Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Noise Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rochelle Park resident urges action over late-night deliveries, noisy vehicle idling at nearby business
Summary
A Rochelle Park resident told the township committee that a nearby pharmaceutical business is repeatedly conducting late-night deliveries and allowing sustained vehicle idling that wakes neighbors; the administrator said staff will follow up with police and building officials.
Ired Kaplan, a Rochelle Park resident who said she lives at 165 Central Avenue, told the township committee on June 24 that vehicles serving a pharmaceutical business at 168 Central are operating late at night and early morning and creating repeated disturbances.
Kaplan told the committee she has reported the activity many times and cited township ordinances and a state idling law. “They open their business at various hours of the night, which I don't think they're permitted to do,” Kaplan said. She said vehicles are observed idling for extended periods — “20 minutes” in one instance — and that police responses have resulted only in warnings.
Kaplan said she spoke to a township official named Donald Warner and that police told her they could not file a report or issue citations unless they caught the vehicle in the act. “The police do not want to do anything except give them warnings,” she said, adding that repeated warnings have not stopped the behavior.
Administrator Samantha (first name given in the record) said township staff will follow up with the police and the building department and asked Kaplan to remain after the meeting to provide contact information so staff can report back once they have investigated. “Our administrator will happily follow up with our police department as well as our building department to see what can be done and follow up on these concerns,” Samantha said.
The complaint raised two enforcement questions the committee did not resolve at the meeting: how to ensure timely police response when alleged violations occur in the middle of the night, and whether the building department or code enforcement has tools to address repeated, after-hours operations. Kaplan requested clearer enforcement and potential penalties beyond warnings; the administrator committed to investigating and reporting back to the resident.
Next steps: the administrator will follow up with the police and building department and provide Kaplan an update by email, per the committee's offer at the meeting.
