First Posted: 1/15/2009

RED SPRINGS -- The Red Springs Board of Commissioners had a sound decision to make Tuesday night, but decided to wait for more information.
Town Manager Wayne Horne told the commissioners that the town's noise ordinance needs a measurable scale for sound levels so that is can be enforced.
“Our current noise ordinance doesn't have any degree of measurement as to what is noise and what is not noise,” Mayor George Paris said.
“There are times when the town receives requests for enforcement of our noise ordinance from residents in the community,” Horne said, “Enforcement, however, is often a problem because under our current policy it is often difficult to determine if a nuisance exists in the absence of measurable standards.”
The board instructed Horne to create a scale that it can consider at next month's meeting.
Commissioner John Staton said he had received complaints about noise.
“Now it's not enforceable,” Staton said. “How do you tell when noise becomes a nuisance? I say it's noise and you say it's not noise. We need some way to determine if it's a nuisance.”
Horne recommended using a scale similar to the A-Weighting scale, which measures in decibels.
The board also:
-- Awarded a bid for electrical upgrades to E&R Inc. for $246,448. The upgrades will be to the Sixth Avenue/Fourth Avenue circuit to the Food Lion Shopping Center. E&R Inc. is based in Kinston.
-- Voted to accept the town of Hoffman into the Lumber River Council of Governments. Hoffman is in Richmond County, which has also petitioned for membership. All of the member governments in LRCOG must vote to accept a new government's into membership.