Down in the Hamlet of Wilbur, a seemingly forgotten area by my fellow City of Kingston comrades, there is still the remnants of a bygone era of barge and ship repair in operation.
Feeney’s Boat Yard has been operating here along the Rondout for decades, with little or no impact on the neighborhood around it; until lately.
The recent intensity of their repair schedule has pushed the crew to work later hours and sometimes through the night. I heard they were rushing to satisfy a government contract on time. Problem is, their work creates noise. Loud noise.
The pounding of steel and shifting of materials through the yard has cuased the firm to consider building a more insulated metal building along Abeel Street. Though closer to the road, it is expected to dampen the banging associated with their work.
The Building Dept has cautioned them on the noise ordinance several times and at times, the decibels dwindle, but then hot nights and open windows prompt the public outcry as the 3rd shift carries out their duties.
The building’s foundation is done, the metal ordered, and the planning Board has signed off on the plan. Yellow walls, blue roof, and landscaping will be something to see, but will it settle the noise problem? We will have a neighborhood meeting specific to these neighbors needs late November to assess their success.
Feeney’s Boat Yard has been operating here along the Rondout for decades, with little or no impact on the neighborhood around it; until lately.
The recent intensity of their repair schedule has pushed the crew to work later hours and sometimes through the night. I heard they were rushing to satisfy a government contract on time. Problem is, their work creates noise. Loud noise.The pounding of steel and shifting of materials through the yard has cuased the firm to consider building a more insulated metal building along Abeel Street. Though closer to the road, it is expected to dampen the banging associated with their work.
The Building Dept has cautioned them on the noise ordinance several times and at times, the decibels dwindle, but then hot nights and open windows prompt the public outcry as the 3rd shift carries out their duties.The building’s foundation is done, the metal ordered, and the planning Board has signed off on the plan. Yellow walls, blue roof, and landscaping will be something to see, but will it settle the noise problem? We will have a neighborhood meeting specific to these neighbors needs late November to assess their success.
8 comments:
Neglected? I'll say. Your efforts to get some streets paved down here went nowhere. Even when half of Wilbur weas in Ward 5, we still saw little.
We pay taxes too. Some of us know what effort you do down here, but support from the main office is essential. Dont think we dont see you cleaning streets down here because we do, but you guys have to work to make all of Kingston better, not just Rondout and Uptown.
From the looks of that first picture, you were on Fitch Street. Do any officials know where Fitch Street is? Its falling apart.
As long as the Admin gives you doublespeak on this, you are left to explain the non-action in the neighborhood. We get mad at you.
Do we have to sell our homes to Iannucci to get anything done around here?
The Feeney's do as they please and if challenged they call there good old pal Hinchey to bail them out.
Bravo. Long overdue - and much needed attention for the Ward 9 residents down there.
Great - chase another employer out of town - you could have bought a house somewhere else. Stop crying.
Where do you get your information? Those of us who have lived here for 50+ years have never received a visit or call from you. You are mistaken on several counts.
Somehow, the effort to quiet Feeney's Boat repair yard through the weeknights from 9pm to 5am has turned into an imagined push to close the yard. The following is a quote from my daily angry commenter:
"Maybe the City or County can hire all Feeney's workers who will lose their jobs because campaign contributor Ianucchi wants more room for his junkyard museum which will take most of the property off the tax rolls."
Wasnt that special?
WOW! I can't believe you actually came down to Wilbur and are speaking out on our behalf. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't read it. My neighbors said they saw you taking pixs from Fitch, but weren't sure what the reason was. I love Wilbur and it pains and angers me to see how poorly we are treated - like an orphaned and neglected child. I like to call Wilbur the INDUSTRIAL WASTELAND OF THE RONDOUT. We are at the mercy of Feeney's. I have no dreams of running them out on a rail - I respect the job they do. However I would like to some comprises made. Namely the incessant weekend noise. There is no other place in Kingston where the residents have to listen to the hollow echos of steel banging on steel that reverberates through the bowl shape of Wilbur. Sandblasting, welding, men cursing over a public address system, cranes creaking across the yard and all starting each weekday and most weekends at 7 in the morning. When the Wilbur church was still around I know for a fact that they agreed to not work during services. What are the rules that govern manufacturing noise within the city? Why don't they adhere to them? Can't some official come and take a decible reading? Why was this new building allowed to go up - just a foundation now - without input from Wilbur residents? Why was there no public hearing? Shouldn't they have had to apply for a variance to build so close to the creek? I'd also love to see them make some physical improvements to their yard - namely that rotten, brush covered, poison ivy filled fence that borders their yard. This would go a long way to improving the look of Wilbur.
Great news to hear that you have plans for a neighborhood meeting. We already ahead of you. Fliers are being distributed this weekend. We're tired of waiting for our elected officials to come and hear us out. If you do have your meeting I hope I can expect you to walk around our neighborhood to invite all the residents and not just the ones are on-line.
And to the narrow minded jerk who thinks we should have bought elsewhere - we all can't live on Clifton, Lindermann or upper Pearl - and some of us don't run from adversity, we meet it head on.
Looking forward to seeing you in Wilbur Mike.
Post a Comment