Commission backs music
Suzie Harrison
There has been a lot of noise about noise lately in Laguna Beach, and
it’s not over yet.
After listening to all sides in the debate over Music in the Park,
the Arts Commission declined Monday to make any changes in the
22-year-old concert series, voting unanimously to send the proposed
2005 Music in the Park Schedule back to the City Council unchanged
from its original proposal.
On March 1, the council pulled the concert series agenda item from
the consent calendar as proposed, and sent the program back to the
commission for revisions after fielding complaints about noise,
parking problems and the types of music the popular outdoor music
series has.
A record 75 Laguna residents attended the commission meeting,
which felt more like a pep rally for the music series.
“I think the action we need to take this evening is to send this
agenda item back to the City Council as it was originally presented,”
Arts Commissioner Pat Kollenda said. “The original agenda item
recommended that the City Council approve the 2005 Music in the Park
concert schedule to be held on July 24 through Sept. 18, 2005 and to
authorize the use of amplified sound.”
Kollenda noted that the agenda item does not specify decibel
levels.
The City Council, at its March 1 meeting, directed the Arts
Commission to consider the affect of amplified sound, the type of
music and the concert schedule had on Bluebird Park neighbors.
For review, the Arts Commission played a video of the council
meeting that pertained to Music in the Park.
Kollenda gave a brief history of the concert series. She touched
on key points relating to the neighbors’ issues.
“I want to set the facts straight,” Kollenda said. “All concerts
since 1986 have had amplified sound.”
Kollenda said that for the past three years staff has monitored
decibel levels every 15 minutes.
“The decibel level has not exceeded 75 at the perimeter of the
park and has ranged between 70 and 73,” Kollenda said.
The decibel denominator was the biggest concern. The arts
commission recorded the decibel levels at the meeting to help people
understand what decibels actually are.
The City Council will bring the Music in the Park agenda item to
the table at its April 5 meeting.
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