41magsnub
Member
ok, this is kind of funny and ironic!
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MjQwMDQy
Firing range has Bubble Wrap maker popping mad
Monday, December 31, 2007
By GIOVANNA FABIANO
STAFF WRITER
ELMWOOD PARK -- The maker of Bubble Wrap -- the famously addictive packaging that people love to pop, crackle and stomp on – says the popping of gunshots from a nearby police shooting range is giving its employees a headache.
Sealed Air Corp., maker of the cushioned plastic since 1957, says the noise from gunfire at the police department's firing range is "disruptive and unsettling" to its employees, according to a letter sent to borough officials.
Police Chief Don Ingrasselino says developers should have thought of that before building an office complex a few feet away from a shooting range.
Sealed Air sent the letter to the borough last month, complaining that the sound of gunfire is especially pronounced in work areas and meeting rooms on the north and west sides of the building.
The company, which moved its corporate headquarters from Saddle Brook to Riverfront Boulevard in Elmwood Park last year, asked the mayor and council to consider adjusting officers' training schedules and provide additional sound insulation for the range on nearby Slater Drive.
"This noise has been disruptive and disquieting to many of our employees," Margaret Frontera, public affairs manager for Sealed Air, wrote in the letter. Frontera could not be reached for additional comment Friday.
Ingrasselino has fired back with his own letter, arguing that the police training facility, which includes a firing range, was in that location long before Sealed Air moved in. The chief said noise concerns should have been addressed during the construction phase of the project.
"Police officers have trained at that location for over 55 years without incurring any noise complaints until now," Ingrasselino wrote.
There is no easy solution for the noise problem, Ingrasselino said, citing several concerns:
# The department must follow state mandates that require officers to pass several qualification tests a year, proving their proficiency in shooting handguns, rifles and shotguns.
# If officers were forced to shoot on weekends, the borough would incur thousands of dollars of overtime costs.
# Erecting an indoor shooting range at the current site would cost nearly $1 million, and relocating the training program to Bergen County's facility would cost the borough $250,000 annually.
"Getting 45 officers down to shoot four times a year with rotating schedules is a nightmare as it is, so making them shoot only at certain times is not feasible," Ingrasselino said.
"All of a sudden, there's a development within feet of the range and now there's a problem," Ingrasselino said, adding, "When they were developing that, they should have addressed that."
Ingrasselino said the borough has no plans to make adjustments at the range, and officials have not received any follow-up letters from Sealed Air.
Also known for producing Jiffy bags and Cryovac packaging, Sealed Air is best known for Bubble Wrap, which has inspired dozens of Web sites dedicated to the practice of popping the plastic bubbles on the packaging and creating a loud noise. Sealed Air has even created BubbleWrapFun.com, a site dedicated to amusing uses of Bubble Wrap, including a bubble-popping game.
E-mail: [email protected]
7240042
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MjQwMDQy
Firing range has Bubble Wrap maker popping mad
Monday, December 31, 2007
By GIOVANNA FABIANO
STAFF WRITER
ELMWOOD PARK -- The maker of Bubble Wrap -- the famously addictive packaging that people love to pop, crackle and stomp on – says the popping of gunshots from a nearby police shooting range is giving its employees a headache.
Sealed Air Corp., maker of the cushioned plastic since 1957, says the noise from gunfire at the police department's firing range is "disruptive and unsettling" to its employees, according to a letter sent to borough officials.
Police Chief Don Ingrasselino says developers should have thought of that before building an office complex a few feet away from a shooting range.
Sealed Air sent the letter to the borough last month, complaining that the sound of gunfire is especially pronounced in work areas and meeting rooms on the north and west sides of the building.
The company, which moved its corporate headquarters from Saddle Brook to Riverfront Boulevard in Elmwood Park last year, asked the mayor and council to consider adjusting officers' training schedules and provide additional sound insulation for the range on nearby Slater Drive.
"This noise has been disruptive and disquieting to many of our employees," Margaret Frontera, public affairs manager for Sealed Air, wrote in the letter. Frontera could not be reached for additional comment Friday.
Ingrasselino has fired back with his own letter, arguing that the police training facility, which includes a firing range, was in that location long before Sealed Air moved in. The chief said noise concerns should have been addressed during the construction phase of the project.
"Police officers have trained at that location for over 55 years without incurring any noise complaints until now," Ingrasselino wrote.
There is no easy solution for the noise problem, Ingrasselino said, citing several concerns:
# The department must follow state mandates that require officers to pass several qualification tests a year, proving their proficiency in shooting handguns, rifles and shotguns.
# If officers were forced to shoot on weekends, the borough would incur thousands of dollars of overtime costs.
# Erecting an indoor shooting range at the current site would cost nearly $1 million, and relocating the training program to Bergen County's facility would cost the borough $250,000 annually.
"Getting 45 officers down to shoot four times a year with rotating schedules is a nightmare as it is, so making them shoot only at certain times is not feasible," Ingrasselino said.
"All of a sudden, there's a development within feet of the range and now there's a problem," Ingrasselino said, adding, "When they were developing that, they should have addressed that."
Ingrasselino said the borough has no plans to make adjustments at the range, and officials have not received any follow-up letters from Sealed Air.
Also known for producing Jiffy bags and Cryovac packaging, Sealed Air is best known for Bubble Wrap, which has inspired dozens of Web sites dedicated to the practice of popping the plastic bubbles on the packaging and creating a loud noise. Sealed Air has even created BubbleWrapFun.com, a site dedicated to amusing uses of Bubble Wrap, including a bubble-popping game.
E-mail: [email protected]
7240042
