Every August, it's a change of pace for residents who live near the University of Arizona.
"The university can be a good neighbor and sometimes not such a good neighbor," said Sam Hughes Neighborhood Board Secretary, Gayle Hartmann.
Hartmann has lived in Sam Hughes neighborhood, just east of campus, since 1975. In the past, the start of school has marked the start of a number of issues.
"Noise is probably the biggest issue. Parking used to be a problem. That's been resolved now for a number of years because we have to have parking permits now to park in front of our own houses," said Hartmann.
This year, the university is encouraging residents to say something if they see something. A 24/7 hotline (520-282-3649) is available for neighbors to call and report issues.
"We have people who will answer the phone and talk with neighbors about what they're seeing, what they're hearing and give them some remedies they might consider. We also take note ourselves and we will go visit students and let them know that there's been a complaint about their noise," said University of Arizona Assistant Vice President of Community Relations Julie Katsel.
The City of Tucson's Red Tag Ordinance is also in place to penalize residents who receive noise complaints.
"First red tag is a $500 fine and then each subsequent red tag increases to $750 or $1,000 per incident," said Katsel.
The goal is to resolve the issue before it gets to that point.
"Be quiet, be respectful, pick up your trash and go introduce yourself to your neighbors. That's a really good thing to do as well," said Hartmann.
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Megan Meier is a reporter for KGUN 9. Megan graduated from Arizona State Universityʼs Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications in May 2018. While pursuing her degree in broadcast journalism, Megan interned at the City of Phoenix. Share your story ideas and important issues with Megan by emailing megan.meier@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
