AT ISSUE: SHOULD JOHNS CREEK MAKE ITS NOISE ORDINANCE MORE RESTRICTIVE?
A dispute between the 37 Main Rock Café and some of its neighbors in Johns Creek has the city looking at its nuisance ordinance and whether there should be a more extensive section on noise.
Here’s what some readers had to say:
Instituting these sound ordinances will have some negative fallout. My advice to 37 Main: Get out of Johns Creek. It doesn't seem that it will matter what you do; the neighbors will always complain. Let that awesome space sit vacant for another 10 years and see how that works for them. — Kimberly Gantert
Noise ordinances are perfectly reasonable, are adopted by communities across the country, are proven to be workable and are highly beneficial to our quality of life. I hope that we do not allow isolated business interests to influence the evaluation of such basic, beneficial and needed ordinances. — William Parker Hamilton
Maybe I should file a complaint against Verizon amphitheater. They did build it across the street from my house. Or maybe I should get over it and let people enjoy their lives. Yep, I'll take option 2. — Shay Smith
My question is who was there first? Our neighborhood was built right next door to a kennel that had been there for years. Even though we had no right to do so, many complained about the noise of dogs barking. Surely there is a cemetery you could move next door to instead! You'll be first in line at the zombie apocalypse, but it will be very quiet until then. — Lionel Thompson
I live in the neighborhood mentioned in the article. We’ve lived here for 15 years. When we first moved in, there was a Mexican restaurant in the same strip mall that 37 Main is in. They had live music occasionally and DJ and dancing on Friday nights. I don’t remember one complaint about them, and they backed up to the cul-de-sacs on the edge of the neighborhood, too. That restaurant shut down due to drug deals and fighting; 37 Main doesn’t have those problems.
We've gone to 37 Main several times, including when there is a live band there. You can't hear the music until you are right up on the front door. … We certainly don't want 37 Main to be forced out by a few complainers. They are the first successful business in that spot in a long time, and they've led to a positive turnaround in what frankly was a dumpy, disgraceful, mostly empty strip mall at the edge of Medlock Bridge. Plus, some entertainment options are sorely needed in this vicinity. If people want pure and total silence, there are rural areas farther north. — Donna Rae Siegfried
— David Ibata for the AJC
Starting July 1, the Clayton County Landfill at Lovejoy will charge residents and businesses a minimum of $100 to dispose of waste at the 171 acre complex. It’s a sticker shock for residents used to paying $15 a carload and owners of waste-hauling businesses that now pay $40 a ton.
But officials say the price hike is needed to prolong the life of the 21-year-old landfill, which has been running at a deficit for the last two years and at risk of reaching capacity in the next two years. Critics say the new prices will force residents and businesses to go elswhere to dispose of waste or lead to illegal dumping in the county.
There are eight landfills in the five core metro Atlanta counties. Clayton and DeKalb are the only two core counties with landfills open to the general public. The rest are devoted to commercial disposal and chiefly take in construction or demolition waste. The public still has the option of taking trash to transfer stations throughout the metro area which, in turn, haul the waste to landfills. Most fees generally hover around the $40-per-ton range.
Clayton officials told AJC reporter Tammy Joyner that the price hike is needed to sustain the 21-year-old landfill, which has been operating at a deficit for the last two years. The county has subsidized the facility to the tune of $2 million during that time. In addition to operating in the hole, the facility runs the risk of reaching its capacity in less than two years if it continues taking in the amount of waste and debris at its current pace, says county officials. Over the last two years, the landfill has seen a 30 percent to 40 percent increase in the amount of waste it’s taking in.
What do you think? Is the rate increased justified? Or should Clayton County find another way to extend the life of the landfill? Send comments to communitynews@ajc.com.
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