Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 10, 1993 TAG: 9302100177
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
SUPERVISORS RESCIND WYTHE NOISE LAW
A noise ordinance adopted two months ago in Wythe County died a quiet death Tuesday and its possible successor got postponed.The county Board of Supervisors had adopted the ordinance 5-2 in December following complaints from residents in the eastern end of the county about boom boxes and loud car stereos drumming their ways through neighborhoods.
The ordinance exempted practically everything else from its provisions - political gatherings, religious activities, emergency signals, farm operations, firearms and animal noises and, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., activities ranging from construction to lawn mowing and gardening.
But it did not exempt the noise from the Wythe Raceway at Rural Retreat, where cars sometimes roar later than 11 p.m. on weekends. And that generated a petition with more than 600 signatures asking that the ordinance be rescinded.
The supervisors voted unanimously to do that Tuesday, and then considered the new ordinance they had directed County Attorney Willard Lester to draw up, governing only artificially amplified music and vocal noise.
They ended up not adopting that one, either.
Even Lester was less than happy with it, because it contained no objective noise-measurement provisions. The board had not wanted to have to buy noise-monitoring equipment and train police in its use.
The ordinance would be hard to enforce, Lester said, and would leave the subjective decision on noisiness up to a judge.
"I agree. It's absurd to pass this ordinance," Supervisor John Davis said.
"What is objectionable to one person isn't objectionable to another," said Olin Armentrout, who moved that the new proposed ordinance be tabled for further study. His motion passed unanimously.
So now there is nothing to limit the boom-box booms, including a citation for disturbing the peace. That law would cover something like a disruption of the supervisors' meeting, Lester said, but "it does not include loud noises."
In other business, the board presented a resolution honoring General Injectables and Vaccines for its community improvement efforts.
The Bland County-based company has provided funding for a Wythe County homeless shelter, had an annual Christmas dinner for the needy in Wytheville, helped sponsor the District Three Governmental Cooperative's home-delivered meals program for the elderly, and worked on renovating houses for low-income people.
The supervisors agreed to extend their application deadline from Feb. 28 to March 31 for those interested in the newly created county engineer position.
They recommended the Rev. Larry Bollinger of Rural Retreat and Maxine Waller of Ivanhoe for the new county seats on the Wytheville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. The town of Wytheville actually makes the appointments.