MAKING A RACKET
Hotel’s noisy chiller riles neighbours
When Mike Chipley opens his bedroom window, the background rumble from outside his apartment becomes “a roar.”
He’s taken to avoiding his balcony, which overlooks the back of the Hotel Saskatchewan. If the wind is blowing right, he can catch a whiff of diesel from the generator that runs the hotel’s external air conditioner.
“When (the wind is) coming from the east, we have to close the patio door as well because it comes into the apartment,” he said. “The smell is rank.”
Chipley’s neighbours at 2001 Cornwall are up in arms over the huge 14-fan chiller, which is back after a one-year hiatus. Many remember putting up with the sound and smell for months in 2016, when the hotel’s cooling unit broke down.
The apartment building ’s manager, Bobbie Sevenster, said “half of the building is complaining regularly.” She said the hotel has not been responsive to their concerns. Chipley said he contacted Marriott when the noise began weeks ago, but never heard back from local managers.
But hotel general manager Colin Perry said he hasn’t heard from any residents about this issue. He said the chiller is a stopgap solution brought in after another breakdown. This time there’s no fixing the hotel’s cooling system, Perry explained, but parts have just arrived for a replacement.
“We’re moving as quickly as possible to get it up and running,” he said.
Perry said he can’t give a specific timeline for when the new unit will be assembled, but he said he hopes it will be “within one or two weeks.” Even after the external chiller is gone, the generator will remain in place longer.
Chipley said he’s willing to wait. But if the noise continues long into July, “the excrement will hit the proverbial ventilator.”
His neighbour, Saif Imran, doesn’t want to endure another day.
“It’s a nightmare. It’s a constant punishment,” said Imran. “It’s like I’m living in an industrial complex.”
Imran said it sometimes feels like “grinding” in his head. He turns up the volume on his television in a desperate attempt to block out the sound, which he said continues 24 hours a day. But he can’t escape the vibrations he thinks come from the generator. Like others, he has taken to sleeping with the windows closed, even in hot weather.
This Tuesday, workers erected a plywood wall behind the chiller. Perry said it’s one of several measures the hotel has taken to dampen the sound. Residents said it might muffle the noise on lower floors, but those with apartments higher up insist they haven’t gotten any relief.
“It’s not serving the purpose at all,” said Imran.
He knows there’s nothing he can do to rush the hotel. But he thinks someone else can.
“It is up to city,” Imran said. “The city can come and shut them down if it is against the bylaws.”
The city has been getting complaints. according to current planning manager Fred Searle. He said in a statement that staff are in touch with the hotel. They are assessing the situation to see if the noise is violating bylaws.
“If it is evident that the noise generated is in contravention of municipal noise bylaws the City will take necessary action in working with the property owner to achieve compliance,” said Searle.
Chipley took his concerns to Coun. Andrew Stevens, who represents the downtown. Stevens said he raised the issue with bylaw enforcement and tried to get in touch with the hotel management. He said he never got a response. Perry denies ever receiving word of Stevens’s message.
“If there was one, my apologies,” he said.
He said he’s willing to sit down with Chipley to talk things out.
It’s a nightmare. It’s a constant punishment. It’s like I’m living in an industrial complex.