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Fair Board, city to discuss amphitheater By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT - The Jackson County Fair Board will meet with city officials tonight to discuss how it has addressed their concerns over noise and traffic that might be generated from a new amphitheater planned at the Exposition Center. But Mayor Bill Walton will come armed with his own information, gathered from a trip Tuesday to Sacramento. There he learned about a similar amphitheater that was built in 1992, torn down in 1998 and rebuilt almost 40 miles from town after mounting noise and traffic concerns. "The one they tore down was three-quarters of a mile from the closest home," Walton said. "The one proposed in Central Point would be 500 feet from apartments behind Jewett (Elementary School). I have serious reservations about how that would work." The 5,800-seat outdoor amphitheater will cost an estimated $3 million and will include private suites, executive patios, 1,900 fixed seats and sloped lawn seating. It is expected to draw big-name performers at least 12 times a year. It has been the subject of opposition from Central Point residents, who fear the outdoor concerts will generate too much noise and traffic. In response, the Fair Board agreed to point the amphitheater north, away from town, and to erect 12-foot berms to deflect noise. The meeting between the Fair Board and City Council will begin at 6 p.m. at Central Point City Hall. Walton said he visited with a principal at an elementary school located the same distance from the Sacramento venue as Jewett Elementary is from the expo grounds. He was told that students had become "accustomed to noise from afternoon concerts, but that it was still very loud." A talk with a local farmer described the concerts as louder than a train rumbling. "She said to me, 'If you've ever gone to a movie with the elevated train tracks where everything in the theater shakes, it's worse than that,'" Walton said. Walton said he does not oppose the amphitheater outright, but is concerned whether the Fair Board would adhere to recommendations outlined by engineers regarding notice and traffic. Expo Manager Chris Borovansky said those concerns will be addressed. "We will almost assuredly take the recommendations of our noise consultant," he said. "Anything stipulated in our site plan amendment, we're going to adhere to. The berm, landscaping, sound barrier - that's not just pie in the sky. It will be a reality." Borovansky said the council was recently provided copies of the noise and traffic studies and that he looked forward to an open "exchange of information" at tonight's meeting. "We feel we've addressed the city's concerns and hopefully we'll all agree that the amphitheater will be a good thing for the community and have a strong economic impact," he said. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.