St. Paul City Council may lower noise limits for Breakaway Music Festival
Days after urging the city council to approve a sound-level variance for the Breakaway Music Festival at decibel levels objected to by city staff, a key council member has had a change of heart.
'This is something we had a lot of robust conversation around last week,' explained Council Member Anika Bowie, whose political ward encompasses Allianz Field.
Bowie asked the council on Wednesday to redo its 4-2 vote from a week prior and lower the decibel limits to those recommended by the city's Department of Safety and Inspections, for two reasons. First, neighbors living near Allianz Field never received notice there would be an April 16 public hearing about the sound-level variance.
Following last week's council vote, 'we unfortunately recognized that the public notices had been drafted, but the all-important part of hitting send did not occur,' said DSI Director Angie Wiese, explaining the snafu to the council.
As a result, the public will get a second chance to weigh in before the council during a public hearing to be held May 14.
In addition to the new public hearing, Bowie on Wednesday asked the council to amend the sound-level variance resolution, reverting to an earlier version that includes lower decibel limits recommended by DSI. The amended limits will be finalized following the May 14 hearing.
Bowie said she had received strong feedback from the executive director of the Union Park District Council and other concerned critics who 'shared disappointments around the process. We want to make sure we can rectify this.'
The amended decibel limits and new hearing date were approved together on Wednesday, 6-0, without further discussion. Council Vice President HwaJeong Kim was absent.
Organizers have said their inaugural St. Paul celebration last summer drew 24,000 fans and $2 million in ticket sales, generating as much as $6 million in spending for the region.
Critics as far as Mendota Heights complained of window-rattling noise likely well above approved limits, leading organizers this year to promise sound-shielding improvements, including hourly testing of noise levels and better speakers aimed at the sports stadium instead of Cub Foods.
The festival returns to the grounds outside Allianz Field on June 6 and June 7, but organizers have said they may pull out if they don't get a higher sound limit than the decibel levels recommended by DSI.
The Breakaway Music Festival was approved last week for a sound-level variance 103 decibels at 125 feet from the main stage, as well as a limit of 101 decibels at 100 feet from a secondary stage. Both limits are above the noise levels associated with a typical outdoor concert, or even a construction site, DSI staff said.
City staff have recommended a sound limit of 100 decibels at 100 feet from the main stage, and 99 decibels at 75 feet from the secondary stage.
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