Monday, February 15, 1999
Noise 'more than we can bear'
Neighbors say plant a nuisance
BY KEVIN ALDRIDGE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MASON — The clamor from a metal treatment plant on Ohio 741 is rattling the nerves of a neighbor who wants it stopped.
Charles Napier, 73, lives across from Franklin Brazing and Metal Treating.
“It is a nuisance. They've installed this air blower in front of our house that clangs, bangs and grinds night and day.”
The noise comes from a fan used to temper smoldering metal following a fusing process. The fan, 3 feet by 5 feet, is about 100 feet from the Napiers' front porch.
Plant owner Tim Mathile said he sympathizes with the Napiers but his company complies with city noise guidelines.
Mason's noise ordinance allows for decibel levels reaching 75 in industrial zoning districts, 24 hours a day.
Sound readings recently taken by city officials measured Franklin Brazing between 55 and 63 decibels, Mr. Mathile said.
(A vacuum cleaner generates 60-70 decibels at 10 feet.)
“Mr. Napier is a resident that lives right next to an industrial area, and we take that into consideration,” Mr. Mathile said. “We've always tried to be good neighbors.
“That's why we try not to have the fan running all the time if possible. But unfortunately, sometimes that is the nature of the beast since it is a vital part of the process we conduct here.”
Mr. Napier said the racket sometimes awakens him and his wife, Lois, early.
“It's just a nuisance to have it in front of our house,” said 68-year-old Mrs. Napier. “We can't sleep at night. We are unable to use our yard or porch in the summer. We have no peace.”
To reduce the noise, Mr. Napier said, he built a 6-foot fence and covered his bedroom windows with six inches of foam sheets.
Those measures have given his family little satisfac tion, he said.
“I've tried everything,” he said. “I've even tried to get the company to move (the fan) to the back of their building or put up a wall around it. But so far, they haven't done anything.”
Said Mr. Mathile: “We haven't come up with any way that's economically feasible to reduce the noise yet. This is not a piece of machinery that can be easily relocated or eliminated. It is critical to our metal-treating process.”
The couple considered moving from their home of 45 years, but “we couldn't sell this house to a home buyer because of the noise,” Mr. Napier said. “Nobody wants to live next door to that racket. Plus, we don't own enough land to go commercial. This has really degraded our property.”
Mr. Mathile said he might expand to a new location next year, but that might not be soon enough for the Napiers.
“At our age, this noise is more than we can bear,” Mr. Napier said. “Something has to be done quickly.”
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