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Show nulatinn Down Tie Tew By ROSELYN KIRK Bountiful is on(? of three cities in Utah that has made arrangements to monitor noise in the city and issue citations to drivers who exceed the noise ordinance limitations. ENFORCING THIS ordinance is the job of Ed Clontz and Colleen McGriff, who work under the direction of Jon Reed Boothe, director of the Bountiful Planning Department. Mr. Clontz said the apparatus for monitoring noise is set up in different locations of the city two or three times a week. The noise crew must be accompanied accom-panied by a police officer, who gives chase to the vehicle in violation and writes a citation .if the vehicle registers over 82 decimals on the noise meter. ONCE THE noise equipment is set up in a location, Mr. Clontz and Ms. McGriff continue to monitor vehicle noise in that location for at least two and a half hours. Any less time than this is not worth it. Mr. Clontz said because it takes at least 30 minutes to calibrate all the eauipment. The equipment used includes a tripod, which holds the microphone to pick up the noise and the wind screen. Mr. Clontz said the wind screen keeps the wind from blowing into the microphone and disturbing disturb-ing the readings. OTHER EQUIPMENT needed is a calibrator and a cable that leads from the microphone to the calibrator meter in the car. The meter registers the noise. In order to set up the equipment, Mr. Clontz must measure the background poise with a sound meter and set up the measuring device 25 feet from the nearest line of traffic. The regulations for measuring noise is dictated by statute. BOUNTIFUL CITY noise ordinances are patterned after state and federal regulations for controlling noise. If a citation ci-tation is issued, the delinquent has ten days to correct the problem. The vehicle is brought in again to be given the stationary test. This test requires that the operator S've lne vehicles 70 percent of the throttle while Mr. Clontz, standing 12 feet behind the vehicles, records the noise. IF THE problem has not been corrected, correct-ed, another citation is issued. "Usually most people have corrected the problem by this time, but some still try to get by using such tricks as stuffing steel wool or potatoes in their mufflers." j - mm m " - J" 'W .v ",T, H r - ! - A ll ; ' ' ' -in 1 ' .u I " ' i 1 MOISE No-Ed Clontz is not saying "Smile, you're on Candid Camera." He's saying, "If you're too noisy driving in Bountiful, you'll get a ticket." Ed is one of two enforcement en-forcement officers, monitoring noise in the city. The noise monitoring system has been-in been-in operation in Bountiful for over a year but it can't be conducted during rain or snow storms. Mr. Clontz said some days four or five vehicles, which exceed the noise regulations are picked up. Other days the team finds no vehicles in violation. viola-tion. IF THE city is receiving complaints from residents in an area about noisy vehicles, the noise measuring equipment is set up in that area to catch violators. The equipment necessary for measuring measur-ing noise costs about $1,000, Mr. Boothe said. The city is not measuring the noise or issuing citations for revenue, he emphasized. MR. CLONTZ said, "We are doing it to quiet down the town and make it more comfortable for the residents." He gave one example of an area where residents had complained of the noise. The first time the noise measuring devices were set up, four violators were cited. Now the testing apparatus in the same area measures fewer violators and sometimes none at all. Mr. Clontz said he is hopeful that state ordinances will be changed so that it will be possible to ride with the police officer in a police car. This would make it possible possi-ble for noise control to be enforced over a wider area. At the present time, the possibility pos-sibility of riding has not been written into the law. As a consequence, the noise team sets up their equipment and sits in a city vehicle nearby to monitor the noise. THE NOISE team communicates with the police officer by walkie-talkie. In order to keep up to date on the latest developments in enforcing the noise ordinance, or-dinance, Mr. Clontz must attend special seminars. He picked up the techniques of operating the equipment at three work sessions in Salt Lake City. In addition to monitoring the area for noise, Mr. Clontz and Ms. McGriff also police Bountiful to maintain tight animal control and issue warnings to owners of unsightly lots. "We have sent letters as far away as Michigan telling owners that they must clean up weedy lots or warning them that they must get rid of junk vehicles." ALL OF these duties fall under the direction of the planning commission since they are nuisance problems that bring down property values, Mr. Clontz said. |