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Thirteenth Street resident Jamie Walsh told the Steamboat Springs City Council on Tuesday that his family just wants a good night's sleep, but the loud noises from nearby trucks can make it hard to get one.

The neighbor, B&K Distributor Inc., said it has gone to great lengths to mitigate the noise problem but still must be able to operate its business.

Walsh said that for the past few years, the Fairview Neighborhood has been plagued with the sounds of trucks backing up, idling and sounding their airbrakes at all times. Walsh, who has taken decibel readings of the noise levels and video taped the business's activity to document the violations, said he has tried working with the business owners, the city police and staff.

"There is a problem, and it has not gone away," Walsh said. "What steps can be taken so residents can enjoy a reasonable amount of peace and enjoyment in their home and receive a good night's sleep?"

One of the owners, Kevin Kaminski, said he also thinks the trucks should not be idling overnight, but said the drivers who park overnight are from outside companies and that many have never delivered to B&K before.

"I don't want those trucks there, either," Kaminski said.

But Kaminski also said they worked hard to reduce the noise levels and even hired a noise specialist to help. B&K has put up no overnight parking signs, and the city has agreed to allow drivers to park their trucks at the Stock Bridge Transit Center. The business agreed to do all loading and unloading of their trucks inside the building after hours and to pay for a high fence along the property line to keep noise from leaving their property.

B&K's attorney, Mike Holloran, said the owners are willing to allow ticketing for any truckers who are illegally parked overnight.

"They are doing the best job they can, but they still need to operate their business," Holloran said.

Because the matter is scheduled to be heard by the municipal court, the council made few comments about the case. But, the council did direct staff to look at changing its noise ordinance to address loud noise levels that occur continuously for long periods of time. It also asked staff to look at how it measured noise violations.

B&K Distributor is involved in two different noise complaint violation cases, and a hearing is set at the municipal court for Dec. 2.

During Tuesday's council meeting, other Fairview residents shared their stories of the loud noise from B&K. Others said the company is supportive of the community and that the noise levels were no louder than the sounds of trains, snowplows or street sweepers that almost all residents have to endure.

-- To reach Christine Metz call 871-4229

or e-mail cmetz@steamboatpilot.com