Residents cite noise and safety as main problems

When the Athens Police Department came together with local citizens for an annual dialogue, the two biggest concerns on the minds of residents proved to be safety and noise.
Every year since 2004 the city has had an APD/community dialogue to encourage citizens to speak face-to-face with representatives of the Police Department about concerns.

This year Chief Tom Pyle, officer David Maliwista and others from the APD teamed up with the Athens Area Mediation Service for the meeting. The event consisted of a mock mediation between a "resident" and a "student," acting out a conflict over noise.

After the mock mediation, those in attendance went around the room expressing their concerns, and nearly every person touched on either the noise issue or safety concerns about the recent rash of sexual assaults in neighborhoods near the Ohio University campus.

Those in attendance were mainly permanent city residents, though two students did attend.

City Council member Christine Knisely, who attended the meeting, said that safety concerns are what many residents have mentioned to her in the past few weeks.

"I'm concerned about safety on campus and in the neighborhoods," she said.

Athens resident Joan Kraynanski expressed concerns about the issue of noise. She said she lives in a mixed neighborhood of students and long-term residents.

"A lot of loud electronic, amplified music and loud screaming rip through my windows, afternoons, evenings and late at night," she said. "Sometimes I call (the police) and sometimes I don't. I don't think I should have to call."

Kraynanski explained that she is pretty tolerant, so if the noise is bothering her, it's a bad sign.

"If you play music next door, as long as you're not a bad musician, I'm OK," she said. "I find it troubling (how noise is getting worse)."

She said the problem has become that too many people are feeling entitled to disorderly revelry.

"I want people who think they are entitled to everything whenever they want it (to know) that they're not fighting for their rights," she said. "They are on the extreme. There are plenty of places where people live harmoniously, all age groups, all occupations, all professions."

Another resident, Beverly Flannigan, said she lets her neighbors know that they can play their music and make noise until that time when the noise laws kick in, at which point she will call the police if need be. She said that her neighbors have been cooperative for the most part.

She also expressed concerns about loud music coming from vehicles. Chief Pyle said such noise is covered in the noise ordinance, but acknowledged it isn't a heavily enforced aspect of the law.

Pyle also pointed out that the APD does not encourage residents to approach their neighbors about issues. That decision, he said, is up to them, but that isn't something that the APD officially supports doing.

City Council member-elect Steve Patterson attended the meeting, and said his main concern is the safety of residents considering the sexual and other assaults that have been taking place this spring.

"The thing I would really like to see discussed is a more dynamic neighborhood watch association," he said. "And this goes through all the wards. I'd like to see something on campus."

Another concern that arose was that during OU student move-in in the fall, the signs that some student residents choose to hang outside of their residences contain vulgar and suggestive phrases such as, "Fathers, thanks for your daughters," and, "18 to drink. 21 to swallow."

Residents expressed concerns about the objectification of women and how that plays into sexual assaults around town.