But that, Syverson says, he could live with. It’s the sound from outdoor events that have caused conflict with his neighbors.
“It’s really just the noise,” Syverson said of his issues with the winery. “We wanted to be away from the city, away from the noise. We’re not.”
Syverson attended a Clark County commissioners workshop meeting last week, where he was able to share his concerns as the county looks at revising its rules for county wineries.
In Clark County, agricultural use is allowed in all zones. But the question before commissioners is what happens when a winery goes from growing grapes and fermenting wines to hosting events?
Jeremy Brown, the owner of the Rusty Grape Vineyard, didn’t attend the workshop. Brown is out of the country for a few weeks, according to his father-in-law Robbin Hall, who is minding the vineyard while he’s gone.
The events, Hall says, are important as they help make the winery viable.
“It’s to make a living,” Hall said. “It’s done to employ people, and to grow the community.”
Hall says the winery hosts about two outdoor events each month when the weather allows. Many of those have amplified music playing. But Hall says the winery has never been fined for violating noise complaints.
He said the vineyard is waiting on the county to draft final rules for wineries, but they are also discussing ways to fix the noise issue in the interim.
“What we will have to do is probably run a higher fence and plant trees all the way around,” Hall said. “We don’t want to have upset neighbors.”
The relationship between wineries and their neighbors is likely to become more of a talking point in coming years as the county expects growth in the industry. There are currently eight wineries on file with the county.
At last week’s workshop session, commissioners agreed they need to set rules for wineries hosting events. But Commissioner Steve Stuart boiled that point down even further.
“This is not about events,” Stuart said. “It’s about noise and traffic.”
The workshop only scratched the surface of the discussion as a whole. Food service issues must also be taken up before policy direction is given to staff to draft.
