HomeMy WebLinkAboutA014 - Cynthia and John Dobson letter of support 2019 Kildee Street
Ames, Iowa 50010
April 5, 1983
To the Mayor of Ames and the Members of the City Council:
We would like to express our strong support for the revisions of the
noise ordinance. We have lived south of campus for 14 years, and we have
been increasingly disturbed by the noise level which is allowed to exist
in that area. The ability of the authorities to measure a loud noise
from the city property nearest the noise source is of particular impor—
tance. Whether a noise source is in violation should depend upon the
level of noise crossing the source's property line. At that point it
becomes a nuisance to others. Under the new ordinance the authorities
can more easily enforce the limit of acceptable noise.
We believe that the present ordinance places an excessive burden on
those who are disturbed by the noise generated by others. The supposedly
innocent person must call the police, identify himself or herselfs and
attempt to locate the source. Surely it would be proper for those author—
ities who are dressed for appearance in public and are on duty in the
middle of the night to be able to test whether the law is being violated
4uring their regular rounds. The current need for a disturbed citizen to
reach such a level of frustration that he or she is willing to get up and
call the police means that the number of complaints is artificially low
and the law is therefore not being adequately enforced.
The sugge:3tion that a solution is possible through increased student
and non—student communication is not realistic because of the transient
nature of the student population and the lack of a central body which has
some means of controlling the behavior of individual students. Disturbed
citizens should not have to attempt to establish dialogs with the 1000s
of students who live nearly in order for the law to be obeyed.
We ask that y:,u vote in favor of the revised noise ordinance.
Sincerely yours$
'CY"xVYthi+a and tjobson