Noise hotline complaints to assist Pittsburgh council in drafting ordinance

For nearly three years, Rachel Rue of Lawrenceville said she lived with constant, nearly "oppressive" noise coming from fans atop Children's Hospital.

The 52-year-old self-employed consultant was happy to report Friday that, thanks to recent work by UPMC, "most places, you can't hear it anymore. It's down to a level that's tolerable."

Rue is now helping other Pittsburgh residents with their own noise problems. She's overseeing a hotline opened yesterday by City Council's noise task force, which allows people to leave voice mails or send text messages with complaints.

The hotline is not a replacement for 911 or the city's 311 response line.

"Every message will be paid attention by me," said Rue, who will forward the information to council before it drafts a streamlined ordinance outlining how much noise everything from air-conditioning units to concerts can generate.

Council members said the city's noise ordinances, last overhauled in 2000, are unwieldy and hard to enforce. As an example, police officers responding to complaints must go to the zone station to pick up a decibel reader before heading to the scene.

Rue will receive up to $4,000 from the city but does not have a contract yet, she said.

"I'm sure I'll work far more than what they will pay me," she said. "I'm working on this because I want to work on it."

Formation of the task force is one of several steps council has taken in recent months to address quality-of-life issues in the city. Among them, council banned overnight garbage pickups within 300 feet of Downtown residential buildings after noise complaints.

City police have issued more than 200 citations for noise violations since 2006, according to department records.

Additional Information:

Sound off

Pittburgh City Council's noise hotline will be open until July 8. Call or text 412-223-7620 with complaints or feedback that council can use once it begins drafting a noise ordinance. Residents can e-mail noisetaskforce@gmail.com or visit the task force's website . Letters can be sent to council in care of Councilman Patrick Dowd, 510 City County Building, 414 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219.