East Greenwich Town Council moves forward with amending noise ordinance

By: Brittany Comak

Email: bcomak@abc6.com

Twitter: @BComakABC6

EAST GREENWICH, R.I. (WLNE) – After a public hearing lasting more than four hours Thursday, an amended noise ordinance in East Greenwich will now move on to a third reading where it will get a final vote.

After listening to the public, the council decided to lower the maximum sound level by about five decibels and make the maximum noise level the same for all hours of the day.

Though the ordinance affects the entire town, the main focus has been the waterfront area, which draws a lot of nightlife, and often leaves nearby residents up all night.

“We’re talking about people having to turn the TV up and it’s still not good enough, windows vibrating,” said resident Joe Gelineau. “It just keeps going.”

Over the last year, the town council has been working to revise the town’s noise ordinance to accommodate residents without cutting the legs out from under businesses.

“This has been an ongoing problem literally for years,” said Town Councilor Renu Englehart.

The hearing comes after a study this summer by James Miller, a sound engineer, which found nearby residents are greatly impacted by the noise generated by the restaurants and bars.

“Happy people tend to be loud people,” said Miller. 

Businesses who testified Thursday say they’re willing to work with the town, but are concerned the changes in the ordinance will hurt their bottom line. 

“You are rushing to make changes to an ordinance that we are now at the end of the season and will not commence until come April or May,” said Jeffrey Gladstone, an attorney for restaurant Blu on the Water.

Possible punishments for violating the amended ordinance would be a $500 fine and suspension of a business license.