One New Jersey man's idea of art has neighbors feeling blue.
Jack Zoltak bathes his North Haverford Avenue house in Margate blue every night, thanks to an extensive light display. Not everyone is a fan. Some say the lights make it hard to sleep and attract unwanted attention and traffic.
"Some people could say it looks like a bordello," neighbor Larry Frankel said. "I just think it's over the top and a little bit outrageous."
When the sun goes down, the lights come on at Zoltak's elaborately decorated home, known locally as "The Blue House."
Zoltak has aded to the display over the past few years, but the home was only recently thrown into the spotlight when neighbors voiced their displeasure. One said he's been unable to sell his house because of the spectacle.
Another resident, Robin Levine, said, "Some of the other neighbors can see the lights shining into their homes. It’s been attracting a lot of people.”
The uptick in traffic creates "an intrusion into the neighborhood," according to neighbor Ralph Meshon.
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But Zoltak sees it a bit differently.
“I don’t know what they’re complaining about," Zoltak said. “The lights don’t even go anywhere. They’re just on my house. And they’re on timers. They go off at 1:30.”
Many people tell him they appreciate what he's done, he added.
Because Margate has no laws in effect that regulate residential lighting, the city can't offer a solution to the dispute right now.
"We’re studying other ordinances in other communities that might have been faced with this same scenario to see what the proper thing to do is to help the neighborhood," Margate City Commissioner John Amodeo said.
