Bayport Residents Worried About a Summer of Discontent

As summer creeps closer several Bayport neighborhoods near Montauk Highway are worried about loud noise from a local bar and are gearing up to push town officials and police to stop it before it becomes the annoyance experienced in past years.  

Homeowners living along Renee Drive, Tucker Drive, Stephen Road, Lakeview Avenue as well as residents on Third Avenue and Oakwood Avenue are concerned that The Parrot Bar, on Montauk Highway, will once again be disturbing their sleep as well as daytime enjoyment of their yards.  
Nearly a hundred homeowners signed a petition last summer and presented it to the Suffolk Police and the Town of Islip but told Patch they haven’t gotten any formal response, according to several residents who spoke with Patch, though police have responded to their calls in recent years.

All residents who talked to Patch about the issue requested anonymity citing what they called retaliation in years past for complaining about the bar breaking town noise ordinances.

Parrot owner Gary Rosen told Patch he had heard some complaints about noise several years ago when he first bought the property, but that no one has called him or reached out regarding concerns since he’s now taken back control of the tavern located next to Venero Motors.  The Parrot originally opened under Rosen as The Garage and then was under different ownership/management in the past few years.

During his ownership times the bar has hosted dozens of community fundraising events.

“I just took back ownership a few weeks ago and haven’t heard from anyone regarding problems. There were some complaints several years ago and I tried to do what I could to help reduce the noise,” said Rosen, noting at that time he moved the location of bands within the bar area.

To help spur business in the past years Rosen created an outdoor deck and bar area on the west side and in warm months he situates the band in that area. He's moved equipment and the bar platform in order to help quench any noise disturbance, he told Patch.

He said he has never received any town violation notices or law enforcement violations for noise issues. Inquiries to Islip Town regarding citations or violations at the Parrot have gone unreturned.  

Rosen told Patch he’s very willing to talk with residents and discuss the issue and is eager to work toward a resolution.  

“I’m a business man and I am part of this community too like they are, so I want to help solve the issue. I can’t stop having bands as that’s a critical aspect in a competitive market,” he told Patch in an interview last week.  

Rosen said he’s willing to explore possible options such as sound barriers and figuring out what bands may cause more noise than others and adjusting music levels.  

Both police and town officials can handle residents' noise complaints. Residents can call 852-COPS and officers will respond, according to Captain Chris Bergold of the Fifth Precinct in Patchogue.  

“We will certainly respond to any noise disturbance call and issue summons if a business or homeowner is in violation of a town ordinance. Both Suffolk Police and town officials in public safety department can issue the summonses,” Bergold told Patch in a phone interview.  

Yet residents claim that neither police or town officials have done the needed enforcement in past years and and have little hope it will change this summer.
 
“There are some nights when my kids can’t fall asleep because of the band noise,” one resident told Patch, “and they go to bed between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.,” he added.

Another resident said that even with closed windows the loud synthesizers used by bands rattles items in her home.  

“It’s a quality of life issue. The music has lasted till 2 a.m. sometimes. It’s also happening mid day on weekends when we’re having family get-togethers and we can’t even talk in our backyards. It affects everyone from kids to elderly in the area,” said the homeowner.  

Rosen refutes that claim however, stating the bar often closes before midnight, and well before it's 2 a.m. official shutdown time and bands typically stop playing before the last call.

In the petition submitted to police and town leaders last summer, the residents asked code enforcement and police to investigate the issue.

“We haven’t gotten anywhere. We heard some officers stopped down there after a complaint was made. Sometimes the music stops for a bit after someone calls to complain but then it starts up again,” said the homeowners.  

The residents who spoke to Patch acknowledge that no one from the neighborhood has ever reached out directly to Rosen or has made an effort to meet with him regarding the issue. One homeowner said she had one conversation with him shortly several years ago but none since and has never stopped in the bar to speak to him.

One reason, said a homeowner, is fear of retaliation and cited two incidents that occurred shortly after complaints were made a few years ago.  

“Someone drove through our street and threw golf balls at one house’s bay window and at another time someone parked and played very loud car music and we believe it was someone connected to the bar who was upset about our complaints,” said the resident.  

Rosen emphatically denies any sort of retaliatory actions, and reiterated that he’s very willing to work with residents to ensure no one’s quality of life is impacted by his business.  

“I’m more than willing to work with them to fix this problem. I moved the location of the band back then to help ease the issue. I want to be fair but residents need to be fair too as I’m a business owner in a very tough economy trying to keep a business going.”