Posted: Dec. 8, 2009

Whitefish Bay — In a community of small lots, noise can be an issue. John Mort, who lives across the street from the Holy Family School parking lot in the 4800 block of North Marlborough Drive, contacted the Village Board to ask for help with his problem.

In a letter to the board, he wrote that snow plows in the lot disrupt the sleep of him and his neighbors. Under the current ordinance, snow plowing beyond 50 feet of a residence is acceptable between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Mort said the back-up signals and the noise caused by the plow blades dropping on the pavement wake the neighbors. The flashing yellow lights on the plows also light up the houses on his block. Clearing the lot takes at least 45 minutes.

During the past snow season, Mort said he contacted police 30 times on 18 separate occasions because of the noise.

Robert Domach, representing Holy Family, and Mort both spoke to the Village Board on Monday night. Domach has talked with the plowing contractor. The contractor needs a certain amount of time to clear the lot before the start of the school day, but he has agreed to some modifications in plowing times that were suggested by Police Chief Robert Jacobs.

The contractor will not plow the sidewalk closest to the residential Marlborough Drive neighbors until 6 a.m. or later. When there is less than 5 inches of snow, plowing on the playground/parking lot area will not start until 5 a.m. When the snowfall is greater than 5 inches, plowing will not start before 4 a.m.