Concerns about noise in Panaca was talked about by town board member Tyler Free at the county commission meeting June 15.
Commissioners had received a proposed ordinance some weeks ago, and Free appeared at the meeting to discuss it further. “It was our understanding,” Free said, “that the commission would like to see some things changed.” However, Commissioner Paul Mathews, a resident of Panaca, was absent, and could not present his ideas on what could be changed.
“We have not heard back from him,” Free said, “so what we did on our own, after talking to a few other locals, we want to amend our proposed ordinance to have it say ‘quiet hours,’ not 24/7, but from about 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.”
Commissioners informed Free that in order to create an ordinance it would have to be advertised in the newspaper for two weeks and public hearings held.
Commissioner Paul Donohue said he had heard from several residents who said they did not want a noise ordinance. He was told people say Panaca is a rural, farming and agriculture community with chickens, dogs, cows, etc., and noise is just going to be a normal part of life.
Free said two meetings on the subject have been held in Panaca, “and nobody showed up to speak against it.”
Donohue said he was surprised people did not attend the meetings, “because they have been very vocal with me.”
Free said he did not think it was fair for Panaca residents to have to deal with “someone’s dog that might be barking all night or a neighbor playing loud music into the wee hours of the morning, or someone hammering nails, or sawing wood, at 11:30 at night. There is no law that says they can’t do that. And I have been approached by several people who have said they would like to see such a law. I have heard only one person in opposition.”
Donohue suggested fine-tuning the proposed ordinance to specifically say barking dogs and loud music. But Free said they would “like to cover everything, not just dogs.
Free asked for one of the commissioners, in addition to Mathews, to come to the next Panaca Town Board meeting on July 6 at 6 p.m.
Really? A noise ordinance in Panaca! You have got to be kidding me! The council needs to focus on more important things than a noise ordinance for a farm town. So the proposal is 10pm to 6am… ok, what are you going to do when one of the farmers near town go out and start cutting hay or grass at 0430 am? Or moving machinery in the cool of the summer morning before it gets hot? Why cant that neighbor who is complaining about the sawing at 1130pm just go next door and offer to help or even just go as the the neighbor if they are about done. Not much you can do about dogs barking at the skunks or the coyotes that go through town or the cows mooing at 1230am. Really? Focus more on whats really important, like making the schools better and such.