Noise – Our Problem, Not Yours

Right now it is about 11PM and there are 3-4 kids playing basketball on the courts at Manchester Field. Mind you it is dark and they are playing ball by the dim glow afforded to them by street lights 100 yards away on Mystic. Thump, Thump, Thump of the ball with the occasional yelp of some glorious jordanesque night time move rings through the neighborhood. We have called the Police in the past, walk over and tell them the courts close at sundown… but year after year, at least 3-4 nights a week, people are out there late into the night playing basketball.

Noise has become one of the most pervasive forms of environmental pollution. Elevated noise can be found almost anywhere and especially in our neighborhoods. It affects our lives at home, time with the family and our ability to find a moment of peace after working 14 hour days. Noise, by definition, is any unwanted or excessive sound. We are now being asked to accept more than the current nuisances we live with, but one that will be with us almost every day until 10-11PM.  The night time practices, games, the youth sports, the mens and womens leagues will create a nuisance on an entirely new level, interfering with sleep, work, recreation, and in extreme situations anxiety, stress and other health problems. As someone who puts in 12 hours each day, coming home to a street full of cars with 16 year old kids stereos blasting,  the PA system blaring, blow horns blowing… is simply too much to ask one neighborhood to bear. Where is the measure of fairness and balance?

Another “Last Minute” Manchester Field Meeting Missed

The School Committee met on June 25th @Lynch School Library to discuss the multi-million dollar Manchester Field, unfortunately the town’s published calendar (www.winchester.us/meetings/calendar.pl?dept=wm) said otherwise. Now on June 27th, the meeting was retro-actively added into the calender (Wednesday, June 27, 2007 9:53:28 PM). This type of situation of mis-informations has occurred more than once. The most glaring episode was the mis-information provided to the Winchester Star in May 2007 about the removal of the lights and permanent bleachers. The few neighbors that did attend an impromptu meeting two days after the article found that the lights were present and the were bleachers permanent in the middle of the field.

According to those in attendance, the things that had been previously communicated to neighbors would not be present would be easily added after. Apparently there were a number of proponents of the sports-complex present. The takeaway is this; lets get this in, tell the neighbors these things wont be there, appease them, then we will just add them later. Seems to be another case of tell them what they want to hear and do what we want anyway.