County hears noise concerns

Orange County residents had a chance to sound off about the county's noise ordinance at a public hearing Monday.

Members of the Orange County Board of Commissioners fielded questions, listened to public murmuring and heard official suggestions for amendments to the ordinance.

County Planning Director Craig Benedict, who said clarifying the 20-year-old ordinance would be helpful, noted that it has been changed in the past.

The biggest change Benedict proposed involved shifting the start time for the lowered nighttime noise limit of 50 decibels from 11 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Benedict also suggested reducing the nighttime noise limit to 45 decibels and changing the 60 decibel daytime limit to 50 decibels.

The county should provide better definitions of what violations of the ordinance are, Benedict said, suggesting that the county add a section to the ordinance explaining what nuisance noise is.

Commissioner Barry Jacobs agreed that the definitions needed some work.

He asked if it would make sense to have a more generic definition regarding noise violations.

The first resident to voice concern at the meeting was James Singleton, who lives near the intersection of Lawrence Road and U.S. Highway 70.

He has been fighting truck noise on Lawrence Road for five years, a battle he said has produced little success.

Singleton remarked that he would have gotten more help from SpongeBob SquarePants than he has gotten from the state.

"I'm asking for a real response from the county that I've been paying taxes to for 20 years," he said.

But commissioner Moses Carey Jr. pointed out that the commissioners do not have the authority to ban trucks from roads.

While most residents who spoke at the meeting focused on noise problems created by other people, Steve Chambers, who lives on White Cross Road, was more worried about his own right to make noise.

Chambers and his family race motorcycles in their spare time.

He said he is worried that the noise ordinance will not make provisions for those who make noise during their free time.

"A lot of people move to the country because they can make noise," Chambers said.

Orange County Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass, whose office is in charge of enforcing the noise ordinance, informed the commissioners that the county has not had many problems with noise complaints.

Jacobs told the residents who attended the hearing that they will be notified about the newest permutation of the noise ordinance as soon as information is made available.

No changes have yet been made to the ordinance, and the county has not set a date for further discussing potential amendments.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.