The Forest Acres City Council at its Tuesday night monthly meeting February 9 directed its attorney to investigate noise complaints against the Victory Praise and Worship Center on Covenant Road. The musicians are keeping neighbors awake with four–to five–hour worship marathons that often continue until nearly midnight.

Summer Place resident Leon Jackson said the music generated three to five nights a week at the worship center “is enough to make our windows and floors vibrate constantly even if we have the windows and the doors closed tight.”

“We don’t want to shut the church down,” Jackson said. “We just want some peace and quiet.”

Jackson told the council that neighbors have filed more than16 police reports, and attempts to compromise, including mediation, were cancelled by church officials at the last minute.

“We call the police when it’s unbearable, and if they drive by and ask them to stop, the volume is turned down for about 30 minutes, and then the volume goes back up,” Jackson said. “If the police actually stop in, it quiets down for a day, and then it’s back to business as usual.”

Jackson said worship services sometimes start as early as 10:30 am. Other times the music starts later in the evening and lasts until almost midnight. The composition of the church’s structure, which is metal with little insulation, according to Jackson and some council members, means that noises are amplified rather than muffled.

Forest Acres Council members recommended that a letter be written by the city attorney to Victory Praise officials as a first attempt to get the situation under control. Jackson asked what the next step would be in the event that this attempt is not successful,

and the council recommended that noise citations

be issued, if necessary.

Victory Praise church officials were not present at the meeting.

Other business

• A report was given on the Gills Creek walking trail project, which is still in the planning stages. City administrator Mark Williams said because of the marshy composition of the area, the entire trail must be constructed as a boardwalk. No timetable has yet been established for the start of the project.

• It was reported that more than 25 tons of Christmas trees were recycled after the holiday season.

• Williams reported that an attempt to get an easement in order to install a four–sided clock on Forest Drive in front of the First Citizens Bank & Trust “has not been successful” because of red tape and possibly some need for improvements to be made to the surrounding area.

“We are going to take a crack at getting this through normal channels, but we may need to appeal to the state legislators in order to get this done,” Williams said.

• Five builders have signed to start construction for the October parade of homes in Forest Acres. A sixth commitment is being sought.

• Williams reported that there have been some complaints about customers from Gold’s Gym parking on Brentwood Drive. In order to remedy the problem, developers are making plans to build out the unfinished parking areas that may later turn into retail centers. The council decided to wait to see if that alleviates the problem before any further action is taken.

Council members present were Charles W. Fetner, Ginger Dukes, Curtis Rye Jr., and Shell Suber. Mayor Frank J. Brunson was out of town.