In Donna Banks' article (November 9,
New River Current), Town Council member Ann Carter described the Council's action on a proposed noise ordinance for Christiansburg, "
We did nothing."
And, an excellent editorial by Christian Trejbal (
November 11, New River Current) really got to the heart of the matter.
The fateful Town Council meeting was November 6, 2007. Town Manager Lance Terpenny read the Planning Commission's recommendation that the town doesn't need a noise ordinance. He said the decision was based in large part on data regarding noise complaints to the Christiansburg police department. Most of those were domestic disputes, so the town doesn't need a noise ordinance. Really - that was the Planning Commission's reason.
Back in July
, the Town Council had voted unanimously to direct the Planning Commission to write a clear and enforceable ordinance governing noise within the Town of Christiansburg.
After 4 ½ months of dilly-dallying, the Planning Commission decided that Christiansburg does not need a noise ordinance.
Did anyone besides me notice that the planning commission wasted Town staff time and resources, and wasted hours of interested citizens’ time, NOT doing what they were directed to do?
Since July, I attended meeting after meeting, watching and listening as the planning commissioners declared their loyalty to the interests of the construction industry. They did this while ignoring the citizens sitting right there in the room. (Just read the sequence of draft ordinances – now disregarded by the planning commission - and you’ll see what I mean.)
At the October 22 meeting, the commissioners gave up all pretense of taking their task seriously. They talked about barking beagles and car alarms and cats sleeping on cars. The Planning Commission actually discussed the threat that a noise ordinance posed to ice cream trucks.
At that point I knew that the Planning Commission was unable or unwilling to distinguish between the sounds of life and noises that destroy the quality of life. The process degenerated from making policy to making a joke of policy.
The Christiansburg Planning Commission should be replaced with members who will represent the homeowners and residents of the town, not just the construction industry, and who will follow the direction of the Town Council.
Most of all, the Town Council must go to Oz and get the courage they need to insist that the Planning Commission do their job, as directed.