DETROIT – Residents in West Village, living near the Riverview Health & Rehab Center on Jefferson Avenue, said they have been dealing with loud noise from a temporary boiler installed outside the facility.
The boiler, installed last week, emits a low, vibrating noise that residents say can be heard at all hours and even rattles their windows.
Danny and Stephanie Gianino, who live just steps away from the rehab center, say they were told the boiler is expected to be in use for up to five weeks while repairs are underway.
“I had to go speak to the owner of the temporary boiler system, and he told me how long it was going to take, and I just thought it was completely unacceptable,” Danny Gianino said.
“It’s like a kind of low base vibration. When it turns on, it becomes quite a lot louder; you can feel it in your body when you’re inside your house, bedroom windows rattle,” said Noah Delaney, who also lives near the facility.
“It’s definitely noticeable, and it’s this ominous, weird sound,” said resident Karl Kaebnick.
Riverview Health’s corporate offices did not return our calls for comment on Tuesday (Feb. 17) afternoon.
Neighbors say they’ve dealt with noisy HVAC equipment at the facility before. In one instance, Delany said a maintenance worker refused to speak with him and told him to file a noise complaint with the police.
“I went up to the corporate office, and I spoke to the receptionist there, and she told me that Detroit is a noisy city, and basically I had to deal with it,” said Danny.
Residents have taken their concerns to the city’s Building Safety, Engineering, and Environmental Department.
Director Dave Bell said an inspector was sent to the rehab center Tuesday evening.
“If they are doing something wrong, we’re going to issue a violation notice and give them time to come into compliance,” Bell said.
If the issue is not resolved, the city’s law department can pursue legal action.
Bell said BSEED previously investigated complaints of faulty HVAC equipment at the facility in the fall and said the equipment was removed.
Similar complaints can be filed on the city’s website. Most complaints are addressed within a day.
“We take these complaints very seriously,” Bell said. ”We usually get people out within 24 hours, and these complaints are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on what’s going on.”
“We’d like for the issue to be acknowledged and to be fixed instead of just being ignored, being treated rudely, and acting like there’s nothing wrong when there’s clearly something wrong,” Stephanie Gianino said.