Hot off the presses!
I suppose I can officially scratch “Be on the front page of the Naperville Sun.” off my list of things to do today. Read more about the story here or check out the related entry on the Naperville Potluck blog. One thing I’m not looking forward to is the inevitable tsunami of phone calls from everyone I know telling me I’m in the paper at about 7:15 AM.
Here’s the email that started it all:
To whom it may concern,
In the interest of not repeating myself, I’ve simply attached the two emails I sent to the Naperville City Council, ONE YEAR AGO. Since then, nothing has changed. To my knowledge, none of the issues with the noise level or Naperville’s metamorphosis in to some kind of drunken paradise after sundown have been addressed. A year later, I’m wondering if maybe the city just doesn’t -get- what I say when I explain to them how loud it is down here at night.
So tonight, I made the following video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVykLWpR9HQ (Note: Link no longer works.)
It’s a little over five minutes long, and features video from multiple locations in downtown Naperville exhibiting exactly how ridiculous it is after hours.
The Naperville Sun obviously cannot publish a video in their newspaper, but I’m wondering if any of your reporters would be interested in the invitation I’ve previously extended to any interested city official in coming over to my place to see exactly how charming Naperville is at night? It’s really quite amazing.
Regards,
Eli Hodapp
This was sent to the Naperville Sun, with every single relevant city official on the CC list and the two emails I had sent a year ago about this exact issue detailing exactly what the noise ordinances state. Six hours later I received a response from Peter Burchard, the city manager.
A few days later I took the video down because it had served its purpose and the only thing it was accomplishing was collecting comments from angry drunken frat boys. But… since the Sun published the video, I guess I will too.
I was also on 95.9 “The River” this morning, more about that here.
July 27th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Good work Eli!
I like what downtown Naperville has to offer entertainment wise but, I am also sensitive to the needs of downtown residents. Your video clearly shows that there is a need to better monitor the noise levels around entertainment venues such as the one you cited in your presentation.
I have confidence that the Naperville City Council and law enforcement officials do indeed care about these issues and I as a resident, trust that they will be addressed appropriately. While live entertainment is a crucial part of the business mix downtown, sensitivity needs to be practiced.
July 27th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
Hey Eli.
Wow. I feel for you with this noise. John and I went to get some sushi a few weeks back and it was about 4 in the afternoon, maybe 5. We parked in front of Jilly’s to just run in - the doors and windows were all open and out of it was this LOUD music, just blaring out onto the street. It was so loud it was hurting my ears and I couldn’t even tell John what I wanted to eat because he couldn’t hear me! I rolled up my windows and sat there while the excessive noise assaulted my ears.
I think the noise level has gotten out of hand at both Rizzo’s AND Jilly’s. It’s not only offensive to people who live down there (think of all the retirees who have been living peacefully before Jilly’s moved in downstairs) but also the family’s who go down there and have to cover their ears just to walk past the bars - in the middle of the day!
The bars that have always been in Downtown Naperville (i.e. Lantern, Jimmy’s Potters, Bar Louie, Quigley’s) are NOT that noisy. There is no reason that Rizzo’s and Jilly’s need to be this offensive.
September 14th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Hey Eli:
Let me know if you need some one to watch your back on this ( especially with the drunk frat people)
Michael F. Wisniewski
Commissioner - Will County
District Three - (includes southern Naperville)