06 ATTACHMENT 5 - Laserfiche WebLink

THE PUBLIC HEARING WAS OPENED. Reverend Ron Culmer, St. Clare's Episcopal Church, stated that his congregation sits adjacent to the Masonic Lodge and that they share the parking lot, which belongs to St. Clare's, through a Joint Use Agreement. He indicated that this issue is difficult for the leadership of St. Clare's because they like the Masons. He stated that St. Clare's has a pre - school as part of its property, and at times when the school has maintenance problems, the Masons have always been accommodating and allow the school children to use their bathrooms and facilities. He noted that they generally get along very well; however, the problem arises whenever catered parties are held at the Lodge, and the Church ends up cleaning up alcohol bottles in their backyard and the parking lot the following day. Rev. Culmer recounted that they had a pre - school Christmas program event planned for the evening that the Lodge was having the "Naughty or Nice" party and that the school had to cancel its program because the "Naughty or Nice" party had been posted on the Internet, and people were coming from all over. He stated that he is still hearing complaints from parents who are furious about the event being canceled. Rev. Culmer stated that he is interested in having a good neighborly relationship again but that he was having some difficulty with some issues. He expressed concern about the noise level and stated that he had made calls to police when things have gotten out of hand. He requested that these particular types of parties never be allowed to take place at the Lodge in the future. Fred Schwartz, Masonic Lodge Board President, stated that they will conduct the sound study but that he did not believe it would prove a lot because the re- creation of their one mistake would need to be made, and he indicated that there would never be another event of that type at the Lodge. With respect to Condition No. 1 of the Conditions of Approval, he stated that they typically rent out the facility for weddings and anniversary parties but do hold events such as art auctions or tool shows. He requested that the language be tightened for that condition. As regards Condition No. 2, Mr. Schwartz stated that they agree to do the acoustical study; however, he believed spending any money for a professional consultant would be extremely costly and is not necessary. He indicated that, as an alternative, they had began discussions with a major building contractor who deals with noise - related issues in high rise structures and that they expect to have a proposal shortly, which they will share with the City. He noted that they have never been cited for any noise issues in the past. He added that they have been recognized as good neighbors since 1979, that they do not intrude on their neighbors' peace, and that by eliminating events as stipulated in Condition No. 1, the noise issues would be eliminated. He stated that they do not accept any claims from neighbors concerning excessive decibel readings due to the fact that they have not been provided with any background calculations that take EXCERPTS: PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES, March 25, 2009 Page 3 of 7