Noisy HVAC System Draws Neighbors' Ire In Morristown

MORRISTOWN, NJ — An ongoing noise complaint over an HVAC system has come to a head, with residents of Altamont Court showing up in force to show their support for two tenants who spoke out about the issue.

During the Aug. 8 town council meeting, Jeanne Longo was accompanied by more than a dozen of her fellow residents in order to address the issue of noise in their neighborhood.

Altamont Court is located one street over from The Regency on Elm, which is an apartment building consisting of studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. According to Longo, the cause of the noise is the large HVAC unit on top of the apartment complex.

"The noise that it generates really affects the quality of our lives on Altamont Court, as well it could potentially affect our home values," Longo said.

This is not the first time that the residents of Altamont Court have spoken up to the administration and council about this persistent issue, Longo noted, stating that they have previously helped the community raise this issue with the management at The Regency on Elm.

Brian Mulligan, the town's construction code official, stated that when the HVAC system was first installed, it was installed incorrectly and needed to be redone. Longo said that it was the town council that helped that come to fruition.

Fixing the HVAC system did lower the noise level, but it still did not fix the problem, Longo said.

"I can't even really use my backyard. I moved here from New York City with my husband and we wanted a backyard and were really excited about it, but now when we sit back there, we can barely hear each other when we talk," Longo said.

Resident Thad Kobylarz, who has lived at his property on Altamont Court for more than four decades, also spoke up, expressing his frustrations with the noise levels from the apartment complex.

Kobylarz asked the mayor to conduct another decibel level test in the neighborhood, as the system could have deteriorated more since the last time the town took the measurement. Kobylarz also specified that the test should be conducted at around 3 p.m. when the AC is at full blast.

Noise complaints about The Regency on Elm are not new, according to Councilman Robert Iannaccone, and the town handled similar issues a few years ago after the apartment complex underwent renovations.

"We will follow up on this again," Iannaccone said.

Town Administrator Jillian Barrick stated that the town has been made aware of the ongoing noise issues and that Mulligan has been in constant communication with the management company at the apartment complex.

"Brian will stay on top of them until the repairs are made. He's also strongly suggested that they consider putting a baffle to further mitigate the noise issue going forward. It does seem like they have some repair issues, but we are on top of it," Barrick said.