Letter: M-O-N-T-A-R-A: The “N” is for NOISE

If you like your noise long and loud, this has been a great week to live on Cedar Street, Montara.  In addition to the usual power mowers, leaf blowers, unmuffled cars, motorcycles and overflights from HMB Airport that punctuate the silence continuously around here, we’ve been treated to 5 straight hours of power-washer - a neighbor decided they needed to revive a fence.  Plus, we’ve had tree trimmers in the neighborhood for 6 of the last 7 days with the loudest wood chipper I’ve ever heard.  How loud?  This Saturday afternoon, yes, Saturday at 4:30PM, I tried sitting in my living room, all windows closed, using -33db earplugs AND Bose noise reduction headphones, and I could STILL hear the wood chipper!  These guys not only chipped branches - they chipped the entire tree.  Unbelievable noise level.  They drove me out of my house every day this week - I have become very familiar with the "Strand" in Moss Beach.

Do we as the public have any recourse to this cacaphony?  Are there any regulations?

I’m really suspicious as to whether any of these were done with permits.  They are close enough that I should have received notice.  Never happened.

As it is, any realtor claiming Montara is a quiet, peaceful community should be hauled in for false advertising.

Stephen Lowens