- In January, I told a story about Fox Crossing and Menasha neighbors who say they have been dealing with excessive noise from Bucklin's Tree Service for years.
- I followed up with village officials and frustrated neighbors. They say the issue is the same.
- Fox Crossing community development shared why they can’t do more about the noise with heavy industrial zoning.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I’m reporter Olivia Acree in Fox Crossing following up on a story about what neighbors say is excessive noise coming from Bucklin's Tree Service. As I'm talking, this sound level meter is around 75 decibels, which city officials don’t even consider enough for a noise complaint, but neighbors say it’s much louder than that.
“I just got the constant noise,” said Dorschner.
Gary Dorschner has called Mayer Street home for decades
“It’s a driveway but they use it as a racetrack,” said Dorschner.
After years of disagreements with a neighboring business though, he might not call it home sweet home.
“Loud exhaust systems and motors and they (speed up) all the time,” said Dorschner.
I talked to neighbors about this last year and still, after years, and dozens of police calls, they want a solution.
“If you go against them, he’s gonna seal you in,” said Dorschner.
Dorschner is talking about the wall he says Bucklin's Tree Service put up in his backyard.
“If I tried to sell it, how would I explain it? Why is the lot sealed up?” said Dorschner.
I talked to village officials about the noise issue. They explained that there isn’t much they can do.
“It’s pre-existing so that’s the problem that we have in doing any additional enforcement,” said Dearborn.
Bucklin’s sits on land zoned industrial.
It’s been that way for as long as community development director, George Dearborn, remembers.
“All this purple stuff is industrial,” said Dearborn.
Police have responded to dozens of calls over the years but have never cited Bucklin's.
“There’s a lot of them that were anonymous so when our officers arrive on scene, they’re not hearing anything they have no person to follow up with and provide their findings with,” said Officer Daniel Wiechman.
While most neighbors' issues revolve around noise and the occasional dust, this wall, put up by Bucklin's, cuts deeper for Dorschner.
“I don’t see him getting better until they pull this stuff down and get the drainage back the way it supposed to be,” said Dorschner.
Fox Crossing police say they’ll continue to respond to all calls to Bucklin's, and Dearborn said they’ll tighten up zoning code in the future.
I left messages with Bucklin's Tree Service, but never heard back from the owners.
