Hospital's AC units annoy neighbors

SOUTH BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Some neighbors in South Buffalo say their next door neighbor - Mercy Hospital - is robbing them of their peace and quiet.

Residents say giant new air conditioning units are to blame. The units are part of a $7.5 million project to upgrade the hospital, but after they went online in May, complaints about the noise began to blow in.

Ray Jaskowiak has been a resident in South Buffalo for 50 something years. He's hoping the hospital will come up with a solution for the noise.

Jaskowiak says he can still hear it in his house, "not as loud of course. But still it's a nuisance.:

Jeanette Schmidle lives just down the street and says, "It's just a constant noise that doesn't go away."

Schmidle says she's been spending more and more time inside this summer because of the noise.

"I've been putting my central air conditioner on purposely so that I end up just staying in the house, and not actually using my porch anymore because of the noise," she said.

John Herman, Chief Operating Officer of Mercy Hospital, is aware of the complaints.

"It is [loud]. It's a different noise than what was out there previously," Herman acknowledged.

He says there are plans to put up a sound barrier around the new units, but a fix can't come soon enough for those looking for quieter days and nights. The new sound barriers are expected to be installed over the next week or two and should be finished by the middle of August.