Sunday, June 06, 1999
Cross-river neighbors make peace
Ohio club adds soundproofing
BY AMY CAPPIELLO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT THOMAS — Music may feed the soul, but some Fort Thomas residents are glad it isn't flowing across the Ohio River any longer.
For more than a year, some residents of Fort Thomas who live along the riverfront have battled an Ohio nightclub and governments in both states to stop the noise they said was making their lives unbearable.
Annie's, located on Kellogg Avenue in Cincinnati, routinely features disco music and bands for its 2,500-capacity crowd. The music often plays until 2 a.m., and with no residential neighborhoods in the immedi ate vicinity, the music doesn't bother Ohioans.
But Kentucky residents, whose homes are just across the Ohio River, have been kept awake throughout the week while Annie's patrons enjoy the music. The problem began last year after Peter Georgeton, the owner of Annie's, installed garage doors in the walls that could be opened to let fresh air into the building. Unfortunately for Fort Thomas residents, it also let the loud music out.
The problem was complicated when Fort Thomas residents, aiming to put an end to the problem, complained to the city councils and police departments in both Fort Thomas and Cincinnati, only to learn that noise ordinances can't be enforced over state lines.
“Our bedroom faces the front of the building, and we're probably a mile or two away,” said Rita Zerhusen, who lives on East Southgate Avenue. “But when we lay in bed at night, with the doors closed, triple-pane glass on the windows and the air conditioning on, you can still feel the vibration.”
The noise also affected Joan Hull and her family. Even when the East Southgate Avenue family couldn't hear the music, Mrs. Hull said, she was kept awake wondering if the situation would change.
“I've contemplated moving, which would be a sad thing,” Mrs. Hull said. “We moved here 11 years ago because Fort Thomas was a quiet, residential neighborhood. But when Annie's is blasting, my 12-year-old son can't get to sleep.”
Ms. Zerhusen and her neighbors continued to complain about the noise, including calling Annie's in the middle of the night to protest the sounds coming across the state line. Mr. Georgeton came over to Fort Thomas during one of the shows last summer to see what his Kentucky neighbors were complaining about, but he couldn't hear anything.
When Annie's geared up for this year's summer season, a Sunday night disco session in May prompted more phone calls and complaints, and Mr. Georgeton returned to Fort Thomas.
“I wanted to go over there and figure out where the complaints were coming from and see if there was any noise,” Mr. Georgeton said. “There were six locations, and at the first four we couldn't hear anything. At the fifth we could hear the bass, and at the sixth location I could hear the noise. It was the first time I'd heard anything. That's when I knew I had to do something.”
Mr. Georgeton installed double-paned glass in his windows and doors about three weeks ago to help soundproof the building. The remodeling efforts have not escaped the notice of Fort Thomas residents.
“I'm glad that he's taken the initiative to appease his neighbors, even though we're across the river,” said Bob Blau, an attorney who lives on Watch Point Drive. “I don't know what inspired him, but I'm very grateful.”
The peace and quite might not last, though. Mr. Georgeton has plans to expand Annie's this summer and add an outdoor stage that could accommodate crowds of 4,000 to 5,000. While he said the outdoor concerts would end by 11 p.m. — the same time as at nearby Riverbend — and the music would flow parallel to the river rather than across it, Mr. Georgeton acknowledged that the potential to disturb his neighbors still exists.
For now, though, both sides are glad the problem has been fixed.
“I was really worried about it,” Mr. Georgeton said. “I've got 20 years invested down here. When I put the garage doors in, there were no neighbors around here. I didn't think about the neighbors over there.”
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