Herb Opalek: The sounds of Merced

I sometimes go home for lunch during the workweek, and of late I have been treated to a cacophony of sound from the G Street construction project.

While it is not music to my ears, I am well aware of the value of cars not being stopped for railroad traffic on a major city thoroughfare.

Although more traffic will barrel down my street for some 18 months, the inconvenience is well worth the price of one ambulance being stopped en route to transporting a patient to Mercy Medical Center.

We go through our lives being annoyed by various sounds -- for example someone continually coughing aloud, a child screaming or crying or loud music emanating from a passing car or neighbor's home.

Studies tell us of the negative effects of noise pollution to our well-being. Noise affects us in many ways, including human health; interfering with our being heard; interfering with our sleep; and decreasing our work performance.

To put it simply, noise is an irritant.

We never take a minute to consider the positive effect of noises that emanate from our city.

At present, we see an ideal example in that after a summer hiatus this past weekend we again find the roar of the crowd creating a lot of noise from our high schools sports stadia.

Interscholastic sports is not only fun, but a way to have our youth work off their energy in a positive manner. Our children learn to compete in a positive way, to take pride in school and self, and are kept away from Merced's ever encroaching gangs.

High school sports are a must event in Merced County.

I admit to being upset when there are many raised voices spouting various languages in a crowd.

That noise begins to give me a throbbing headache. Yet, when that noise comes from the mouths of needy and homeless men, women and children who are lining up to receive hot nutritious meals, it is, indeed, a wonderful sound.

Then, for people of faith, there is the noise of lifting up one's prayers in song. Often the singing is disjointed, off tune and full of missed words. In other words, noise rather than a harmony of sweet song.

Yet the joy of our community filling our church pews every Sunday negates the noise level and the ever present injunction of shout to the Lord.

There is a level of noise particular to our weekends in Merced.

Drive down any main artery and you see enthusiastic boys and girls shouting out for your car to be washed. Such noise makes driving with your windows open to be uncomfortable.

Yet seeing children raise funds for hurting families, funeral costs or club activities shows that Merced is training its youth well and that this shouting is a good noise.

On the other hand, Simon and Garfunkel made their name on a song "Sounds of Silence."

In Merced there are sounds and noises that need to be silent. We need to hear less gunfire in the evenings that bring on more noises of agony and hurt.

We need to hear the silence of bigotry of race, sexual orientation and religion. We need to stop the shrill sounds of hurting men, women and children.

There is one noise that streams constantly through our lives, and even the G Street construction will not remove these sounds from our psyche.

Of course, I am referring to the ever-present railroad whistle as these trains pass through Merced.

It is a shame that the laws enforcing the length of time that these trains can whistle traffic to a stop is mostly observed by its nonobservance. What a blessing if the railroad cooperated more.

Chapter 10 of the Merced Vision 2015 General Plan speaks to noise abatement in our community.

Whether this plan is effectuated or is enough to control the noise pollution in Merced is yet to be seen.

I am not sure that a quieter town is a safer one, but most certainly it is a pleasanter one.

Herb Opalek is CEO of the Merced County Rescue Mission.