Hartwood headaches over wedding woes

Indiana Township, where Hartwood Acres is located, has an ordinance addressing "excessive noise."

Indiana Township, where Hartwood Acres is located, has an ordinance addressing "excessive noise."

SHOOTING BUT IT IS UNCLEAR IF IT WAS THE GUN USED THAT NIGHT. A SEASON OF WEDDING WOES. THAT IS HOW ONE LOCAL WEDDING PLANNER DESCRIBED HER EXPERIENCE WITH HARWOOD ACRES. SHE SAID NOISE COMPLETES GOT HER CLIENT’S SPECIAL DAY SHUTDOWN EARLY AND NOW SHE IS WARNING COUPLES TO AVOID THE VENUE ALTOGETHER. MIKE JOINS US NOW. >> A WOMAN NAMED ALEX ASKED US NOT TO SHOW HER FACE OR USE HER LAST NAME. SHE DOES NOT WANT ANYONE TO JEOPARDIZE THAT. AFTER WHAT SHE LEARNED FROM OTHER BRIDES, SHE IS MORE THAN READY TO LOOK AT OTHER VENUES. >> IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR. WE LOOKED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. >> THE EXCITEMENT THAT ALEX WHEN TED WAS WERE PLACED WITH FRUSTRATION OR CONFUSING -- CONFUSION LAST WEEK. MY WEDDING PLANNER SAID SOMETHING IS AMISS. >> I DID NOT REALIZE THIS WAS HAPPENING EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND. >> A DIFFERENT WEDDING PLANNER WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE SOUNDING OFF. >> THE HOUSE LIGHTS WENT UP AND THEY TRY TO SHUT THE ENTIRE PARTY DOWN. THAT IS BIZARRE AND IN THE REALLY NEVER HAPPENS. >> DAVIS’S COMPANY HAD FOUR WEDDINGS IN HARTFORD. EACH ONE SHE SAYS VENUE STAFF TO SHUTDOWN THE PARTIES AT 10:00 DESPITE HER CLIENTS CONTRACTS OUTLINING THEY COULD LAST UNTIL 11:00. DAVID SAYS THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER ISSUES INCLUDING THE FACT THAT AT ONE WEDDING, HARDWOOD MADE THE DJ USE ITS IN-HOUSE SOUND SYSTEM WHICH SHE SAYS JUST DID NOT CUT IT. >> GUESS CONVERSATIONS WERE LOUDER THAN THE MUSIC DURING THE WHOLE PARTY. KLASSEN OTHER WOMAN WHO RECENTLY GOT MARRIED TOLD US OFF CAMERA THAT POLICE WERE CALLED TO HER WEDDING AFTER A NOISE COMPLAINT MADE BY A NEIGHBOR. >> I WAS GETTING MESSAGES, RAPIDFIRE LEFT AND RIGHT FROM BRIDES AND VENDORS CONFIRMING THAT THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO THEM AND SOME OF THEM ARE EVEN WORSE THAN WHAT MY COMPANY EXPERIENCED. >> EVENTS ARE OVERSEEN BY ALLEGHENY COUNTY AND IN A STATEMENT, COUNTY OFFICIALS SAID WE WERE NOTIFIED BY THE TOWNSHIP THAT RESIDENTS WHO LIVE IN THE VICINITY OF THE PARK EXPRESSED CONCERNS WITH THE VOLUME OF OUTDOOR WEDDING EVENTS AT THE PAVILION. JUST YESTERDAY, I GOT TO EVENTS COURT NADER EMAILED ALEX, ASKING HER TO SIGN A NEW CONTRACT THAT INCLUDED NEW REGULATIONS ON TIME AND NOISE. WE CONSULTED A LAWYER WHO TELLS US ALEX MAY HAVE A GOOD CASE TO GET YOUR DEPOSIT BACK. IF SHE DOES NOT SIGN THE NEW CONTRACT. >> THAT CREATES A NEW CONTRACT THAT BOTH PARTIES HAVE TO SIGN AND FAILURE TO DO SO, I DON’T BELIEVE THE LAW WILL FIND A VALID CONTRACT EXISTS AND ONE PARTY COULD ASK FOR A REFUND OF THEIR DEPOSIT AND MOVE TO ANOTHER VENUE. THE CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER FOR THE COUNTY DID POINT OUT THAT THE CURRENT CONTRACT STATES THAT ALL PARTIES ARE SUBJECT TO LOCAL LAWS AND ORDINANCES IN INDIANA TOWNSHIP, YOU HAVE AN ORDINANCE THAT ADDRESSES EXCESSIVE N

Hartwood headaches over wedding woes

Indiana Township, where Hartwood Acres is located, has an ordinance addressing "excessive noise."

Summer is behind us, but wedding planner Heather Davis just can't shake her frustration over a season of hiccups at one particular venue: Hartwood Acres."I didn't realize this was happening every single weekend," Davis said, referring to a pattern of disruptions her clients encountered during their parties.To see the whole story, click on the video above.Davis owns Day of Pittsburgh, a wedding planning service that had four weddings at Hartwood Acres this summer.This month, she took to Instagram to recount her experiences at Hartwood. She said that during each party, staff at the venue attempted to shut down the party at 10 p.m., despite the couples having been told they could rent the space until 11 p.m."The house lights went up and they tried to shut the entire party down," Davis said, "which is bizarre and literally never happens. It was the first time ever."For the last two days, Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Mike Valente has exchanged messages with several women whose wedding receptions were held at Hartwood. They echoed much of what Davis said. In one case, a woman said the police were called to break up her party after a noise complaint by a neighbor.Events at Hartwood Acres are overseen by Allegheny County. In a statement to Pittsburgh's Action News 4, Kelsey Dowd, chief marketing officer for the county, noted that the venue is "nestled in the middle of several neighborhoods and is surrounded by residential properties.""We were notified by that residents who live in the vicinity of the park expressed concerns with the volume of outdoor wedding events at the pavilion," she said. "We were asked by those officials to address the issue, and thank them for reaching out to us regarding these concerns."Dowd also explained that current contracts signed by couples state that all parties are subject to local laws and ordinances. In Indiana Township, she noted, there is an ordinance that addresses "excessive noise."The online chatter about Hartwood Acres has given some engaged couples pause about going through with their plans to have their weddings at the venue.

PITTSBURGH —

Summer is behind us, but wedding planner Heather Davis just can't shake her frustration over a season of hiccups at one particular venue: Hartwood Acres.

"I didn't realize this was happening every single weekend," Davis said, referring to a pattern of disruptions her clients encountered during their parties.

To see the whole story, click on the video above.

Davis owns Day of Pittsburgh, a wedding planning service that had four weddings at Hartwood Acres this summer.

This month, she took to Instagram to recount her experiences at Hartwood. She said that during each party, staff at the venue attempted to shut down the party at 10 p.m., despite the couples having been told they could rent the space until 11 p.m.

"The house lights went up and they tried to shut the entire party down," Davis said, "which is bizarre and literally never happens. It was the first time ever."

For the last two days, Pittsburgh's Action News 4 reporter Mike Valente has exchanged messages with several women whose wedding receptions were held at Hartwood. They echoed much of what Davis said. In one case, a woman said the police were called to break up her party after a noise complaint by a neighbor.

Events at Hartwood Acres are overseen by Allegheny County. In a statement to Pittsburgh's Action News 4, Kelsey Dowd, chief marketing officer for the county, noted that the venue is "nestled in the middle of several neighborhoods and is surrounded by residential properties."

"We were notified by [Indiana Township] that residents who live in the vicinity of the park expressed concerns with the volume of outdoor wedding events at the pavilion," she said. "We were asked by those officials to address the issue, and thank them for reaching out to us regarding these concerns."

Dowd also explained that current contracts signed by couples state that all parties are subject to local laws and ordinances. In Indiana Township, she noted, there is an ordinance that addresses "excessive noise."

The online chatter about Hartwood Acres has given some engaged couples pause about going through with their plans to have their weddings at the venue.

Hartwood headaches over wedding woes

Indiana Township, where Hartwood Acres is located, has an ordinance addressing "excessive noise."

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