Portland to Rock Row: Turn down the volume
COURTESY / WATERSTONE PROPERTIES GROUP
A rendering of the Maine Savings Pavilion at Rock Row in Westbrook. The Portland City Council has sent a letter to the Rock Row developers asking them to address concert noise and related issues.
The Portland City Council has sent a letter to the Rock Row developers asking them to address concert noise and related issues at the Maine Savings Pavilion.
“As the district councilor for one of the neighborhoods abutting Rock Row, it was imperative I advocate for the residents in my city and properly mitigate these unceasing noise violations,” Councilor Brian Batson, District 3, said in a news release.
The letter was sent to Josh Levy, founding principal of Waterstone Properties Group.
The council specifically asking for the following information:
• Decibel readings for each show
• Which shows were amplified on the venue system or that of the artist
• Exact locations of the monitors
• At which shows was sound lowered during the performance due to excessive noise
Councilors are also requesting details of how Waterfront Concerts has been cataloging and addressing each complaint that has been filed, as well as sound mitigation plans and implementation processes throughout the summer.
Concert volume impacts Portland residents' quality of life, especially those in the immediately surrounding area of the venue, Councilor Spencer Thibodeau, District 2, said in the release. He added, “We demand measurable data and a detailed plan from Waterfront Concerts on a mitigation plan going forward."
“I have urged them to take action to lower the noise level and require an earlier end time,” Councilor Kim Cook, District 5, said in the release. “My hope is that this letter sends a strong message to Rock Row, Waterfront Concerts and our colleagues in Westbrook that the status quo is unacceptable. Additionally, if Waterfront Concerts does not address our concerns, I will advocate that they are no longer granted permission to use any City of Portland venues in the future.”
Maine Savings Pavilion at Rock Row, an 8,200-seat amphitheater, on May 26 hosted the first of up to 16 concerts this year. The concert featuring hip-hop artist Anderson Paak was the first commercial venture at the 120-acre former quarry site on the Portland line, where a 1 million-square foot commercial, residential and office village is planned by Waterstone Properties Group, of Needham, Mass.
The venue includes a 108-foot-by-60-foot covered stage, lawn seating, parking and concessions. The stage is the largest in southern Maine, with a 175,000-pound load capacity.
Waterfront Concerts has sponsored a Bangor concert series since 2010 at a venue that seats 16,000. Its Portland series has been held on the Maine State Pier, and moved to the Westbrook site, more than doubling the audience capacity.
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