STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
Cave City appears to have reached a tentative compromise on its noise ordinance after Roxglass owner Matt Stasel addressed the city council during Monday’s meeting.
The ordinance had originally been amended to allow music venues to operate until midnight before noise restrictions would take effect. That change drew pushback from residents near the entertainment district, including Greg Hogan, who told the council in February that music from nearby locales could be heard inside his home and was disrupting his sleep.
Following Hogan’s comments, Mayor Dwayne Hatcher formed a committee made up of Hogan, Councilman Ronald Coffey and a representative from the Cave City Police Department to review the issue. The group ultimately recommended keeping the cutoff time at 10 p.m., with a maximum noise level of 65 decibels measured from a resident’s property line – roughly comparable to normal conversation.
That recommendation, however, did not sit well with Stasel, who said the earlier cutoff would cut into business at the Roxglass.
“I’m all about finding the middle ground,” Stasel told the council Monday.
He asked officials to consider extending the cutoff to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and raising the allowable noise level to 75 decibels, about the volume of a vacuum cleaner.
“If y’all can just give me Friday and Saturday night, the rest of the week we’ll be quiet,” he said. “I think that’s halfway from where it was to where we wanted it to go.”
Hatcher said the request reflected the city’s growth and changing landscape.
“I totally understand asking for another hour on Friday and Saturday,” he said. “That’s when most people go out after they’ve worked all week.”
As discussion continued, Hogan returned to the podium to thank Stasel for taking steps to address the issue, noting the business owner had installed roughly $900 in insulation to help reduce noise. Still, Hogan said he would prefer the decibel limit remain at 65.
“I don’t mind going to 11 o’clock, but I think we need to keep the decibel limit,” Hogan said. “If it doesn’t get any louder than that, you won’t hear any complaints from me.”
Keeping with the theme of the talks, Councilman Andrew Bagshaw then proposed a compromise of 70 decibels, a suggestion that won council approval. The measure passed 4-1, with Councilwoman Beverly Ford casting the lone dissenting vote and Councilwoman Leticia Cline absent.
“We voted on it to go one way and he [Stasel] was here so if he wanted to change something he should have said it then,” Ford said. “But he carried on conversations outside of here … so I just said ‘no.’”
Following the vote, City Attorney Bobby Richardson was instructed to amend the ordinance to reflect the changes.
The current 10 p.m. cutoff will remain in place until the council approves a second reading of the revised ordinance, which is expected to come at a future meeting, potentially as early as June.
Key facts:
– Cave City council debates changes to its downtown noise ordinance
– Roxglass owner Matt Stasel and resident Greg Hogan present competing concerns
– Committee had recommended 65 decibels with a 10 p.m. cutoff
– Stasel requested later hours and higher decibel limits on weekends
– Council approves compromise 70 decibel limit on a 4-1 vote, with one member absent
– City attorney instructed to amend the ordinance
– Second reading still required before changes take effect, likely at a future meeting, possibly June
Gage Wilson with Glasgow News 1 contributed to this reporting.
