May 1, 2008
Noise Free America
For immediate release
Contact:
Brian Pace
601-954-0065
[email protected]
Ted Rueter
877-NOISE-NO
[email protected]
Madison: Baldwyn, Mississippi has won this month’s Noisy Dozen award from Noise Free America for tolerating constant dog barking, thumping boom cars, and frequent loud parties. A town of 3,000 in northeastern Mississippi, Baldwyn is being overrun with irritating and harmful noise.
Brian Pace, a resident of Baldwyn, commented that “Baldwyn has a severe dog barking problem. Dogs around here just bark their heads off. Some nights they bark for hours. This has been going on for at least a year. We contacted the local government several times. The animal control officer visited the house at least twice. He didn’t issue a fine because he knows the landowner. The next step was contacting the mayor. He sent the animal control officer to our house. Again, he didn’t issue a fine–only another warning.”
Pace’s saga continued: “Next we contacted the police department. They ignored our report on two occasions. So we contacted the mayor once again. He agreed to send a police officer to the residence. The officer visited but didn’t issue a fine. So the problem with dogs continues.”
According to Pace, “my town has several noise problems. Besides constant dog barking, there is a significant problem with boom cars. You don’t have to wait long before you hear a boom car blasting down the street–shaking windows, waking people up, and disturbing the peace. And the police do nothing. In addition, we have problems with a local VFW that likes to hold loud parties on the weekend. They have a live band most of the time.”
Dizzy Dean Johnson, another native of Baldwyn, stated that “We don’t want to cause problems. We just want to live in peace and quiet like everyone else. If you’re going to have a noise ordinance, then enforce it!”
Ted Rueter, Noise Free America’s director, noted that “people sometimes assume that small towns are serene and tranquil. But this is obviously not true. Small towns are just like practically everywhere in this country: noisy. And all this noise is having an effect on people’s physical health and quality of life. Many small towns (and large cities) throughout the country are become unlivable.”
Noise Free America is a national 501c3 organization opposed to noise pollution. Its web site is www.noisefree.org. Past “winners” of the Noisy Dozen award include Echo Manufacturing, Pioneer Electronics, and the Massachusetts Department of Education (http://noisefree.org/newsroom/pressreleases.php).