Mr. Culver:
Thank you for taking the time to send us your thoughts. This issue has been going on since Detour opened. It is not new and did not arise just over the past few weeks. Do you really think the BPW would have denied these requests without there already having been significant attempts to educate the owners, managers and staff of Detour? Do you think there had not been numerous attempts to reach a solution that would take into consideration all stakeholders?
Let me be very plain. Numerous attempts have been made. However, Detour is intent on staying, hard and fast, with their concept. That is a concept that is not compatible with the Arts District mixed-use concept.
I can tell you that I don’t appreciate Detour’s continuing attempts to portray this noise situation as being based on the complaints of only two people. Whether that is the case or not really does not matter when I get personally called out of bed on a cold fall night at 1 a.m. because of the noise coming through the closed overhead doors of the establishment. I would be happy to show you the video on my phone taken at that hour from across the street and across the Monon in which you can clearly hear the band. When I went inside to tell the manager they were in violation of the noise ordinance and just good sense, she was not real friendly. That, by the way, was months after the Detour management had a meeting with the mayor in which they promised “to be better neighbors.”
Because Carmel does not have the physical features that Michigan possesses, we try to have the best overall quality of life. Right now, Detour’s idea of good quality of life is not consonant with what the vast majority of our citizens want.
Best regards,
Ronald E. Carter
City Council, At-Large