Noise from East Dundee club 'worst it's ever been,' resident says

Steve Ledin is at a loss for what to do about what he calls disruptive noise levels from a nearby East Dundee banquet hall.

Ledin, whose home is 120 yards south of Club Royal B&V, said he can feel the bass through his feet when he is in the shower. Sleeping, he added, is out of the question until the banquet hall's events end for the night.

"It's the worst it's ever been," Ledin told village board members Monday. "How can this be? Every time that they're open, I have to call (the police) time and time and time again."

Club Royal, formerly Club Premier Banquets, 940 Dundee Ave., has received three citations since it opened under new ownership in March. Ledin said he has been complaining about the banquet hall since 2011, but it is "undeniably" louder than before.

Owner Jaime Benitez said he was unaware of the severity of the issue when he purchased the building three months ago. He said he has been working with the village to find a solution.

"I want to apologize to the neighbors for causing them such a problem," Benitez said. "We are working on things."

He has installed noise-absorbing pads inside the building, but they haven't worked as well as he hoped. "We keep doing improvements to solve this problem," Benitez said.

The village and noise complaints are not new. After complaints about the volume from Club Premier Banquets and two local beer gardens, a noise ordinance was applied to the entire village in 2012. Previously, it had only applied to liquor establishments.

Last year, the noise restrictions were tweaked numerous times. Officials adopted the most recent ordinance in November.

Club Royal's citations will be heard June 24 at an administrative hearing, said Police Chief Terry Mee, at which time an officer will determine whether Benitez should be fined up to $750.

However, trustees are unsure that fines and citations will make much of a difference.

"I had a sense that the operators were just viewing those citations as a cost of doing business," said Trustee Jeff Lynam.

Until the hearing, other possible actions are being considered, Mee said.

Village Administrator Bob Skurla confirmed that the village has been working directly with Benitez to find a temporary fix. He said the structure should be entirely soundproofed if it will continue to operate as a club, noting that the building originally was a car dealership.

"Obviously, the structure of that building (and) the material that was used to build it, was fit for a different purpose than what it is currently being used for," Lynam said.

Skurla said Ledin is one of three neighbors who have regularly complained to the village about Club Royal's noise levels, which is used for events such as weddings and bar mitzvahs, as well as concerts and other nightclub activities.

"When I come home from work - I work hard just like we all do - and I see that parking lot filled, my heart drops to the ground because I know what's going to happen," Ledin told the board. "I'm at the end. I have nothing except you guys."

All Benitez is asking for is more time.

"We are here to do things right," he said. "Just give me some time, and we can make it work."