Los Contricantes President Jose Sanchez

The majority of people, including several city council members, who spoke at Jamestown City Council last night spoke in favor of the Los Contricantes Car Show taking place September 18th in Bergman Park. Excessive noise has been the major concern about the event as it includes a stereo contest and two-step exhaust competition.

Councilmember and Public Safety Committee Chair Brent Sheldon said the city and event organizers held a sound test last week at Bergman Park using a city-owned decibel reader and that the sound from the two cars doing the test of their stereo systems did not register on the meter. He stated he didn’t think the noise, based on this test, would be excessive and with Jamestown Police being hired to do security at the event he felt the committee had done its due diligence.

Public Safety Committee members Tamu Graham-Reinhardt and Jeff Russell also stated that noise was their main issue but both also felt the organizers had worked with the city to alleviate their concerns about the event.

Car Club member Esteban Cordova said the club has been established for nearly 3 years and has held events like parades with the cars and motorcycles where noise might have been an issue, “In the past three year, never once did anybody from the Police Department get a phone call from us, or from anybody, saying that the Los Contricantes is making too much noise. Never once. That just shows how much control we have and respect we have for our own community.”

Los Contricantes President and Founder Jose Sanchez said the club’s passion is the community, ” Give us a chance. You can’t judge us on something we have not done yet. If we do do it and it succeeds, it’ll be great for the city. If we don’t succeed, which I doubt it, because I’m a man of my word, we’ll take care of deleting the music and we’ll have a regular car show just like you wanted. But just give us the opportunity to bring something new to this community.”

Ward Four Council Member Marie Carrubba said she’s received many emails, phone calls, and contacts from residents who said they’re not opposed to an event but the fact that it’s a “noise event,” “They feel this is not the right venue. Not in their neighborhood. And the reason why it is zoned R-1 is that it’s a residential neighborhood. It is not a commercial district. It is not a manufacturing district. It is a residential neighborhood. I have had people tell me who live in the east side of the park back up on Parkdale and up on Timber Lane and up in that neighborhood that when there are loud speakers going at the pavilion they can hear it carry into their neighborhood.”

Councilmember Carrubba asked Mayor Eddie Sundquist if Bergman Park is the best location for this event, “I can say though that we’ve held many large events at Bergman Park that have included large sounds. I mean, we’ve had the Labor Day Festival that included bands, fireworks, all kinds of events.”

Council President Tony Dolce said he’d like to give the Car Club a chance, but he still has concerns about Bergman being the right venue as well as the number of people who will be attending the event, “How many cars can physically fit in that park and how many people we should put in that park. As you said, it’s not the largest park in Jamestown. It is my understanding that those cars will be parked on parking lots and not on the fields, so I’m concerned about the number of cars that will be on the parking lot or on the roadways around there.”

Mayor Sundquist added that City Council members do have the ability to make a motion to revoke or change the special event permit, if desired. Dolce said that motion, if made, would be taken up at the voting session on August 30th.