Following the complaints levelled against the festival by Seaview ave residents, The Hour is reporting that the festical permitting process will be reviewed. Seaview ave, fronts Vets park, and not only were cars parked along the park, but at least 2 residents filed noise complaints. This prompted:
For East Norwalk residents beleaguered by thumping music and traffic snarls stemming from Sunday’s Colombian Independence Day festival at Veterans Memorial Park, the trouble could be summed up in one word —volume.
The decibel level at the event, which featured salsa bands, dancing, and consistent entertainment throughout the day, was “unreasonable,” Director of Recreation and Parks Michael Mocciae said.
The sheer volume of cars parking in and around Veterans Park — crowding Seaview Avenue and parking illegally throughout the area — presented another problem, said Democratic Councilman Fred Bondi, who represents East Norwalk.
An after-event police report noted problems with traffic, parking, and a crowd larger than planned for, Police Spokesman Lt. Paul Resnick said.
These problems, which mirrored those generated by last year’s festival, show a change is warranted, said Bondi, who is chairman of the Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs Council Committee.“We had a problem with them last year, with the noise, and we told them to keep the music down. They didn’t do it,” he said. “I’m going to recommend to my committee we don’t allow them back next year. You can only abuse the facility so much.”
At-large Councilwoman Joanne Romano, who attended the event to read a proclamation from Mayor Richard Moccia, said she did not think the festival should be banned from returning, but acknowledged problems with the noise that she said carried as far as Strawberry Hill and East Avenue.
“I loved the music,” said Romano, a member of the Recreation, Parks and Cultural affairs Council Committee. “I mean, they have a great culture and why should we say no? On the same token, we need to have guidelines for the city.”
Beyond the decible level;
“At a little festival, there shouldn’t be noise complaints because it wasn’t billed as a major concert,” he said, adding that Ruiz estimated 1,000 people would attend when she applied for a permit.
Mocciae said the festival peaked at about 5,000 people at one time. Ruiz said Sunday that she thought 15,000 people total would attend the event.
There were not enough police on-hand to prevent drivers from illegally parking in the street, Bondi said.
“The police didn’t do their job,” he said. “There was so many people there, they only had five officers. They didn’t have enough to control it.”
Resnick said four officers and one supervisor were deployed to the area based on Ruiz’s estimate that there would be 1,000 people at the event at one time.
Mocciae said the problems are unique to the Colombian festival — he has not heard any complaints about the Oyster Festival, Jazz Festival, or any of the other music-based events at Veterans Park, he said.
Ruiz saw the event’s bond raised by $1,000 this year because of $1,500 in damages and cleanup incurred after last year’s event.
Though Ruiz and other organizers were asked to supply garbage cans, they did not, Mocciae said, instead relying only on city cans which were not enough to handle the debris.
After the festival, the ground was littered with garbage, Mocciae said.
“We’re not there to pick up and spend money on events – that’s their job,” he said.
Bathrooms were also left in “atrocious” condition, because organizers supplied three portable toilets, forcing celebrants who wished to avoid long lines to use city facilities, Mocciae said.
“You just can’t consistently abuse city property … they really didn’t have any respect for our park because they left it a mess,” Bondi said.
Any decisions about the future of the Colombian Independence Day event will be made by the Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs Council Committee, Moccaie said.
Though several residents interviewed said they planned to attend Wednesday’s meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Calf Pasture Beach, neither the item nor a public hearing is noted on the committee’s agenda.
Mocciae said he hoped the city and organizers could come to an agreement that would satisfy both parties.
“They’re offering a cultural event that’s free to the residents which is a good thing,” he said. “It’s just how it’s presented.”
Having a sound engineer set up and certify the acoustics, requiring the leasing of trash cans, increasing the bond, and having an ability to bring in more security are all good things for any type of event at the the park.
source: The Hour, For some, Colombian fest hit sour note Officials cite ‘unreasonable’ decibel levels, traffic problems as reason for change, By AMANDA PINTO, July 18, 2007
