Neighbors annoyed by noisy Farm
Jennifer Kho
COSTA MESA -- Soccer players at the Farm Sports Complex may enjoy the
sound of fans cheering them on, but some neighboring residents say they
don’t want to hear it.
“We keep all our doors and windows shut and we still can hear it in
the house,” said Mike Dilsisian, who lives on Lorenzo Avenue directly
behind the park with his wife, Betsy, and their two children, 3-year-old
Benjamin and 11-month-old Julia.
“My kids can’t even take their afternoon naps because it’s so loud,
and it’s not so much the kids playing as the parents cheering. We can’t
go out on the patio on summer nights. The noise really cuts into our
private lives and we’re just looking for a fair compromise.”
The park on Fairview Road at Monitor Way was converted from a farm at
Costa Mesa High School and opened in July to much fanfare, a year later
than planned.
But the beginning of the American Youth Soccer Organization season
last weekend -- and the practice games two weekends ago -- has brought
far more noise than nearby residents had anticipated, Dilsisian said.
Planning Commissioner Katrina Foley, who also lives on Lorenza Avenue,
said at a commission meeting Monday that she has heard several complaints
about the noise.
Based on the complaints, the majority of the noise is on weekends from
about 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and at weeknights when children have games, she
said.
“I think the soccer fields are great, but I have heard from some
residents that it is very noisy,” Foley said at the meeting. “You can’t
keep children from making noise, but maybe we can put up trees or a
wall.”
Limiting park hours might help, Dilsisian suggested.
The noise is not bothering all the park’s neighbors, said Ed Keane, a
Lorenzo Avenue resident.
“I’m just watching and waiting,” he said. “I haven’t had any problems
that I’d complain about yet.”
City Manager Allan Roeder said the recreation staff will meet with
Foley to try to get more specific information about the complaints.
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