Board 10 Looks for Noise Solution
By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
BAY RIDGE – The community made famous as the setting of Saturday Night Fever is now the setting for “Saturday night fury” as neighbors around two local bars appealed to Community Board 10 for relief from the stress of many sleepless nights.
Night life problems were aired, once again, at the recent Board 10 meeting at Shore Hill Community Room, focusing on two popular spots that help make Third Avenue night time business thrive but stress out many local residents trying to survive the noise assault.
“It’s a theme repeated at our meetings,” said Chair Susan Pulaski of the board’s police and public safety committee. In her report she said the summertime complaints were over Shenanigan’s On Third at 8901 Third Avenue and RJ’s Bar, Lounge and Grill at 8812 Third Avenue, within a block of one another. “Over the summer nothing changed since the full board’s last meeting in June,” she said.
“I walked along Third Avenue on a Friday evening in June at 1:30 a.m. and what I observed was one big Third Avenue block party with Third Avenue’s bar patrons lining the sidewalks along the way,” said Pulaski about many bars. However, despite the wide scope and swath of weekend revelry, she said, “Shenanigan’s and RJ’s Lounge receive complaints from local residents, mostly for excessive loud noise.”
Relief may be coming from at least Shenanigan’s. One of its top staffers spoke during the board’s public session. “I am the manager of Shenanigan’s,” said Wendy Miller. “We’re presently renovating and soundproofing the bar and changing our security so there will be no more problems. This is not a promise, but we’ll do the best we can.” She was applauded.
At the time of the board meeting last week Shenanigan’s was closed, Miller noted, allowing time to make the costly soundproofing renovations. The State Liquor Authority closed it for 10 days after the SLA received two complaints over Shenanigan’s and failed to pay the fine on time, said Pulaski. Shenanigan’s is due to re-open sometime this week.
Soon after Miller’s remarks, Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann mentioned the problems in her report. “We are working with the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection) and the 68th Precinct to arrange for noise readings at the locations,” she said.
“This past Friday (Sept. 18) I walked past RJ Lounge and, frankly, the noise was unbearable from the outside with the door closed. I cannot even imagine what the residents must be enduring unnecessarily,” Beckmann told the board.
The excessive noise from the two businesses lasts until 3:30 to 4:00 a.m., said Pulaski. “They said that they are frustrated, disgusted and feel helpless that their complaints do not produce results,” she said. “They are sleep deprived, their quality of life and health are being jeopardized, and they feel they are being held hostage to the situation.”
The residents told the board members that they are long time residents and never had problems with previous owners, and that includes RJ’s Lounge, the former site of Henry Grattin’s for many years, Pulaski reported.
Police from the 68th Precinct told the board committee that they have talked directly with the owners. “They gave them guidelines for running law abiding, good neighbor establishments. They told us that the police could not write summons for loud music, and that their officers are not trained to do this. It’s the DEP which can collect the evidence and write a summons.”
Beckmann checked with the DEP but was told that the agency is backlogged and its agents only do readings from inside apartments and not on the street. With problems and complaints on bars both on Third and Fifth avenues escalating last year, the 68th Precinct held a meeting with many bar owners, several of whom showed up at a 68th Pct. Community Council meeting in order to improve community relations.
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