometimes we have to guess where the noise is coming from, like there
are three sweeper companies that work in and around the city and at the
different schools.”
Warren said complaint forms are available at City Hall, and they
can soon be found on the city’s Web site, www.ci.snoqualmie.wa.us. She
said city staff would respond to complaints as quickly as possible.
“We will address that issue within a 48-hour response time,” she
said. “We may not resolve the complaint in 48 hours, but the complainant will
get a response from the city.”
