07/12/10

Committee eyes regulating roosters in residential areas

The Town Council's ordinance committee will soon consider a proposal to ban roosters in residential areas of Cape Elizabeth.

Or, at least regulate them.

David Sherman, Town councilor who heads the ordinance subcommittee, suggested the committee consider regulations on roosters at the written request of John Maley and Debra Maley, and at least two other letter-writers living in different neighborhoods who had also complained about rooster noise.

John Maley, who at the July 12, 2010 council meeting told councilors that the problem had gone away for the Ocean House Road couple, asked that the council still look into regulating roosters, especially since others in town were having the same experience. The council unanimously agreed.

"Although we try to preserve our rural character, I think you've got to balance that with the needs of residential neighborhoods, so I think it is something that is appropriate for the ordinance committee to take up," Sherman said.

Councilor Penny Jordan, also a member of the Cape Farm Alliance, said she was not opposed to sending the matter to committee. But, "the key is when we define residential areas, there are residences that abut our farms," she said. "I just don't want it to start to impact the ability for farms to have chickens or roosters," she said.

Town Manager Michael McGovern said that other towns have regulated roosters, and he agreed it would be "well worth the ordinance committee to take a look at it."

Anne Swift-Kayatta, council chair, said she was confident the committee would consider rooster regulations with care. "Rural character is important, but this is also a town primarily of residences. Three may be conflicts but there's probably a way to make this work," Swift-Kayatta said.