ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - A solution is in the works for neighbors concerned about music from Dr Pepper Park in their Riverland/Walnut Hills neighborhood. Sponsor Hounds Vice President Elliot Broyles says there was a meeting Friday with city representatives and concerned citizens that showed signs the two sides can come together for a mutually agreeable solution.
This comes after a group of Roanoke City residents voiced their concerns earlier this month about noise levels at Dr. Pepper Park. They said the concerts and festivals became too loud.
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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.
"It's a bother," said Stuart Adkins, earlier this month when WSLS 10 talked with him. "It's so loud you can hear it inside the house."
"We have always been committed to working with our neighbors and have spent countless hours discussing solutions to their concerns over the past year. On Friday we found common ground with a group of neighbors who are willing to work with us to find those solutions", Broyles said in a news release.
Based on our conversations with residents, Broyles say they are working on a few improvements for 2016 which include significantly lowering the decibel levels at events, adding sound proofing to the facility and reducing the number of week night events.
"A reduction of close to 50% of the week night events from last year. The decibel reduction is not something concert guests will notice at the events but combined with other efforts it should significantly decrease the volume for our neighbors. The schedule for 2016 already included fewer week-night concerts and Sponsor Hounds is not removing any concerts that are already scheduled," said the news release.
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Here is the news release from Sponsor Hounds:
A solution is in the works for neighbors concerned about music from Dr Pepper Park in their Riverland/Walnut Hills neighborhood. A meeting on Friday between Sponsor Hounds Vice President Elliot Broyles, city representatives, and concerned citizens showed signs that the two sides can come together for a mutually agreeable solution.
"We have always been committed to working with our neighbors and have spent countless hours discussing solutions to their concerns over the past year. On Friday we found common ground with a group of neighbors who are willing to work with us to find those solutions", Broyles said.
Based on our conversations with residents, we are working on a few improvements for 2016 which include significantly lowering the decibel levels at events, adding sound proofing to the facility and reducing the number of week night events. A reduction of close to 50% of the week night events from last year. The decibel reduction is not something concert guests will notice at the events but combined with other efforts it should significantly decrease the volume for our neighbors. The schedule for 2016 already included fewer week-night concerts and Sponsor Hounds is not removing any concerts that are already scheduled.
We anticipate 8 or 9 nights of concerts over a span of 7 months in 2016. Each musical act is scheduled to end at or before 9pm barring an occasional delay. This is well within the city noise ordinance. Dr Pepper Park will host daytime festivals on weekends in addition to the scheduled concerts.
Dr Pepper Park plays an important role in Roanoke's economic development and tourism and we are committed to finding a solution that balances these benefits with resident concerns. We are proud to be part of a growing development that includes The Bridges and expanding medical school and research center. We are committed to this smart and planned growth while providing a unique venue to enjoy outdoor entertainment.