By Donald Wittkowski
Sea Isle City’s plan to liven up the summer entertainment scene by giving outdoor bars and restaurants an extra hour to play music on weekend nights drew sharp objections Saturday from noise-sensitive local residents.
By a 2-1 vote, City Council introduced a new ordinance that would allow music, dancing and entertainment outdoors on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until 10 p.m., but would keep the current curfew of 9 p.m. in place for all other days of the week.
Councilman Jack Gibson strongly objected, answering with a booming “No!” when a vote was called for the governing body to consider the measure. Councilmen William Kehner and John Divney voted yes.
In an interview after the meeting, Gibson said he thought the current 9 p.m. curfew for outdoor music and entertainment is late enough. He fears an hour extra of loud music would disturb residents living near the bars and restaurants.
“I think it is already loud enough,” Gibson said. “I think the status quo is reasonable to me. To extend it is a mistake.”
Kehner and Divney did not say anything directly in support of the proposed ordinance during the meeting. During earlier discussions about the proposal, they indicated they are willing to consider ways to enhance Sea Isle’s nightlife based on suggestions made by the restaurant industry.
Council members Mary Tighe and Frank Edwardi were absent from the special Saturday meeting, which coincided with the city’s annual Community Day festivities.
A public hearing and final vote by Council are scheduled for June 13, but a number of local residents immediately expressed their opposition to the ordinance on Saturday. They urged Council to kill or revise the plan, arguing that they should not have to endure loud music being played late at night.
Harold Wilson, who lives on 40th Street, close to the downtown bars and restaurants, said he already has to deal with “tons of noise” and “chaos” related to the city’s nightlife.
“Adding more hours to that chaos, to me, is not acceptable,” Wilson said. “Extending it past 9 o’clock seems ridiculous to me.”
Barbara Keleher, who also lives on 40th Street, said her husband is thinking of selling their condominium because he has grown tired of loud music emanating from the outdoor bars and restaurants.
“When we come back to our condo, we can’t even hear our TV,” Keleher told Council.
Elizabeth and Richard Houseworth, a married couple living on 40th Street, urged Council to either scrap the plan or revise it to make it more palatable to residents.
Elizabeth Houseworth said she wouldn’t mind music being played until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, but Sundays would be too much. She normally goes to bed early on Sunday night to get ready for work on Monday morning, she noted.
Richard Houseworth said Council should have sought more public input while the ordinance was still in the planning stage.
“I can assure you … a small minority is imposing its will on the silent majority,” he said.
Richard Houseworth suggested there should be a system of decibel sensors around the outdoor bars and restaurants to make sure their music is not violating the city’s noise ordinances.
Two other members of the public also spoke in opposition of extending the hours for outdoor music, voicing concerns about noise levels and the possibility of partying getting out of hand.
As part of a broader package of proposed regulatory changes to make Sea Isle more attractive to tourists, Council has also been discussing the idea of extending the dining and drinking hours for outdoor bars and restaurants.
The ordinance to push back the hours for music and entertainment to 10 p.m. on weekends is being considered first by Council. At its May 30 meeting, Council is expected to vote on a proposal to extend the hours for dining and drinking outdoors from the current 11 p.m. curfew to midnight.
Introduced in 2008, sidewalk dining has been hugely popular among summer tourists who enjoy dining outdoors. Divney has credited the attraction for creating a more upscale ambiance for Sea Isle’s culinary scene and erasing the city’s image as “a bar town.”
Divney began lobbying for changes to the regulations two months ago after listening to suggestions from the restaurant community and the Sea Isle City Chamber of Commerce and Revitalization on ways to improve the dining atmosphere.
Proponents hope to have the later hours for outdoor music, dining and drinking ready in time for the busy summer tourism season. However, there would be a sunset clause that would allow Council to revisit the issue in a year to see if the regulations need to be revised again.
