Ford Amphitheater releases third-party data on noise level compliance, neighbors still unhappy
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - As the new Ford Amphitheater enters its third weekend of shows, has drawn many noise complaints from neighbors, however on Wednesday the venue released a statement saying that a third party reports that they are in compliance with all city sound requirements.
The statement said in part that "Ford Amphitheater has fully adhered to the noise management standards outlined in our Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement with the City of Colorado Springs and reaffirms our dedication to being a responsible and conscientious neighbor. This compliance has been documented by noise monitoring conducted by LSTN Consultants."
Some of the key compliance outcomes include the following.
- All events have adhered to the noise limits as stipulated in the PUD agreement.
- Maximum noise levels cannot exceed 110dB(A) but once in a 5-minute period and measurements have confirmed complete conformance to this requirement.
- Average noise levels during performances fell below 100 dB(A), compared with the PUD-imposed committed limit of 105dB(A).
The full study and press release can be found below.
The City of Colorado Springs tells KRDO13 that another 417 complaints were filed over the weekend of August 16 to August 18. They note, however, that complaints can be filed multiple times from the same people. That comes in addition to the 144 complaints that were submitted over the course of the opening weekend featuring OneRepublic.
Among one of those that filed complaints, is Craig Groshans, who lives in the Gray Hawk at Northgate neighborhood, less than a mile from the venue.
"My three year old is here in the front room of the house and not even facing the amphitheater. And when I'm trying to put him into bed at night past 10:30 p.m., 11:00 p.m., it sounds like there's a car sitting in our driveway, literally blasting music at full volume." said Groshans. "It's been shaking our house."
Meanwhile, just across a large field from Groshans, is Chris Hand, who lives in the Bella Springs Apartments up the road from the amphitheater.
"I mean, [its] great [that they're in compliance], we could still hear it, you know. 110 decibels is loud." said Chris Hand, who lives , "It came to the point where it's like I could hear Beach Boys lyrics standing out on my patio." he added.
The report from Wednesday, cites data collected from sound monitoring at the nearby intersections of of Northgate and Bass Pro Drive, which is 0.6 miles from the amphitheater, and Spectrum Loop and Voyager, which is 0.7 miles from the venue.
There, the third-party collected base-line ambient noise levels on non-concert days, to see what types of noise is present. Ultimately, when those same locations were measured during a concert the last two weekends, the data showed that the music didn't create a louder sound than the base-line noise that was recorded, which ownership of the venue says can be attributed to cars, traffic and the interstate nearby.
"Is the ford amphitheater creating noise that is in excess of the noise that is there anyway at those at those points? The answer is scientifically, no." explained VENU Inc. Founder, J.W Roth.
When asked if any amount of complaints would lead VENU to consider adding more levels of sound mitigation, Roth pointed once again to the notion that his amphitheater has not created any more noise than the ambient sound that exists in the area.
"I wish there was an answer that I could have that I could fix the problem for the, you know, 50 to 100 people that don't like it. I don't know what I could do. The only way they could do it is if I could bring down the ambient noise level." said Roth.
He adds that he is willing to report the noise levels from the amphitheater on a weekly basis if needed, instead of the minimum requirement of just reporting once per year, to show his dedication to the agreement with the City of Colorado Springs.
"I can assure you I will never break it. In fact, I've built very, very, very expensive mitigation systems into the amphitheater, that will not allow the music to ever break our commitments." explained Roth, about the 105 and 110 decibel limits.
