{"id":107,"date":"2008-10-27T00:28:00","date_gmt":"2008-10-27T00:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/terragrafix.com\/blog\/?p=107"},"modified":"2008-10-27T00:28:00","modified_gmt":"2008-10-27T00:28:00","slug":"stop-the-noise-say-residents-near-anna-yates-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/?p=107","title":{"rendered":""Stop The Noise" Say Residents Near Anna Yates Construction"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Residents Protest City Council’s Refusal to Hear Their Concerns;<\/strong><\/div>\n
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City Manager Grants Contractor Waiver of Noise Ordinance to Work Saturdays<\/strong><\/div>\n

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by Brian Donahue and Marc Albert<\/div>\n

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After officials refused to hear their grievances, a group of residents living near Anna Yates Elementary School took to the streets Saturday morning, protesting the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s decision to waive its noise ordinance to allow Saturday construction at the school.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no accountability, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the problem,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said resident Mike Pirsch, referring to the City Council. Pirsch, who led the protest, said he is incensed that Mayor Ken Bukowski refused to allow public comment on the issue at the City Council meeting last Tuesday. More than 50 neighborhood residents have signed a petition asking the Council to enforce the noise ordinance, which prohibits construction work on weekends.<\/p>\n

Said Pirsch, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ken Bukowski has been in office for 21 years and he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a clue about parliamentary procedure.\u00e2\u20ac\u0153<\/p>\n

Local police made a strong showing to keep watch over the protest, at times outnumbering the actual picketers, who lined up on the 43rd Street sidewalk outside Anna Yates. In an apparent attempt to appease the protestors, Wanda Stewart, public information officer for Emeryville Unified School District, offered free tickets to a nearby movie theater.<\/p>\n

Neighbors said contractors began firing up their heavy equipment at 7:25 am Saturday, more than an hour and a half before the start-up time granted by City Manager Patrick O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Keeffe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s waiver. Neighbors cited numerous other noise violations, including two occasions when diesel power generators rumbled through the night. Extensive remodeling has been underway at the school for months. School officials hope to have construction work completed in time for the start of classes in January.<\/p>\n

When residents tried to present their complaints to the City Council last Tuesday, they were told that because the Council lacked a quorum, citizens would not permitted to speak. Then, City Manager O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Keeffe granted contractors a waiver of the City noise ordinance, allowing Saturday construction. O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Keeffe explained at the meeting that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153administrative\u00e2\u20ac\u009d waivers are warranted when an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153urgent situation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d exists.<\/p>\n

At the onset of construction, School District officials assured the City that work would be completed on time and that there would be no need for weekend construction. However, they now say that contractors must work every Saturday in order to meet the January deadline. <\/p><\/div>\n

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Photos (from left)<\/span>: Construction at Anna Yates Elementary School; A picket sign protesting the City’s Council’s refusal to hear public comment on the issue of construction noise at the site; and residents Mike Pirsch and Reggie protest City’s waiver of noise ordinance to allow Saturday construction.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n