A White Rock resident says she’s frustrated with the “excessive noise” from a clock tower on lower Johnston Road that she said is chiming nearly 20 times a day.
Bonnie McKenzie said the chimes from the tower at Johnston Road and Prospect Avenue are loud enough to wake her up if she’s napping, especially now that she’s been opening the windows in her nearby apartment since the weather has been warmer.
She said a few months ago, the frequency of the chimes, which ring every half an hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. – as well as the duration – has increased, creating what she described as “noise pollution.”
“We have a lot of people on our block who are hospital shift workers, and lots of retired people as well,” McKenzie told Peace Arch News. “I tend to do my errands in the morning, but in the afternoon, I want to relax and read in silence.”
According to Lorie Raverty, whose family owns the tower and much of the block’s property, the clock was fixed earlier this year after it broke down in December.
Raverty said no adjustments to the frequency or duration have been made, and that the chimes fall within the city’s noise bylaw with regards to the allowed decibel levels.
“We’ve only had positive feedback from people since it’s been fixed,” Raverty said. “The City of White Rock actually had calls wondering why it wasn’t working.”
City manager Dan Bottrill told PAN last week he wasn’t aware of any complaints regarding the clock tower.
“I don’t believe it would be in contravention of a noise bylaw,” Bottrill said.