At last night’s meeting in City Hall, Big Rapids City Commissioners opened with a study session regarding recent noise complaints involving Federal Screw Works and Jennings Mobile Home Park.

The complaints coincide with the firing of air cannons, a system added by Federal Screw Works to help keep seagulls from defecating on employees’ vehicles as well as damaging filters at the plant.

“The industrial park should be treated differently than the rest of the city,” Federal Screw Works Plant Manager Rick Ulrich said. “We have semis travelling through and loaders with beepers going. We’re not trying to run (the cannons) year-round.”

The industrial works complied with a request to not use the cannons approximately two weeks ago; however, Federal Screw Works recently wrote a letter to the City Commission regarding a request to change the noise ordinances to allow the use of their cannons.

“We’ve worked with Federal Screw over the last year with changing the location of the cannons, the number of cannons, and what direction they shoot.” Community Development Director Michelle Stenger said. 

Nearby property owners, including Jennings Mobile Home Park on Bjornson Street (also known as Big Rapids Mobile Home Court), have since voiced their concerns with the cannon noise disrupting their environment. 

“My wonderful people that live (at the park) don’t deserve to listen to that,” Rose Mary Jennings said at the meeting. “We deserve a peaceful place to live.”

After a review of the ordinance by City Attorney Brad Fowler, the cannon noise follows the current ordinance in place. 

“Federal Screw is in the industrial zoning district which has several sub-sections,” Fowler said. “This limits noises up to a certain decibel level outside of ‘spike’ noises, which are short in duration.

Fowler also found that there is a “catch-all” provision that governs against the usage of noises deemed as annoying, which creates a conflict in the current ordinance.

Solutions to the problem include repealing section 90.17(A) of the ordinance to adjust the decibel levels allowed, adding noise cannons to the list prohibited noises, or adding time or seasonal restrictions for when the cannons can be used. 

The discussion was deemed as a study session and the commission will be looking into the problem further, including talking to other cities that have delt with a similar issue.