Winfield golf course seeks to end noise dispute
The owner of Klein Creek Golf Club says he's willing to invest $120,000 in electric lawn mowers to help end an ongoing controversy over noise at the golf course.
John Weiss' verbal commitment to buy three of the quieter mowers to maintain the golf course's greens came Thursday night as neighbors of the course were urging Winfield village board members to clamp down on the pre-dawn landscaping work that's been disturbing them since last year.
Dozens of neighbors attended the meeting because they want Winfield to enforce its law that states noise from landscaping equipment can't start until 7 a.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. weekends.
"It's peaceful in this neighborhood and I would like to see it remain that way," said Martin Adeszko, who lives near the first hole.
Weiss, who bought Klein Creek Golf Club a year ago, is seeking to have the golf course's landscaping operation exempt from the noise ordinance. He says proper course maintenance includes mowing before dawn.
"We just want to get this resolved," Weiss said. "These are our friends, our neighbors. We want these people to come to our course to play golf, to eat, to drink, to have a good time. We want to be their friends, and we're trying."
Neighbors said a big reason they are complaining about the golf course violating the noise ordinance is because the equipment Weiss is using is much louder than what the course's previous owner used.
"A blow horn has a similar decibel level as a riding greens mower," neighbor Mary Gasparac said. "Now picture that two-second blast as a constant roar outside your home. This noise is equivalent to what the golf course is asking to do at 5 or 6 a.m. We did not agree to this when we signed our homeowner's agreement."
Responding to neighbors suggesting he buy quieter equipment, Weiss offered up his proposed compromise to purchase the three electric greens mowers. He said each mower costs $40,000.
In return, Weiss said he wants permission to let groundskeepers leave the maintenance building at 5 a.m. during the prime golf season between May 1 and Sept. 15. That means the actual landscaping work would start about 5:20 a.m. It would begin later - about 5:50 a.m. - during the fall and early spring.
Village board members are expected to vote June 3 on the proposed compromise.
Trustee Chuck Martschinke said he believes the course's management has made considerable adjustments, including the offer to buy the new mowers. He said the variance request is reasonable.
"While I am sure that mowing grass at the wee hours of the morning is very disturbing ... it is a golf-course community," Martschinke said. "With that comes the understanding that maintenance is going to happen."