I would like to give a friendly reminder to all Auburnians coming and going after sundown now that the weather is nice. It being officially summer, we all leave our windows open day and night, however this means that whatever commotion is going on outside becomes more audible.

Please remember that most people are asleep at night and need to wake up in the morning, whether they are employees, parents, students in summer classes, or even little children and babies who need more sleep than adults. I am asking you to kindly keep the noise to a minimum; even a normal speaking voice at most isn't all that disruptive if it is not prolonged. What are disruptive are loud talking and singing, screaming, partying, loud laughter, fighting, loud stereos, and forceful and continuous slamming of car and house doors. It is possible to be active indoors and outdoors at night without causing excessive noise, and I thank those who are considerate enough to keep things quiet at night.

Sound can carry quite far, and if loud enough, it can be heard clearly down the street, or even several blocks away. There are few things at night that are worse than being woken up by loud noises or partying and not being able to get back to sleep. Please consider how you would feel if someone disrupted your sleep several times a week. Also consider how alarming it is to wake up to yelling and wondering if someone is in trouble, about to cause trouble, or if it is just someone playing around.

Most importantly, Chapter 210 of Auburn's municipal code is our city's official noise ordinance, so by law you are not permitted to make “loud, unnecessary, or unusual noise,” meaning noise that “annoys, disturbs, injures or endangers the comfort, rest, health, peace or safety of others within the City of Auburn.” Keep in mind that just because someone does not shout at you from their bedroom window and/or call the police on you does not mean that you have not woken us up.

Valerie A. Smith

Auburn