With summer behind us, Village and BID look to address noise issues
Following a summer season in which noise complaints over loud music at area restaurants was a hot topic in Greenport Village, village officials plan to meet with business leaders to begin to address concerns.
Village trustee Mary Bess Phillips requested at last Thursday’s meeting that the Village Board reach out to the Greenport Business Improvement District to begin a conversation about how to tackle noise issues.
But fellow Trustee Julia Robins, who serves as BID liaison, said the organization has already begun talking about how to reduce noise violation in the future.
Mayor George Hubbard Jr. recommended the BID put their ideas into writing and submit it to the board.
Last month, the board discussed increasing fines for noise violations, including potentially increasing finds for repeat offenders. At Thursday’s meeting, Ms. Phillips stated that simply increasing fines will not resolve the issue.
The highest fine Greenport can currently impose for a noise violation is $250. The same fine applies to business owners operating without a certificate of occupancy.
Andrew Harbin, co-owner of Andy’s restaurant on Front Street, approached the village to discuss a noise violation he received on a Saturday evening in the summer. He said he’s spoken with five other local business owners and they all want to collaborate with the village to address noise.
“We don’t want to hear complaints, we don’t want to be complained about,” Mr. Harbin said.
Village Board members hope to meet with BID officials in the coming months.
