Charlestown residents make noise over cannon protests
By Renee Nadeau | Sunday, November 8, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
Charlestown residents are raising their voices in favor of a naval tradition after several neighbors complained about the USS Constitution’s daily gun blasts.
Cmdr. Richard L. Gillen, a Charlestown resident and retired commanding officer of the USS Constitution, said he never received complaints about noise from the twice-daily ceremonial gunfire.
Neighbors in a condo complex shot off letters to current Commanding Officer Timothy Cooper, lamenting the loud cannons and playing of the national anthem as the flag is raised in the morning and lowered at sunset.
“There have been times in the past when people were concerned that their (car) alarms went off,” he said of Old Ironsides’ powerful gun blasts. “Then it turned out to be a tourist attraction.”
Gillen said he received several calls from neighbors regarding the reported noise complaint, and no one he spoke with sided with the few ticked-off residents.
“The people knew when they came here what the area was like. I would assume that they didn’t buy that sight unseen,” Gillen said.
He expects the Navy will consider all reasonable options, such as reducing the battery charge, and try to be a courteous neighbor while respecting a “patriotic symbol.”
“It’s stirring up a hornet’s nest. Just think of the uproar there will be if they stop, and all the people who are patriotic and concerned will be fuming,” he said.
Peg Bradley of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council said she is unaware of complaints about the ship but invited offended neighbors to the elected board’s Dec. 1 meeting. “They can come and express their concerns,” she said.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1210350
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