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Kenilworth council tables noise ordinance after VFW and residents urge accommodation
Summary
The council voted to table Ordinance 2025-07 after extended public comment from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2230 and nearby residents; the VFW described community services and said it has reduced hours and taken steps to limit noise.
Kenilworth Borough Council on a motion Tuesday tabled Ordinance 2025-07, a proposed noise ordinance, after public comment from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2230 leaders and several residents.
The council’s action followed more than 30 minutes of public comment in which VFW leaders described community services they provide and outlined steps they said they had taken to limit noise from events. The motion to table was made by Councilman Morrow and seconded by Councilman Piper; the council recorded the item as tabled pending further review.
The VFW’s commander, Bobby Jeans, told the council the post has already reduced operating practices to limit disruption. “We don't bridal past 11:00 at night. We can, by law, go till 2AM,” Jeans said, adding the post had locked windows and cut rental hours in response to neighborhood concerns. He also described ongoing volunteer work, saying the post sends veterans and volunteers to hospitals and veterans facilities and runs youth and community programs.
Resident Gary Bittemar, who identified himself as born and raised in Kenilworth, urged the council to consider the post’s charitable work, including scholarships funded by post rentals. “That place has been there forever,” Bittemar said, and he asked the council not to single out the post.
Other speakers backed the VFW, describing food distributions, holiday support, youth programs and veteran outreach carried out by the post in Kenilworth and the wider county. Scott Head, a former member of Post 2230, said the post routinely provides turkeys and food for veterans and families and serves veterans countywide.
Council members and borough staff told the post’s representatives they heard the concerns and would work toward a collaborative solution. Mayor Linda Karlovich said the council would invite Commander Jeans to meet with members and staff to discuss practical mitigation and ordinance language. “Commander Jeans will sit with us. We’ll look at this again,” Mayor Karlovich said toward the end of the public comment period.
The council’s action to table does not change the ordinance text; rather, the item will return for further review and possible revision. No formal penalties or regulatory actions were taken at the meeting.
