Remerton tackles noise issues

Johnna Pinholster
The Valdosta Daily Times

REMERTON January 06, 2009 11:18 pm

— As Valdosta State University students prepare to go back to class, the drinking establishments in Remerton are gearing up for a return to form.
Anticipating this, the Remerton City Council is working toward a new noise ordinance with hopes that it will please both the bar owners and area residents.
The Atlanta firm CDAI Innovative Design Solutions has presented its results from the noise study to council members to help develop the ordinance.
The study was conducted the weekend before Thanksgiving on Nov. 21-23, a day after VSU had ceased classes for the holiday.
In a letter to Remerton Police Chief Mike Terrell, the firm details how the information was measured and compiled, while also giving the city advice on how best to proceed with the data.
During the weekend, the noise in Remerton was gauged, measurements were taken at a number of positions around and between the entertainment venues and residential dwellings in the block between West Gordon Street, Baytree Place, Myrtle Street and Plum Street.
Thirty-two sets of measurement data were obtained on Saturday and Sunday between the hours of midnight and 2:30 a.m. Measurement samples were taken every one-tenth of a second for six minutes.
Complaints from both residents and council members prompted the study, though the results charted by the firm do not project high noise levels.
“While it had been anticipated that the measurements would yield representative worst case (or near worst case) noise levels, from all reports (including your staff as well as the nearby residents), the levels being produced during the measurements were not as loud as those often experienced in the area,” CDAI Innovative Design Solutions President F. Rogers Dixson wrote in the survey.
This may be explained by a decrease in bar patrons as is typical when VSU closes for a holiday.
The sound was measured using frequency weighting, which filters out sound that is below the range of human hearing. This, however, can be misused, the study states. Improper selection and use of frequency weighting can lead to improper results.
CDAI measured the noise using C-Weighting (dBC) and A-Weighting (dBA), the latter of which is commonly used in noise ordinances and significantly understates the problem.
C-Weighting, the study states, more accurately represents the problem noise, while filtering very low frequency energy so it does not skew results. The firm suggested that Remerton use C-Weighting when developing a noise ordinance.
The data compiled over two nights indicates that the difference between the two integration periods is minimal, though the noise increases as the hour gets later. This is consistent with the practice that many bands employ of increasing their loudness as the evening progresses, the study states.
The study does not name the particular outdoor area being measured but rather assigns each one a number. Using the C-Weighting, the sound varied from 12:50 a.m. until 2:37 a.m. at all seven locations. Each noise measurement was taken at a different time at each location.
At 12:50 a.m., location 16 measured a level of 72.1 dBC, location 26 measured a level of 68.8 dBC at 12:45 a.m., location 17 measured a level of 78 dBC at 12:54 a.m., location 23 measured a level of 78 dBC at 12:21 a.m., location 18 measured a level of 64.9 dBC at 12:57 a.m., location 27 measured a level of 69.4 dBC at 12:52 a.m., and location 34 measured a level of 80.1 dBC at 2:37 a.m.
With the data gathered, CDAI recommended five courses of action for the city of Remerton to help develop an appropriate noise ordinance.
The firm suggested that the city have property line noise levels that are in accordance with those used in other areas. These property line noise levels should be established for the overall community and incorporated into a new noise ordinance.
An “entertainment district” should be established and a property line noise level limit in the range of 65 to 70 dBC should be incorporated into the ordinance. The city should consider including a “margin” for those instances where significant variation in the noise occurs. A 5 percent exceedance level of 75 to 80 dBC should be incorporated into the ordinance.
Additionally, a set of tiered levels that reduce the allowable noise levels for late night/early morning activities should be considered for the ordinance.
In a previous interview, Terrell said that typically the complaints about noise are called into the Remerton Police Department between the hours of midnight and 2 a.m.
Last, the study suggested that a permanent system for monitoring noise levels at common property lines separating entertainment venues from residential properties should be considered. This would not only minimize the requirements for police officers to make on-site measurements, it could also, as part of the monitoring system, provide an indication for the business owners so they would be alerted when noise levels were reaching problematic levels and have a chance to avoid being cited for a noise violation.
At Monday’s city council meeting, Remerton council members discussed purchasing handheld meters for them to use to determine decibel levels. It is not known if that is in addition to or in lieu of the permanent, independent monitoring system recommended by the noise consultants.
Also at that meeting, Planning and Zoning Administrator Jessica Freeman said that the city has so far paid CDAI $14,435 to perform the noise study. If CDAI finishes the contract the city will pay the firm an additional $10,000.

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