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Ford Amphitheater Talks Sound Strategies at Open House | The stands

Ford Amphitheater Talks Sound Strategies at Open House | The stands

Changes could come next season, stakeholders told a dispersed crowd of more than a hundred community members who gathered at an open house at the Ford Amphitheater to address noise complaints since the venue began hosting concerts this summer.

“I’ll be a good neighbor,” said JW Roth, founder, chairman and CEO of VENU, the company formerly known as Notes Live that built the 8,000-seat outdoor amphitheater on the city’s north side.







Noise complaint card

The new outdoor Ford Amphitheater in northern Colorado Springs kicked off its first concert season Aug. 9-11 with a series of shows led by pop band OneRepublic. The shows sparked hundreds of comments for and against on social media sites, particularly about the noise emanating from the venue and other comments about parking and traffic. Nearly 170 noise complaints were also filed through the City of Colorado Springs’ GoCOS app. Here’s a small selection of comments about noise that were sent to the city and appeared on Next Door Digest, a popular social media app where participants share information about what’s happening in their neighborhoods. In the days following the first concert on August 9, some commentators were upset about the noise from the amphitheater, while others said the noise didn’t bother them or could barely hear it. The Gazette researched the home addresses of some commentators and recorded their approximate locations; Comments, edited for brevity and clarity, were randomly selected to represent a variety of opinions and locations. Credits: Next Door Digest; El Paso County Assessor’s Office; Google Maps; City of Colorado Springs{/div}






Colorado Springs City Council members Nancy Henjum and Randy Helms were on hand to support the venue. The content of the open house was a presentation of possible measures the amphitheater could take in the future to reduce noise pollution to the surrounding community.

Bob Mudd, VENU’s president and chief operating officer, said that while the amphitheater remained within sound limits set by the city, the company would look for ways to address the concerns.

“It still has an impact on people and we are aware of that,” he said.

Mudd said VENU has assembled a team of architects, engineers and acoustics experts to look for solutions beyond the 50-foot-tall baffle the venue is currently building directly across from the stage. He said additional walls, sound curtains and a possible reduction in concert volume were on the table.

Roth outlined the plan at a city council meeting in September. The company did not indicate what direction soundproofing might go at the open house, but Mudd and Roth said they are looking to make changes by next concert season.

“We will do everything we can to improve your experience. So if you want to listen to the Beach Boys, you have to buy a ticket,” Roth said.

The Colorado Court of Appeals recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by a local community group that sought to impose sound limits or shut down the venue. Community members have filled Colorado Springs City Council meeting rooms in recent weeks to speak out for and against the proposal.

Some community members who attended the open house were not happy with the outcome or format. Michael Bullock, a nearby homeowner, said he was angry because he couldn’t voice his concerns. The event did not have a public comment section, although Roth and others stayed to meet with attendees.

Matthew Grubesich, who protested outside the venue before the open house, said the noise level was still too high where he lived two and a half miles away.

“Yesterday I was at a barbecue and heard the sound checks on my patio,” he said.

One attendee, John Becker, said he was just curious to see the inside of the amphitheater.

“We’re not that affected by the noise,” he said. “We live far enough away that it’s not really a problem.”