Why do we feel that we were misled on what we were to expect?
80 Decibels is the sound of a vacumn cleaner.
Heard that one before? It would be if you have the meter pointed directly at the appliance, not miles away. How about:
"A
proposed city ordinance would set the maximum noise level at that of a
telephone dial tone for most races."
(Daily Journal- August 11, 2004)
"City law says sustained sound levels cannot exceed 80 decibels, which is equivalent to the sound of a garbage disposal from 15 feet away."
(Daily Journal article "What You Need To Know"- 11-21-05)
"80 decibels is equivalent to a referee's whistle"
(Daily Journal article "Millville residents protest noise level of raceway" 1-15-09)
You can hear a racing car miles away, but we can't hear a vacuum
cleaner, a telephone dial tone or a referee's whistle at that distance. Apples and oranges,
anyone?
And let's not forget this one:
"Shropshire said the best method of handling noise issues is to create distance between the source and the nearest neighborhood. The engineer noted the closest residential neighborhood is about 3,500 feet away from the proposed site. That is a 'substantial distance' and the developer did not anticipate any problems."
(Daily Journal article "Park developer answers criticisms" 11-30-04)
This is a testament for all of us who have to leave our homes to go somewhere else to get some peace and quiet.
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MYTH: Sound Studies give a true indication of the noise levels residents are subjected to.
TRUTH: Sound Studies can be skewed to favor the outcome. A little research into the location and dates of the readings performed by Shropshire (the developer's sound engineer) and the City shows that the vast majority of reading were taken when the wind was either from behind or blowing perpendicular. Noise is carried by the wind. A true reading that is respectful of the residents would always be taken at a location into the wind. The City's noise study (first full season 2009) did a bit better. Of the 160 readings taken, 35 were into the wind. That's 21% of the readings were showing the full picture. The other 125? 52 were taken downwind and 75 with the wind blowing sideways.
MYTH: The planting of trees will help create a buffer from the noise.
TRUTH: The Federal Highway Administration states that "Vegetation is not considered as noise abatement. Vegetation must be a minimum of 100 feet thick, a minimum of 20 feet high, and so dense that it cannot be seen through in order to provide a 5-dBA noise reduction."
MYTH: "The NJMP will bring jobs to Millville"
TRUTH: -Maybe
if you enjoy working as a grounds crew, a bartender or a maid at the
Villas, but it seems that all the really good jobs are being given to
outsiders: Millville just lost another of the higher paying jobs at the NJMP to an out-of-towner. First, it was the General Manager, Kevin Wittman, who commutes from north/central Jersey to NJMP, then it was Reese White, the new Public Relations Director, who was recruited from California, now it is Scot Paape, who hails from Wisconsin. Read all about it.
UPDATE: Kevin Wittman is history. Fired from his position in December, 2009.
UPDATE: Brad Scott is in. 12-15-2009
TRUTH: Eric Zwerling, president of Noise Consultancy, LLC and Executive Director of Rutgers Noise Technical Assistance Center,
was hired to study the noise levels of this area prior to the building
of the motorsports park. He stated that
the recordings he took near the proposed site were
the quietest levels he had ever recorded outside. He told the Millville City Commissioners and the Planning Board that the sound quality and sound levels that would emanate from the
track:
"65 decibels at a distance
of 3000 feet, would make it
very difficult to impossible
for residents
to enjoy normal outdoor activities."
The commissioners disregarded this very important fact and for that matter, all of Mr. Zwerling's study. Had they listened more attentively, we would have had more attenuation mandated into the building plan of the NJMP.
MYTH: Mr. Shopshire is an expert in noise.
TRUTH: Shropshire was a student of Eric Zwerling for 1 (one) three hour class. We can only suppose that this makes Shropshire an expert and justifies the town officials' overwhelming support of his findings.
TRUTH: A noise louder than 80dB that lasts for a few minutes is much more tolerable than a 70dB noise that continues ALL DAY.
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* WHEN A SOUND INCREASES BY 10 DECIBELS, THE SUBJECTIVE RESPONSE IS A DOUBLING OF LOUDNESS
Example:
45 decibels to 55 decibels = twice as loud
45 decibels to 65 decibels = 4 times as loud
45 decibels to 75 decibels = 8 times as loud
PERCEIVED CHANGE IN LOUDNESS
+ 1 dB - UNNOTICEABLE
+ 3 dB - BARELY PERCEPTIBLE
+ 5 dB - QUITE NOTICEABLE
+10 dB - SOUNDS TWICE AS LOUD
+20 dB - SOUNDS FOUR TIMES AS LOUD
* WHEN THE DISTANCE IS DOUBLED FROM A "POINT" SOURCE (a single sound, like a gun shot)
THE SOUND LEVEL DECREASES BY SIX DECIBELS
Example:
50 feet = 60 decibels
100 feet = 54 decibels
200 feet = 48 decibels
* WHEN THE DISTANCE IS DOUBLED FROM A "LINE" SOURCE
(sound emitted in a continuous fashion like motor vehicle traffic)
THE SOUND LEVEL DECREASES BY THREE DECIBELS
Example:
50 feet = 70 decibels
100 feet = 67 decibels
200 feet = 64 decibels
A DOUBLING OF ENERGY YIELDS AN INCREASE OF
THREE DECIBELS
Example: 85 decibels + 85 decibels = 88 decibels
As we know now, from the results of the Noise study done by the City of Millville, sound levels
are coming at residents in the closest neighborhood in the 65 to 78dBL range! This is a far cry from the 45 ambient levels they were used to on Porreca Drive.
TRUTH: 69 DECIBELS OF NOISE AT A HIGH PITCH IS DIFFERENT THAN 69 DECIBELS AT A LOW PITCH.
The tonal quality
and duration of noise, not just the decibels, are also important.
Here is some information about the four components of sound.
1. Volume- expressed in terms of loud and soft and measured by decibels.
2. Pitch- expressed as high and low.
3. Duration- expressed as long and short and measured in units of time.
4. Quality- expressed in many terms including harsh, smooth, nasal, strident, crackly, buzzing etc.
The powers that be are going to talk only about decibel levels and say
they meet state and federal standards and they may be right. But the
other three components are what are the most annoying aspects of the
track racket.
High pitch sounds like those of a race car tend to annoy more than the
low pitch of a truck rumbling by or a plane flying over. We are hearing
these sounds for a long duration...many hours a day, seven days a week,
eight months a year. The most difficult component of sound to deal with
is Quality because one person's roaring annoying race car noise is the
beautiful sound of another persons cash register ringing.
The other factor at play at the race track is the Doppler effect and
gearing changes in the cars. The Doppler effect creates a pulsating
effect and the gearing sends pitch levels through the roof. We have not
even heard the motorcycle races yet.
___________________________________________________________________
TO THOSE WHO SAY THAT THE
NOISE DOESN'T BOTHER THEM:
Can you imagine your neighbor being stabbed and saying - "well it
didn't bother me so I can't imagine it hurt that much!” TrackRacket
understands that some people are more tolerant to noise than others.
If you are not bothered by the noise, that does not diminish our agony
and discomfort.
TO THOSE WHO SAY WE HAVE NO ROOM TO COMPLAIN FOR THE AIRPORT IS LOUDER:
The airport noise is intermittent, it comes and goes and last from 20
seconds to less than five minutes. The airport does not impede normal,
recreational and necessary activities we perform in our residences.
The noise produced by the Air Show (now defunct) was for only one weekend per year.
Period. As to the noise produced by the testing of engines from
Airworks- this happened intermittently and for only a few minutes at a
time. Jet fuel is very expensive and testing was kept to a minimal
length of time to save money. It was a sad day when Airworks packed
their bags and said good-bye to Millville, tossing many dedicated
workers out on the street. The bright side of the loss was that the
noise stopped. The quality of live improved tremendously for the
surrounding neighborhoods. Why would we want to go backwards?
FOR THOSE WHO CONTEND THAT ONCE YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT CREATES NOISE (AIRPORT) THAT YOU SHOULD JUST PUT UP AND FANCY MORE:
Suppose you go into a restaurant with a stain on your tie. Waiter
comes, and while clearing the table, grabs your tie to wipe some grease
from his hands. You are not amused, to put it mildly, but the waiter
back in the kitchen says: “I found it ironic that he complained about
the grease, when his tie was seriously stained to begin with.”
TO THOSE WHO SAY WE ARE JUST A
BUNCH OF WHINERS:
All we
want is our voices to be heard and our concerns answered. We have come
together as a group because our concerns fell on deaf ears. The
Millville City Commission and the Racetrack owners ignored these
concerns as well as legitimate statements made by reputable sound
experts in the planning stages. They ignored reports that the noise
would be “very difficult to impossible for residents to enjoy normal
outdoor activities” at decibel levels of 65 at a distance of 3,000-
that’s right around the distance to Porreca Dr. from the track’s
property line. Instead we get an ordinance that says 80 decibels is an
appropriate amount of noise for us to live with. You have feigned
concern by adopting a sound ordinance that, as of September 2008, is
not approved by the state and will never be approved because the state
will not allow municipal ordinances that are more lenient than the
standards set into law. We are not whining. We are an organized and
motivated group of adversely impacted taxpayers that are ready to voice
legitimate concerns and accept only reasonable and effective actions
from both the commission and the track.
TO THOSE OF YOU WHO SAY WE WANT TO CLOSE DOWN THE TRACK:
This couldn’t be
farther from the truth. We recognize the value and importance this
industry can have to the economy of the city and the county. We have
considerable amount of research that shows that other racetracks have
worked with the community to lessen the impact of noise. The track
owners as well as the commissioners are well aware of many solutions.
Careful consideration of modifications may prove beneficial to all
parties involved. We just want to be able to live in our homes and
enjoy, in relative peace and quiet, our time here on earth. To allow a
continual growth of an industry that adversely affects such a large
portion of the anchored tax base with out adequate protection is
unconscionable and inhumane. All we have gotten from our City Officials is stonewalling and empty promises- over and over. It's time for this to stop and deal with the real issues.
TO THOSE OF YOU WHO DEFEND THE NJMP TO MAKE UNRESTRICTED AMOUNTS OF NOISE BECAUSE OF ALL THE JOBS THE INDUSTRY BRINGS:
We say to you that noise
mitigation does not prevent jobs, curtailing noise does not impede
growth. On the contrary, proper noise mitigation can improve the
climate for growth and foster good will within the community.
Excessive noise is a detriment to the quality of life for all
residents. It is absurd that just because someone is making money they
can also make huge amounts of noise.
TO THOSE OF YOU WHO SAY:
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST MOVE!"
We say that it’s nice
to know our fellow Millvillians are so caring and compassionate. It's also disturbing to know that the racing community as a whole shares this view. There
are families that have called this area of Millville their home for
generations. Residents have enjoyed a certain quality of life in the
quiet neighborhoods that their families have toiled in years of hard
work to afford the little pleasures of life. The protection of these
rights should have been paramount in the Commissioner’s list of actions
when the track was first proposed. This noise pollution brought into
their private spaces has robbed them of these rights. The stress,
tension and fatigue associated with exposure to long-term noise can
result in uncontrollable stress, elevated blood pressure, sleep
disturbance, severe depression resulting in a cascade of negative
effects. For those who find themselves thusly impacted who have decided to leave, have the
additional stress of being forced to sell their houses in an economic
turn down of historic proportions at a significant loss. And this is ok
for the town officials? This is acceptable collateral damage in this
push for jobs?
Keep in mind when critics of our plight bombard you with this blast of "compassion:" we were here first and this noise pollution has been thrust upon us.
We have all invested lots of time and money into our properties and
homes. Families have been raised, churches attended, and farms farmed
for generations in this area. It would seem that existing housing
should over-ride someone coming in and building something that creates
an intolerable amount of noise pollution that lowers our quality of life and factors into lower property values. It is easy for them to criticize us
when it’s not their home and property that will suffer from it.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SAY
THAT IT IS WHITE NOISE
AND THAT YOU WILL GET USED TO IT:
This is not white noise. White noise is a steady, constant low pitch
hum, like an air conditioner, refrigerator or an oscillating fan.
Noise generated by the motor vehicle traffic on major highways can also
be considered white noise as it is constant and does not change in
pitch or frequency. All of these vehicles have mufflers that reduce
the high pitch of a raw engine. What we are dealing with here is noise
that is high pitched, low frequency, erratic whine of unmufflered
racing engines that scream around the track. It starts and stops
without consistency thus the human brain cannot regulate and get used
to.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO SAY:
"WHAT ABOUT ALL THE CRIME IN
CENTER CITY?"
Do as we did- Organize!
Friends of Millville has done just that and makes a significant
contribution in the cause to reduce crime in the streets of Millville.
Like us in our efforts, be a part of the solution.