School Sports Facilities Next Door
We’ve recently bought an apartment next to the John Jay High School in Park Slope. The car park, adjacent to our apartment, is now being turned into a recreational area with basketball courts. Apparently the facility will also be open to the public some of the time. We’re very worried about the noise implications. Already…
We’ve recently bought an apartment next to the John Jay High School in Park Slope. The car park, adjacent to our apartment, is now being turned into a recreational area with basketball courts. Apparently the facility will also be open to the public some of the time. We’re very worried about the noise implications. Already the late night noise from school events is a problem. We’re not getting clear information about the exact plans of the school at this point. What recourse do we have, if any, to ensure that noise levels are restricted and that the facility is not used at night, weekends etc? Any advice would be most welcome!
Thanks for very interesting and informative comments -and welcoming ones too. Or course we noticed there was a school next to the apartment and though we were concerned about the noise prospect, we loved – and still love – the apartment and thought we would get used to it. And mostly we have – even the late night matches – though the drilling at the moment is a nightmare. But that hopefully is short term.
Our concern is if the outside area is used at night and at weekends. I have kids myself and completely agree that it’s better for John Jay students to be able to play basketball outside than lounge around indoors during recess. Really what I want to know is what restrictions exist on the use of facilities like these – if any – for weekends and night time. Also, does anyone know if there’s a block association for 4th St?
Did you happen to notice that there was a school near your apartment before you moved in?
The noice from children playing will be the least of your worries dealing with John Jay students.
And as stated it is a school yard not a car park these were intended to be places for students to get outside and exercise.
BTW there is a hospital a few blocks away.You may hear sirens from ambulances also.
If any of this noise is related to school construction there is nothing you can do about it. The SCA (School COnstruction Authority) is not allowed to do work during the school day. That means the SCA and all related work gets started at 3pm and will work a full 8 hour day.
My last school had it’s facade re-done. Turned out to be an emergency job as bricks started falling off. SCA worked from 3pm until 1 am to get it done as quickly as possible. Neighbors hated it, understandably, but there was nothing they could do about it.
As for “school functions” I echo the above comments, you moved next to a school, playground/court/kid noise is the price you pay for not having a Scarano building built on that site…
There is not too much you can do at this point. Noise regulations around schools are tough. Buy some earplugs and loud fans to drown out the noise from outside?
Funny – I also looked at apartments adjacent to John Jay. Ultimately, we decided not to buy because of the midnight basketball league. It was too loud for my taste. We ended up about a block and a half away. What I have heard from friends and neighbors on 5th street is that the uniformed officers that monitor the midnight basketball league tend to be very receptive to requests from the neighbors to lower the volume of the music that plays in the gym after 10 pm. Perhaps that might help.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
Jeez. One of the reasons people move to Brooklyn is to join the wonderful, welcoming communities that have formed in all the various neighborhoods. Anyone reading the responses to this poster with perfectly legitimate question would turn tail and run for another borough based on the hostility and criticism that some of the members of this supposed “community” displayed. As a fellow resident of the one of the two John Jay blocks, I’d like to welcome Philippa to our little slice of the neighborhood and wish her the best of luck settling in.
Hooray for another recreational spot for kids! It is a much better use than a parking lot and I hope it gets a lot of use.
As for the noise, I assume that like any city facility it would be closed at night. And as for noise restrictions, these are basketball courts in the middle of a city, not ATV racing. There is going to be some noise, but only what is expected in a busy part of Brooklyn right behind a high school. If I lived there and someone was playing basketball at midnight I’d sure call 311, but any other time and I’d be glad to see kids out getting exercize. It is a public good.
The bottom line Philippa, is that within some reason, school events and recreation for youth is more important than peace and quiet.
I live across from this school (renting, mercifully) on 4th st. I’m listening to the jackhammers now. 4 or 5 years ago the school did facade work during the school year and there was noise until 10:30pm. The work was done mostly at night so as to not disturb the kids during school hours. If I were you I’d prepare myself for some noise for the next year. Me? I’m moving.
@12:22. you beat me to it! They were not built as ‘car parks’ they were built as outdoor recreational space that the self-entitled teachers union, in cahoots with the administration, stole from the children.