ROANOKE (WSLS) - On Monday, a group of Roanoke City residents voiced their concerns about noise levels at Dr. Pepper Park. They said the concerts and festivals became too loud.
Organizers said the venue held 21 events last year and have 17 scheduled so far this year. While large crowds of fans enjoyed the events, some neighbors saw them as a nuisance.
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"It's a bother," said Stuart Adkins. "It's so loud you can hear it inside the house."
During Monday's Roanoke City Council meeting, three people who live near Dr. Pepper Park voiced concerns about the frequency of events as well as the high noise levels.
Elliot Broyles a spokesperson for Dr. Pepper Park issued the following statement regarding residents concerns.
River Rock Entertainment and Sponsor Hounds will continue to work with our neighbors to provide the best outcome for all in this matter. We have shown a complete willingness to discuss the park and events therein with the neighborhood. Before the park opened we met with the Riverland / Walnut Hill Neighbors Association, with Mayor Bowers present, and discussed our plan including the frequency of events. We have kept an open dialog with homeowners in the area since opening day in May of 2015.
We have never violated the city's noise ordinance and have only received a handful of complaints from neighbors. We have done extensive decibel testing in the area and through our efforts we have significantly lowered the music volume outside the park's perimeter. We will continue to work hard to provide the best event experience for our guests and a reasonable outcome for our neighbors.
While some neighbors said they prefer to the festivals and concerts move to areas like Elmwood Park, others said they hope to see the activities stay at Dr. Pepper Park.
"We can't hear it inside our house but if we step outside on our porch we can hear it," said Laura Dueker, Roanoke resident. "It's kind of nice."
City leaders said they plan to examine frequency of the events at Dr. Pepper Park, operation hours and decibel levels.