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Inwood Little League Agrees to Lower Loudspeaker Volume

By Carla Zanoni | March 7, 2011 5:11am | Updated on March 7, 2011 5:19am
Parents and Inwood Little League officials came to a compromise on noise levels and usage of loudspeakers during games at Inwood Hill Park.
Parents and Inwood Little League officials came to a compromise on noise levels and usage of loudspeakers during games at Inwood Hill Park.
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MyInwood.net

By Carla Zanoni

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

INWOOD — Summer in Inwood Hill Park may be quieter after parents and the Inwood Little League reached an agreement to limit usage and reduce the noise level of loudspeakers used during games.

Inwood parent Elizabeth Norment has been working with the 34th Precinct and the league since last summer after requests that coaches lower the volume on the speakers had initially gone unheeded.

"We appreciate that everyone involved understands this is a quality of life issue in Inwood," she said at the February 34th Precinct Community Council meeting.

Police said they will work with the Parks Department to monitor loudspeaker volumes in the park and will limit permits for its use as necessary.

A baseball game at the Inwood Hill Park field on 211th Street and Seaman Avenue.
A baseball game at the Inwood Hill Park field on 211th Street and Seaman Avenue.
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DNAinfo/Carla Zanoni

Some residents say the acoustics of the park in which noise echoes against the banks of natural forest on the western edge, making even average levels of noise loudly resonate blocks away.

The Inwood Little League uses loudspeakers to announce its games for its teams for six to 18-year-old players along with adult league games played at three large fields spread along the park between 211th to 218th streets

League representatives said they are willing to work with residents to find a compromise to satisfy their needs as well as those of people enjoying the park elsewhere, but stressed that in order for people to hear the games announced coaches would have to continue using the loudspeakers

"When a kid’s name is announced over the speaker, they feel like God is speaking," League spokesman Alex Martinez said, adding that the speakers help engage kids in the program, which helps keep them off the street and involved in positive activities.