A concert Saturday night in Westbrook generated around 70 complaints about the noise, down significantly from concerts earlier this year at the Rock Row site.
The performance of Shinedown, a rock band, prompted about one-third as many noise complaints as previous concerts at the venue this year. The first shows at the Maine Savings Pavilion – one in May and the other in mid-June – drew more than 200 complaints each. The promoter said adjustments were subsequently made to the arrangement of speakers and volume levels to try to minimize the noise.
Opening night at Maine Savings Pavilion at Rock Row in Westbrook. Staff photo by Jill Brady
Westbrook City Manager Jerre Bryant said Monday that the drop in the number of telephone complaints suggests that Waterfront Concerts, the promoter of the shows at the amphitheater off Larrabee Road, is getting a handle on how to control the noise the shows generate.
“They’re making progress,” Bryant said. “We’re not there yet, but I am very pleased with their responsiveness.”
About 40 calls Saturday night went to the noise complaint line set up by Waterfront Concerts, said Lynda Adams, a consultant with Rock Row, which will be a mixed-use development on a former quarry at Main Street and Larrabee Road.
She said the 40 calls were handled by the staff of a noise compliance officer at the concert site and another 30 or so calls went to voicemail.
A handful of people called Westbrook police, although the department has said it has no enforcement power over noise complaints from the concerts and urged residents who wish to complain to use the line set up by Waterfront Concerts.
Adams said Waterfront Concerts is analyzing the log of the calls to determine where they came from and if any were repeat calls from the same person. It has to file reports with the city on noise complaints and compliance with an 11 p.m. weekend curfew after each concert.
Under the promoter’s agreement with the city, a concert noise compliance officer is supposed to monitor decibel meters set up in Westbrook and sections of Portland near the site. If the sound exceeds 55 decibels, or five decibels above background noise, whichever is higher, the volume at the concerts is supposed to be cut. Adams said the sound did not exceed that level Saturday night and volumes were not reduced.
The next show at the amphitheater is scheduled for July 28.
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