Monmouth County Tells Keyport To Stop Playing Evening Chimes

KEYPORT, NJ — Hey, Keyport, be quiet. That's the message Monmouth County is sending to this tiny, bucolic waterfront town on Raritan Bay.

Every evening at about 6 p.m., tiny Keyport — population about 7,000 — broadcasts "Westminster Quarters" from its emergency alert siren behind town hall. They're the same chimes played by Big Ben in London.

"We do it partly to test that our emergency alert system works, but we also do it to remind kids who are playing outside that it's time to go home for dinner," said Keyport Business Administrator Stephen Gallo. "It lasts for about 10 seconds every evening. It's loud enough that everyone in town can hear it. But everyone here loves it."

Apparently, though, an anonymous Keyport resident complained that the chimes are annoying. The Monmouth County Health Department contacted Keyport several times, asking them to turn off the chimes. The county says Keyport's chime-playing is a noise violation.

"The borough recently received a complaint from the Monmouth County Health Department ordering us to stop ringing the chimes or face enforcement action," the town wrote on its Facebook page. "We like the evening chimes. We believe the vast majority of Keyport residents like them too. It’s a harmless part of the character of our community."

"I've been contacted by the county several times now, starting in late March and continuing through early April," said Gallo. "We have absolutely no idea who complained."

Keyport has temporarily stopped playing the chimes, but they contacted the state Department of Environmental Protection to get to the bottom of this, Gallo said. He said the state DEP should know the noise code ordinances, and will be providing clarity.

Keyport has even contacted state lawmakers like Sen. Declan O'Scanlon (R-13th District) and Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso (R-13th District) to change existing state laws and allow them to continue playing the chimes.

"Hopefully we can clear up this matter," he said.

The last time Patch wrote about Keyport was when the town hosted its annual Halloween scarecrow-decorating contest last fall and the Donald Trump scarecrow kept getting vandalized. Someone kept ripping its head off: Keyport Donald Trump Scarecrow Vandalized ... Again

Top photo from the town of Keyport.