The City Council likely didn’t have much choice but to approve, at least this year, the Los Contrincantes Car Club and Bike Crew’s application to use Bergman Park for a car show on Sept. 18.

What’s surprising, though, is that a permit was approved at all without first having council members speak to the car club during a council meeting. Members of the Public Safety Committee approved a permit for the car show on June 7 and then had car club members come to the committee on Monday to discuss ways to allow the show and neighbors to co-exist.

Shouldn’t that have been the other way around? Shouldn’t an event guaranteed to generate that much noise have some sign-off from neighbors before the council approves it? The process here was poor. Either way, these concerns should have been brought up before the permit was approved. The only concerns listed in the meeting minutes are that council members wanted an earlier ending time and an understanding that if noise complaints happen an effort will be made to reduce it.

Give Councilman Jeff Russell, R-At Large, credit for trying to make sure the Los Contrincantes Car Club and Bike Crew show on Sept. 18 doesn’t drive neighbors up the wall as a car stereo competition takes place for three hours on a Sunday afternoon. Dan Stone, city parks manager, is trying to orient the show where woods may buffer the noise somewhat compared to stationing the show on Baker Street. A test will be held in the next couple of weeks — perhaps that test should include a couple of these car stereo systems so that council members, neighbors and the police department have a sense for just how noisy the show will be and then amend the permimt accordingly.

As our sister paper, the Dunkirk OBSERVER, opined after a similar show in Dunkirk generated hundreds of complaints, these types of car shows are becoming more and more the norm compared to the quieter car shows Bergman Park neighborhood residents are used to. Until this first show happens in Jamestown, no one knows how obtrustive the noise will actually be, so it isn’t fair to simply say the show shouldn’t be permitted. At the same time, neighborhood parks are in neighborhoods with homes that are typically quiet. Ear-splitting noise for several consecutive hours can be a problem for those with small children and animals.

The city is trying to meet the car club halfway — but car club members must do the same. Openly antagonizing those who live near Bergman Park on Sept. 18 should not be tolerated — and both Jamestown and Dunkirk should reserve the right to shut these shows down if the noise becomes unbearable for neighbors.