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Noise control in city parks is making its voice heard
Sunnyvale agrees to try to find proactive solutions for problem
By Jana Seshadri
The issue making the most noise at the city council meeting Nov.13 was noise.
Residents living near parks and play areas complained to the council that code was not being enforced and that, in particular, Las Palmas Park off Remington Drive is too noisy.
While the council voted unanimously to continue proactive and collaborative work with the public regarding park usage and adopting ordinances, it didn't approve any definite plans for action.
Gerard Putallaz, who lives near the park, said people who use the park are often very noisy and do not wait until the 6 a.m. opening time to walk their dogs, which are often not on leashes. According to Putallaz, visitors don't honor the 10 p.m. parking lot closing time, either.
"I moved here 51/2 years ago, and now the noise is very disturbing," Putallaz said.
Sunnyvale's director of Parks and Recreation, Robert Walker, agreed that the dog issue in the parks is an important one. He said staff works reactively, taking action when a resident calls in about a dog not on a leash, or when the Sunnyvale Public Safety Department is notified.
Walker reiterated that the public should be educated about park rules and regulations and warned that if someone is not following rules, residents should then involve Public Safety. He said citizens usually take it upon themselves to educate one another about park rules.
Residents said the disturbance is not just from the park but from the Las Palmas Tennis Center as well. The announcements made through the PA system carry all the way to the other end of the park. Residents who live in the surrounding apartment buildings also complain about the loudness of the park.
Walker said the city has been working with the residents proactively to reduce the noise levels wherever possible and has worked with the tennis center to bring the decibel level of the PA system down.
"The sound from the PA system has been reduced in the last year," said Larry Moulton, a Stella Court resident.
However, Moulton complained that people using the parking lot after 10 p.m. were making too much noise. Moulton also said that twice a year, close to 3 a.m., a park maintenance employee brings a truck and tractor to the park and disperses pesticide very noisily, waking up the neighborhood.
Walker explained the task has to be done a few hours before the park opens to the public so the pesticide settles well into the ground. Upon council's suggestion, Walker agreed that this issue could be explored and the maintenance hours explored.
Concerning the parking lot issue, Moulton suggested the city make the closure time and signs more visible. Miller suggested City Manager Robert LaSala work with public safety to enforce park rules and closure intensively for a limited time, which could set a trend for the public to follow. Irwin Bakin, director of public safety, said his department does have the resources to do so, but that it cannot be done indefinitely. LaSala agreed, adding that the problem would probably resurface after public safety stopped its enforcement.
Vice Mayor Fred Fowler recommended exploring the park ambassador program, which would entail volunteers educating citizens who were using the parks and parking lots after closing. Miller and Councilman Jim Roberts supported Fowler, but the rest of the council dissented, and the motion failed on a vote of 3 to 4. Councilwoman Pat Vorreiter gave numerous reasons for not supporting the park ambassador program, saying it would be too intrusive; the perception of a volunteer approaching strangers in a public area would be a negative one; and right now the city just cannot afford to put money into a program that may not work.
Putallaz suggested that the city adopt code enforcement and consider more restrictive park hours, depending on individual areas, and not have one standard city-wide time.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
