Complaints allege excessive noise in parks
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The Parks and Recreation Department may be modifying the language used in permits pertaining to park use.
According to Parks and Recreation Director J.C. Kennedy, city parks are getting used more this year than he has seen previously.
“So, the parks are getting used more this summer than we’ve had since I’ve been working for the city for 23 years,” Kennedy said.
During the Aug. 14 City Council meeting, Kennedy said some groups using parks have presented issues in terms of excessive noise.
He said that he wants to see the city code use language that is more aligned with wording presented on permits that are issued.
“The changes I’m requesting … one of them brings our municipal code some of our actual park rules more in line with the wording that’s been in our permits,” Kennedy said.
The language specifically acknowledges “amplified noise in the park” and how that can affect people living in the area around the parks.
He said the city still has working partnerships with groups such as the Heights Church that will need to utilize permits for their annual events.
According to Kennedy, the big difference is that these events typically have amplified noise for an hour-and-a-half.
Some recent complaints claim groups have been excessively noisy for up to 13 hours straight.
“So, we would have that to be where it would be some sort of special event permit,” Kennedy said. “We’re not saying that nobody can do it any time, it’s just we want some better parameters or put some better bookends on it.”
Kennedy also said one alteration he would like to see is separating the language that prohibits people from setting up tents from the language that sets the park curfew.
“What it says is you can’t set up a tent period unless you get authorization from us,” Kennedy said.
He also said he had to enforce this rule over the weekend because a family had set up a tent near the splash pad in the local park.
Kennedy said this would be a safeguard in keeping people from trying to permanently set up tents as he has seen an increase in homeless people sleeping in the parks in the daytime hours.
Matthew graduated from West Virginia University-Parkersburg in 2011 with a journalism degree. He's an award-winning photographer and enjoys writing stories about people.
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