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Jacksonville, Britt reach noise accord By MELISSA MARTIN JACKSONVILLE -- It took more than a year, but Britt Festivals, the City of Jacksonville and Jackson County finally have found a way to please crowds and please neighbors. The Jacksonville City Council Tuesday signed an intergovernmental agreement, the result of 12 months of meetings with a sound technician, music promoters, neighbors, city and county staff and mediator Keri Green. "Sound was the issue that kept everybody going," said Ron McUne, director of Britt Festivals. "Controlling sound is a complex, scientific issue." Under the agreement, musicians performing on the Britt stage cannot exceed 92 decibels. If a concert averages more than 92 decibels an hour, Britt will be fined $1,000, plus $500 for every decibel over 92. "What we discovered after a year of testing sound levels and analyzing the data is that, with the exception of four, nearby properties, we are able to stay within the state law at our current operating standards," McUne said. Even the sold-out Chicago performance last September passed the sound test, he said. To comply with the agreement, Britt Festivals will test noise levels with a traffic signal-like monitor at the sound board this summer. There will be a screen backstage for the performers to note their volume. Britt will turn the results in to the City of Jacksonville the morning after a concert. "If we go over the line, we get nailed," McUne said. And at the same time, if a neighbor stops by City Hall to complain about the previous night's concert, city staff can show the decibel readings as proof that Britt played by the rules, he said. In other action Tuesday, the City Council tabled a motion to create a pocket, or butterfly, park on Middle Street next to Pheasant Meadows subdivision. City Council member Joyce Coleman said the city's parks committee will discuss the park again after the architect plans are drawn. Several residents attended the council meeting to voice opposition to the plan. "We are opposing any kind of park on Middle Street because we feel the city has not maintained the city park that already exists in Pheasant Meadows," Beverly Way resident Rene Beavers told the City Council. "The city park next to the tennis courts is an eyesore, with overgrown weeds and dead grass," Beavers said. "We have to call the city and beg just to get the weeds mowed or the dead trees removed from the planter boxes." Pheasant Meadows resident Jureen Gardner said building a park on Middle Street would prevent the city from extending the spur to create another way in and out of the subdivision. It could also hinder Jacksonville Presbyterian's future plans for a new church building on 10 acres across the street from the development, she said. "Regardless of what is built on that property, whether it's a church or a subdivision, the city will need another option for getting traffic in and out," Gardner said. "Keeping Middle Street open is part of the city planning for its future." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA