2016 Investigative Report with Recommendations

Prepared by CommuniTech - Marcy Yi

Professional Writing Consultant

Report Distributed September 22 2016

Prepared for
The Hartville North Carolina
City Council Members

Hartville, North Carolinas Four Oaks Pavilion 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..1
INTRODUCTION2
FINDINGS...2
Noise4
Traffic and Other Public Relations...5
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .5
Sound Barriers.5
Traffic Resolution5
Other Public Relations.5
Looking Ahead.6
WORKS CITED......7

Hartville, North Carolinas Four Oaks Pavilion 2016

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This investigative report examines the nature and issues of the negative impact caused by the
construction and implementation of the Four Oaks Pavilion amphitheater. The purpose of this
report is to provide the Hartville City Council members with the information and suggestions
necessary to assess different options to resolve the conflict arising this establishment.
The perceived negative impact of the Four Oaks amphitheater during its recent construction is
most evidenced by the complaints gathered by the (1) diverse residents surrounding the
amphitheater, including those who have resided there on large properties for several generations,
and (2) the management of the pavilion who have been the target of such complaints.
The investigative report outlines some proposed solutions in addition to the suggestions provided
by the SMZ Engineers that suggested keeping the amplifiers at 105 decibel limit and monitoring
the equipment used in the amphitheater. Our supplementary solutions include fixing the existing
sound barrier, constructing a fountain between the amphitheater and the residential area, create a
designated parking area for concert attendees, placing signs that indicate fines for property
damage and patrol officers in the neighborhoods. In addition, to help alleviate monetary
complications that the council may encounter if allocating funds for this project is difficult, the
usage of partial funding from the profits made by Four Oaks is proposed.

Hartville, North Carolinas Four Oaks Pavilion 2016

INTRODUCTION
This investigative report gathers and examines the disposition of various complaints and
concerns from the residentswho have been voiced through the Hartville Beacon newspaper,
and the information gathered by the SMZ Engineering of Greensboro.
Although the amphitheater brings in revenue, a strong necessity for a growing city such as
Hartville, North Carolina, there have been concerns and complaints among the residents who live
near the pavilion.
Some of the residents expressed their frustrations in written testimonials the Hartville Beacon as
their medium and mention their frustrations including the noise, traffic, and public relations
problems, such as homeowner damage, that have stemmed from the amphitheater.
Authoritative figures in the Four Oaks Case
The two main authoritative figures presiding over the amphitheater is management of Four Oaks
PavilionKramer Associates whom have fifteen years of experience with the management and
maintenance of entertainment facilities represented in Hartville by the manager Dale Crompton,
and the seven Hartville City Council members:

FINDINGS
There have been many complaints, the vast majority if not all from residents. Finding mediums
to communicate their complaints they have reached out to the Council Members, their
councilwoman and representative Sherri Clark, and to the editor of a locale Hartville newspaper
the Beagle. The main concerns assessed from these mediums have been determined to fall under
two main categories the following:

Noise
Traffic and Property Damage

The figures on the following page emphasize the needs to inspect these categories.

Hartville, North Carolinas Four Oaks Pavilion 2016

Dear Beacon,
Management of Four Oaks Pavilion has repeatedly assured neighbors that they are
trying to control the noise at the pavilion. Well soon be deaf if the all-day Electric
Hayze concert is their idea of noise control!!
Our calls to City Council all have the same resultno action. Im amazed that such
large pavilion can easily be built in a very short time, but the problems of neighbors
seem to be intractable.
We need a noise ordinance!
The performers have artistic freedom to be as loud as they like. Their fans can
congest our roads and ruin our lawns. Dont property owners have any rights as
well?
Simone Carrington

Figure 1 Text of one letter by Simone Carrington to the Editor of the Hartville Beacon

Dear Editor:
When Four Oaks Pavilion was in the planning stages, we were told that traffic
wouldnt be a problem. We were told that security would be instituted and
enforced. We were told the pavilion would be constructed of sound-proof material
and surrounded by a barrier. We were told what they wanted us to hear.
What we werent told is that City Council didnt do its homework. The developers
waved profits and jobs in council faces, and council promptly forgot about the
taxpayers.
Now that the pavilion is a reality, we must live with crowds streaming across our
property and parking on our streets. Worst of all, the noise from the concerts rattles
our windows, and horn-honking and shouting goes on until well after midnight four
or five nights a week.
If we call to complain we get nowhere. It seems to me that special groups get
special treatment and area residents get leis or a run-around.
J. H. Bloom
Figure 2 Text of one letter by J. H. Bloom to the Editor of the Hartville Beacon

Hartville, North Carolinas Four Oaks Pavilion 2016

Noise
Resident Greg Jones, has stated to Four Oaks manager Dale Clark that, The noise from that
stage is just deafening when I sit on my front porch! Jones has been supported by others who
have claimed that from the first performance, the noise has interfered with the sleep of the
neighbors children. According to Stewart from SMZ Engineering some of the homes in the
neighborhoods surrounding the amphitheater have a lightweight construction. Main causes for
these complaints:

Music sound levels, decibels need to be monitored more closely on performance nights at
the amphitheater.
Vibrations emanate from the bass of the amphitheater penetrate to the homes of the
neighbors with lightweight construction. This result is from the poor insulation in such
houses.
Hartville contains humid air. Humid air doesnt absorb sound as well as dry air.

To supplement the notion of sound absorption based on humidity, according to The Sonic
Research Studio School of Communication of Sime Fraser University,
The amount of ABSORPTION depends on the temperature and humidity of the
atmosphere. The figures show the variation of the absorption with temperature
and relative humidity.

Figure 3

Figure 4

(left) [Figure 3] Frequency dependence of attenuation as a function of relative

humidity at 20C. (right) [Figure 4] Attenuation as a function of temperature for
various percentages of relative humidity.
From the diagrams it can be seen that for the middle of the speech frequency
range (2 kHz), the absorption is typically .25 dB/100 m for 30% relative humidity

and 20C (68F). It should be noted, however, it can be as high as 5 dB/100 m at

8 kHz when the temperature is 20C and the humidity is 10%.

Hartville, North Carolinas Four Oaks Pavilion 2016

Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have guidelines for
amphitheater berm landscapes that have caused trouble for the hindering of noise levels coming
from the amphitheater. From information gathered by SMZ it is clear that the noise on the
concert days/nights are a combination of dogs barking mixed with the concert noise. Homes in
rural sections with big lots have sound readings, according to Stewart from SMZ, that were near
normal. There is no notable difference between the noise picked up from the equipment of
SMZ engineering on concert and non-concert nights.
Traffic and Property Damage
Our findings show that there has been an increased amount of traffic through the residential areas
surrounding the pavilion that have led to multiple lawn damages and raucous behavior of
amphitheater fans. However, all the other factors may contribute to the perception of there being
more noise than there actually is. That is in addition to the schema that has changed since the
resurrection of the pavilion. Many of the residents in the more rural parts seem to have more of
an issue that their quiet neighborhood of many years is not as peaceful and quiet as it once was,
creating foundation for their aggravation and increasing their sensitivity for the minute change in
noise.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Sound Barriers
The trees used for sound barriers are pretty spindly so they arent a very effective sound
barrier. In addition, to reinforce the mitigation of sound, placing a big fountain between the
amphitheater and the homes will create what is similar to white noise that can dominate the
concert sounds. Running water is more pleasant to hear than undesired amphitheater noise.
Traffic Resolution
Creation of a designated garage or surface parking lot for concert attendees is necessary. Prime
location of such designating parking should not be located near the neighborhoods to reduce the
cluster of traffic that passes through the homes. A complimentary shuttle is suggested to alleviate
the frustrations of concert goers whom may perceive the distance from the parking to the
amphitheater.
Other Public Relations
The following are additional implementations to appease the damage caused by the any crowd
goers as they maneuver through the neighborhoods:

Implementation of signs and fines for property damage

Have security or police officers patrol or be station intermittently around surrounding
neighborhoods
Hartville, North Carolinas Four Oaks Pavilion 2016

The effectiveness of the combinations of these approaches will be successfully evidenced by the
opinions of the residents. Their main issues of noise, traffic, and property damage will be
corrected.
On a financial aspect, I recommend the use of some profits from the amphitheater in addition to
the city councils monetary means to fund the solutions. This approach will satisfy the residents
whom shall believe that their tax-money is being used efficiently. As for the management of Four
Oaks, this partition of funding may be seen as an inconvenience, but in the long term, their
amphitheater will not be urged to close down. With continual artists agreeing to play at the
amphitheater, by not imposing a big noise limit, their net profit will eventually balance out their
donation to the suggested resolutions. Short term, if even one of these approaches is to be
implemented soon then the residents will feel that their concerns are being heard.
Looking Ahead
Another issue found to fuel the frustrations stems from lack of time-efficient communication
between the council and residents. Although members began thinking of ways to aid the
concerns once they presented themselves, especially through the Hartville Beagle, many
residents feel as if their concerns were not being heard because of a lack of response to their
pleas. This has driven their frustrations and inclined a negative perception towards the
amphitheater. Implementing a medium where concerns are acknowledged and addressed quickly
shall mitigate this issue while creating a closer community bond within all those involved,
council and residents alike. Thus, to help avoid similar future occurrences, additional
communication mediums to the council should be implemented.
These mediums should include any or all of the following:

Facebook page
Twitter account
Council concern hotline
Council concern email

Hartville, North Carolinas Four Oaks Pavilion 2016

REFERENCES
"Sound Propagation." Sound Propagation. The Sonic Research Studio School of Communication
Simon Fraser University, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.