Residents press Carmel board on noise, parking and safety tied to Friends Waterfront Bar

Residents from the East Lake Boulevard area told the Town Board on Sept. 2 that amplified music, underage drinking and late-night gatherings at Friends Waterfront Bar and Grill have degraded quality of life and created safety risks. Laura Spalina said she and neighbors have collected roughly 93 signatures asking the town to deny further amplified-music permits for the venue.

"We've been dealing personally… staying up late, not getting sleep, having a DJ outposted on the dock, blasting music," Spalina said, and added that some nights included profanities and a DJ that ran until 1:30 a.m. She told the board she fears for her family's safety and urged enforcement of noise rules.

Other residents echoed the complaint. Roger Chirugy said he collected nearly all signatures from neighbors and described a pattern of unpermitted events and late-night disturbances. "I had to call the police… they were wonderful," he said, adding he believes the bar held events without permits.

Board members explained the permitting and enforcement process: sound permits are filed with the town clerk’s office and reviewed by the police department, which may approve or deny them based on public-safety and prior-violation history; violations are enforced in local court. Councilman Kearns and others said the board does not directly grant sound permits and that enforcement is handled by police and court processes.

On traffic-safety concerns tied to the bar and general speeding on East Lake Boulevard, the board committed to several next steps: attend the traffic safety board meeting, consider a signed letter from the Town Board to County Executive Kevin Byrne and Putnam County legislators requesting reduced speed limits (15–20 mph) on the county-maintained portions of the road, and urge residents to participate in county meetings.

Provenance: resident petitions and noise complaints introduced SEG 601–714 (Laura Spalina); enforcement and permit-process explanation SEG 739–754; support comments and signature counts SEG 912–1008 (Roger Chirugy); vehicle-crash and safety concerns SEG 1028–1102 (Jen Telesco); board follow-up and county advocacy SEG 1125–1299.