Someone has made T-shirts supporting Naperville nightlife in the wake of a controversy over a downtown resident's complaints about noise.
Eli Hodapp is thinking, "Mission: Accomplished."
The downtown resident wanted to bring attention to the noise factor downtown when he made a video of the nightlife from his window, posted it on YouTube and notified city officials and the media. City officials then issued several notices that some establishments were violating a noise ordinance, though they said they were in the process of stepping up enforcement anyway.
Eli got the attention he was seeking, and not all of it was favorable. In fact, some of the comments from supporters of Naperville's nightlife were downright nasty.
Now, T-shirts are circulating saying, "SHUT YOUR YAP' HODAPP," and "One man's bad decision should not be the responsibility of all men to change. Live and Let Live. If you don't like the music .... don't move to it."
Some T-shirts were anonymously and mysteriously delivered to The Sun. (Thanks, but we have to decline your gift.) Were these created by owners of nightspots? One who frequents a nightspot?
We don't know the answer, but we do know Hodapp is amused by the turn of events and would like a T-shirt for himself. “You know, if people want to single me out, that’s fine,” he told us.
It’s worth nothig that the city received numerous complaints about the noise before Eli’s video, and Jilly’s and Potter’s received the first citations the same night Eli posted the video – before anyone at the city saw it. Also, he moved downtown before Rizzo’s opened next door.
“No one will answer any of the questions I have," Eli said. "If the noise ordinances are too strict, what should they be? No one will answer that. No one will answer why a nightclub was allowed to be built downtown with no soundproofing when those apartments have been there for years. Everyone just wants to whine, but no one wants to answer the questions.”
Basically, he's happy to have drawn attention to the issue, but we've got to admit, YouTube videos and T-shirts are more fun than stodgy discussions inside stuffy city council chambers.
“That’s all I was trying to do – think outside the box,” he said.
This has pretty much made my day.
Hodapp asks reasonable questions.
I understand that long-time residents would be upset by the noise and the nightclubs, but it's really not the fault of the clubs. The Chamber of Commerce and the city board have been encouraging the development of Downtown Naperville to make it a "mini-Chicago". It should have been the city's responsibilty to make sure that nightclubs were soundproofed. I think it's ridiculous to expect bars to keep their patrons quieter. Also, I would hate for Downtown Naperville to turn into Wrigleyville. You always hear about the residents in Wrigleyville complaining about night games and parking, when that neighborhood would be nothing without the Cubs. The development of Downtown Naperville has put us on the suburban nightlife map and I hate to sound rude, but if you can afford to live in Downtown Naperville, you can afford to move if you don't like what it's turning into.
Hodapp should have considered that living above a business in a area with commercial zoning would very likely be noisy, but of course he would rather play the hapless victim. He should move to Nebraska were he can live all by himself and he can then complain about sporadic cow flatulence, chirping birdies and crickets.
While I can see where Hodapp is comming from I have to play devils advocate and speak out for the businesses that are losing money because they are not allowed to have live entertainment. Last summer Potters was the place to go amoungst my friends on a Thursday night because of the live bands. They no longer have bands playing and quite frankly our desire to frequent that particular establishment has decreased. I can see a problem with the music played there though but Jilly's come on. Jilly's is a piano bar, they play jazz music, Frank Sinatra, that is classic stuff and I have to say, I don't think the music from their is all that lound but I would love to hear that music (and I'm in my 20's).
Since it seems no one reads anything past the headlines anymore, I've taken the time to condense the relevant news down to five easy to follow sentences. I've also taken the liberty of highlighting the important parts.
Clusterbuster, how am I making myself "the hapless victim"? I've stated multiple times that of course I understand living in an area with mixed zoning is going to be louder than the fields of Nebraska. There is a difference between "noisy" and "There is so much sound pounding through my walls the glass of water on my desk is rippling."
During yesterday's meeting at city hall, police Commander Bedell said tickets were issued after being able to hear music from 190 to 500 feet away (he didn't bother walking farther away than that) and he wears hearing aids. Sound levels follow an inverse square- Sound which is audible at 190 feet is 3.6 times louder at 100 feet, and sound that is audible at 500 feet is 25 times louder at 100 feet. On a good night, the bands performing at Rizzo's were audible from a quarter of a mile away. The music which can be plainly heard from 1,320 feet away is roughly 175 times as loud when standing at the 100 foot mark.
Just some food for thought before I'm tarred and feathered.
Eli, that t-shirt made my day, but for a different reason than you, I'm sure.
You need to find a cause. I agree 100% that if you can afford to live in downtown Naperville, you can afford to move. Sounds like maybe the downtown life is not your scene.
Everyone knows that Naperville has a "happening" nightlife. I suggest that you were foolish to have moved there in the first place if you weren't prepared to deal with the commotion that a busy nightlife creates.
I stand by my statements.
Those who wish to create fervor and insert themselves into the debate by promoting their views in a public forum are open to scrutiny especially when it is due to ignorance or some unhealthy need for public attention.
From what I understand, Mr. Hodapp lived downtown before the noise became an issue. I think the issue is that the ordinances are written a specific way with specific criteria. Mr. Hodapp is just asking that the ordinances be adhered to and enforced. If the noise ordinance was written less strictly, Mr. Hodapp would not make an issue of this at all.
My husband and I dine in downtown Naperville often. We had noticed that things were definitely getting louder over the last few years. Last Thursday when we were there, the noise was at a much more acceptable level. There was a live band playing on the patio at Potter's. People seemed to be having a great time. I also noticed we really could not hear the music that loudly as we were leaving the parking deck across the street, but could make it out as we got closer. It seemed to be at a level the patrons of Potter's could enjoy while not disturbing the rest of the area. It also seemed that downtown Naperville was still pretty crowded for a Thursday evening. So it doesn't seem to me that the enforcement of the ordinance is impacting the businesses too much.
So I personally am glad that Naperville is enforcing the ordinance. Those of you who are unhappy about it need to stop complaining about Mr. Hodapp and instead work toward getting Naperville to change the ordinance if you feel it is too strict. As long as it written the current way, then it needs to be enforced.
Naperville's City ordinances cover a myriad of things, including the cat leash law, the cruising prohibition, and unfortunately for some, noise. I suppose that these 'cruising vehicles' are given noise ordinance violations with fervor by Naperville's finest. Why should there be an exception for local businesses? THEY KNOW THE REGULATIONS. They serve alcohol. They are legally responsible for what happens inside their locations.
Personal attacks on someone who has brought attention to an ongoing problem should not be tolerated. It is the drunken hooligans who proliferate the area, spilling out on the street, especially at Rizzo's, to publicly relieve themselves on the streets of Naperville who are at fault. I'm glad that Potter's Place has lost business, the food and service are terrible. If the people come only for the music and not the food, I feel this is a message to the resterauteurs in the area. You are over-priced and not as great a dining experience as they think. Now, let me keep cruising 'cause I want to find a parking place somewhere..........
I work at Potters Place, and i have talked to the people that live in the apartments directly next to Two-Nine/Potters and they say that there is no disturbance ... they knew that they we moving into it. Once the windows are closed, he said it was fine.
Actually they are upset at this no music thing ...
In 1991, the City of Aurora prosecuted for a sound ordinance violation, which was thrown out by the courts due to the fact they had no measurement of what was "too loud." Later an Appellate Court upheld that decision. SO in Aurora, we follow the State Code since the City still has not pased an ordinace with numerical measurements.
State states that 43 decibles at an octave of 6000 hertz must be measurede at the point of complaint. At the Roundhouse even though our music is 100 decibles in the Courtyard, 75 feet from our property line the measurement is less than 43 decibles (we have 4.15 acres). And actually a few years back when the City hired a Sound Engineer to investigate the level, he responded by saying "the crickets were too loud and prevented him from getting a true reading...?"
Very interesting... as always! Cheers from -Switzerland-.
They should set the noise limits at 145db downtown.
That way the bars are happy, and everyone else can be happy knowing no noise ordinances are being violated.