(Aug. 31, 2017) An apparent accord has been reached over complaints about late night noise emanating from the Chicken Man Food Store in Snow Hill.
Mark Nixon, a business owner adjacent to Chicken Man’s West Market Street location, voiced his displeasure during a council meeting on Aug. 8 over the food store’s hours of operation and the propensity for patrons to sometimes play loud music.
“My biggest problem is basically from 9 o’clock on at night,” he said. “A lot of times I’m in bed at 10 o’clock and then at 11 o’clock I get woke up.”
During a crowded council work session on Tuesday, Mayor Charlie Dorman said Town Manager Kelly Pruitt joined him for a more than 30-minute meeting with the proprietors of Chicken Man to address the concerns raised by Nixon over noise levels at late hours.
“My problem is the loud noise has got to stop at a reasonable time,” Dorman said. “I don’t care if he’s open all night long as long as the noise stops at 10.”
Dorman said the ownership at Chicken Man agreed to counsel its patrons to curtail volume levels during the wee hours.
“I talked to Mark Nixon and he agreed to back away and let it work out,” he said.
Dorman also discussed the topic with Snow Hill Police Chief Tom Davis, who decided to adjust the patrol frequency at the food store.
“The [police] are going to stop by once a shift … they’re not going to sit there and harass [people],” he said. “They’re going to let him do his own policy and we’ll see how it works out.”
Dorman said the food store is planning on installing larger signs advising clients about noise concerns.
“We want them to stay open, but we need that noise to stop after 10,” he said. “Last weekend it was quiet … I didn’t hear a thing.”
If requests to abide by the agreement cause strife with customers, Dorman told employees at the food store, during a recent impromptu visit, to reach out for assistance.
“If you have a problem with somebody that’s there that won’t turn their radio down, you can’t be a police officer,” he said. “Just call 911 and they’ll come out and help you.”
With an apparent compromise reached, Dorman is hopeful the issue has been resolved to all parties’ satisfaction.
“I can’t tell a private person what time to conduct their business,” he said. “As long as he’s quiet.”
Mark Nixon, a business owner adjacent to Chicken Man’s West Market Street location, voiced his displeasure during a council meeting on Aug. 8 over the food store’s hours of operation and the propensity for patrons to sometimes play loud music.
“My biggest problem is basically from 9 o’clock on at night,” he said. “A lot of times I’m in bed at 10 o’clock and then at 11 o’clock I get woke up.”
During a crowded council work session on Tuesday, Mayor Charlie Dorman said Town Manager Kelly Pruitt joined him for a more than 30-minute meeting with the proprietors of Chicken Man to address the concerns raised by Nixon over noise levels at late hours.
“My problem is the loud noise has got to stop at a reasonable time,” Dorman said. “I don’t care if he’s open all night long as long as the noise stops at 10.”
Dorman said the ownership at Chicken Man agreed to counsel its patrons to curtail volume levels during the wee hours.
“I talked to Mark Nixon and he agreed to back away and let it work out,” he said.
Dorman also discussed the topic with Snow Hill Police Chief Tom Davis, who decided to adjust the patrol frequency at the food store.
“The [police] are going to stop by once a shift … they’re not going to sit there and harass [people],” he said. “They’re going to let him do his own policy and we’ll see how it works out.”
Dorman said the food store is planning on installing larger signs advising clients about noise concerns.
“We want them to stay open, but we need that noise to stop after 10,” he said. “Last weekend it was quiet … I didn’t hear a thing.”
If requests to abide by the agreement cause strife with customers, Dorman told employees at the food store, during a recent impromptu visit, to reach out for assistance.
“If you have a problem with somebody that’s there that won’t turn their radio down, you can’t be a police officer,” he said. “Just call 911 and they’ll come out and help you.”
With an apparent compromise reached, Dorman is hopeful the issue has been resolved to all parties’ satisfaction.
“I can’t tell a private person what time to conduct their business,” he said. “As long as he’s quiet.”