Golf course fan causes chilly breeze in Salisbury
By Susan Nienow CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Salisbury resident Analie Rademaker is hoping quiet will be restored to her neighborhood after the Salisbury Country Club moves a noisy fan on its golf course.

A dispute over a noisy fan on the Salisbury Country Club's golf course could soon blow over. The club was convicted last October of violating the county's noise ordinance after neighbors repeatedly complained about the fan running. The case was set for appeal on Mar. 12, but has now been continued with no new court date as the club and nearby residents try to work out a compromise.

"We're doing everything we can to accommodate them," said Frank Cowan, attorney for Salisbury Country Club. The fan is being moved to a new location near the sixth green.

"This fan was recommended by the USGA and is used all over the country," Cowan added. "We believe we are in compliance with all laws."

The issue comes down to what's more important: the right to peace and quiet or the right to putt on Salisbury's sixth green. The 50-inch fan was installed to help maintain the turf on the Monacan course. According to John Kelly, the club's general manager, the fan is one of the most effective tools of turf management, cooling the greens during the day and removing moisture from the grass and the air at night. It cuts down on the incidence of turf disease.

But it also creates a lot of noise. "[The fan] sounds like a jet engine," said Duff Young, whose backyard is adjacent to the green.

"The noise comes into the house like there is an air conditioner running under each window when they are all closed," said Salisbury resident Analie Rademaker.

The Rademakers' backyard is the closest to the fan, and they've had to live their lives differently since it was installed. "We can't use the screened porch during the day."

The first night the fan was turned on last July, several neighbors called the police because of the noise, said Rademaker. As a result, the club turned the fan down and shortened the hours to 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and 11 p.m.-6 a.m. Still the noise was intrusive, so a fence was erected around the back of the fan. "It looks like a duck blind," said Rademaker, adding that it changed the character of the couple's backyard and the view of the golf course.

Young took measurements with his own decibel meter both before and after the fence was installed, and the reading was about the same, though he admitted his equipment was inexpensive and might not be totally accurate.

The dispute ultimately ended up in court - criminal court - with a misdemeanor charge that the club was violating the county's noise ordinance, which uses the standard of "unreasonably loud or disturbing noise."