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?
