Urbanite

In this refined pocket of Murray Hill, residents tolerate the normal din of city traffic. But since last month, a particularly annoying sound has turned some sleep-deprived apartment dwellers into mad-as-hell community activists.

“It’s a high, squealing noise, like a machine that’s not oiled,” said resident Sarah Alison.

But it was Stephan Banica, the superintendent at 288 Lexington Ave., who finally did something about it. From the roof of his apartment building, he surveyed his neighborhood and identified the source of the ungodly clatter.

“It’s the belt for one of the central air [conditioning units] on top of one of the brownstones between Lexington and Park,” Banica told Urbanite.

That brownstone, at 124 E. 36 St., has been the target of complaints by several residents, including an anonymous person who placed signs around the neighborhood urging others to call 311. Attempts to reach the owner Monday were not immediately successful.

Michael Lang, president of the co-op board at 120 E. 36 St., lives next door to the brownstone.

“The sound is so mysterious. I just thought, ‘Where is it coming from?’”

Plino Torres, the doorman at 120 E. 36th St., knows all too well about the racket.

“For the past month, 24 hours a day, seven days a week you hear it. At the nighttime people can’t sleep.”

The city Department of Environmental Protection is on the case.

“We have an inspection scheduled for this week because several people from different offices have called about some machinery, so we’re sending someone to check the location,” said a spokeswoman for the agency.

Lizandro Limongi, a doorman at the Carlton Regency at 137 E. 36th St., said many people in his building are complaining, too. The board director called 311, as have other residents.

“Now, during the day you can hear the noise, imagine in the night?”

-- Simone Herbin