Politics & Government
Former Councilmen Threatens to Sue Over Noise From West B Undercrossing Construction
Former Councilmen Mike Ceremello spoke on behalf of downtown neighbors bothered by the construction noise at last week's City Council meeting, says he will sue the City of Dixon.
The West B Undercrossing construction is still a huge area of contention among a few residents living in the area. Former councilmen Mike Ceremello took the podium during open public comment at last week’s council meeting, coming to bat for downtown residents, calling the City’s attempt at a sound wall a joke.
He stated that residents around the construction site are not only being disrupted, but ignored by police under direct order of city management — reporting two Dixon police officers told him that they are under direct order to not respond to noise ordinance violation calls in the area.
The former councilmen said, “I am taking donations to file a law suit against the city for not following their own laws, for playing games, for stalling this thing out.”
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Among his accusations of unethical behavior, he says, according to the Solano Transportation Authority (STA), the letters informing the County of the noise disturbances were incomplete and received after close of business on Friday, in order to avoid review during the weekend construction.
He asked that anyone wanting to join him in his quest call him.
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Resident Regina Dunlap, who has been a spokesperson for the affected neighborhood, also took the microphone at the meeting, telling the council the make shift sound wall made from green grass turf and two-by-fours was inadequate. Now, she says, it is disgusting to look at, has dangerous hidden wires poking out, and only took the sound down by two-decibels.
Dunlap said, “This wall seems to be more of a mockery, and will continue to be a nightmare as it sits directly in front of my house.
Mayor Jack Batchelor had little to say on the subject, only responding with Ceremello’s 30-second warning, then stating, “This is not a popularity contest,” as the audience applauded his presentation.
Patch caught up with Police Chief Jon Cox to find out why officers would be ordered to ignore noise complaints, and he states that is not the case.
He explained that it comes down to defining the law, stating, “The construction noise does not fit into the nuisance law as it is written.”
Chief Cox says he does feel for the people having to endure the inconvenience, and officials are trying to find solutions, “This is an unfortunate circumstance for neighbors of the construction, we definitely have sympathy for them.”
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