Fairport Harbor council revokes Slovenian Club noise variance after resident complaints, orders stricter application rules

Fairport Harbor council voted on a motion to revoke a noise variance previously granted to the Slovenian Club after multiple residents reported repeated, amplified-music disturbances and several police responses. The motion passed in roll call with council members recording aye votes and the variance was withdrawn effective immediately. The council also adopted new procedural directions asking that future noise-variance requests include detailed event plans and that administration review who must notify nearby residents.

The revocation followed sustained public comment from nearby residents who described repeated late-night amplified music they said could be heard inside homes despite televisions. Gary Launch, a resident of Third Street, said the music had been “blaring” past the hour the variance permitted and described large outdoor speaker setups. Another resident, Brian Donovan, said police had attended “five or six” times and called the volume “utterly ridiculous.”

Mayor (Mayor) and other council members said the decision responded to repeated complaints and documented police reports. The council also approved a motion that future applicants for a noise variance submit full event details (including whether sound will be amplified, proposed hours, and speaker placement) and asked administration to clarify the notification process for affected neighbors.

Council members said that without a variance the Slovenian Club would be held to the same local noise standards as any residence or property in the village and that enforcement would proceed through citizen complaints to police. Council members noted that the club’s next scheduled events were August 23 and September 27 and that revoking the variance would prevent amplified-music events from proceeding under the prior permissions.

The council instructed staff to notify the Slovenian Club about the revocation and to invite the organization to reapply with a fuller application if it wished to pursue future amplified events. Council also signaled it would be less likely to grant future variances for the club unless behavior and neighbor-notification improved.

The motion to require fuller variance applications and to have administration review notice procedures both passed by council vote.