Brooklyn Neighbors Object To Loud Recorded Church Bells

In the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, some residents are protesting the decibel level of church bells from St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Your Nabe reported yesterday that the problem began when the church began to use a speaker system to play recorded bell melodies from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. The city's Department of Environmental Protection says that the city's noise ordinance does not apply to organs, bells and chimes used by houses of worship. (New York City Administrative Code, Sec. 24-217). City Councilman Lew Fidler is trying to mediate the situation, but so far has been unsuccessful. Neighborhood resident Joseph Zelinsky says that the exemption for church bells should not apply here because the noise is caused by loud speakers, not bells.