Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Warner Park Noise topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Neighbors urge Matthews board to act after years of loud amplified sound from Warner Park
Summary
Dozens of Matthews residents told the board of commissioners on April 27 that amplified music and announcements from nearby Warner Park regularly penetrate homes, citing decibel readings in the upper 80s; the town urged neighbors to file police reports, said no special permit to exceed 60 dB exists, and pledged to investigate and enforce.
Dozens of residents from neighborhoods adjoining Warner Park described repeated, loud amplification from the athletic fields during the Board of Commissioners’ April 27 meeting, presenting video and meter readings they say document the problem and asking the town to stop the noise.
Nancy Erb, who said she lives directly behind Warner Park, told the board she and her husband recorded several videos and that “the main point that I would like to make today is the extremely high amplification.” Tom Erb, another long‑time neighbor, said spot decibel measurements he took showed levels in the upper 80s and asked the board to consider a cease‑and‑desist or moratorium until the school and park reduce volume and abide by earlier commitments not to install speakers and lights. “So I ask that you consider … a cease, desist, and removal,” Tom Erb said.
Joe Ferraro and other neighbors described a decade of attempts to resolve the issue with school officials and said temporary reductions in volume were not sustained. Residents raised several concrete complaints: removal of tree buffers and changes to field topography that they say made the park louder, a new concrete wall that they say amplified sound, and a lack of consistent permitting or notices required under the town’s noise rules.
Town staff and elected officials responded that the town will investigate and urged residents to document incidents with the police. Mayor John Higdon said the town recently purchased calibrated decibel meters and asked neighbors to call the nonemergency police line to create official reports: “Please call our police. They’ll come out there and take an official measurement,” he said, providing the number the board referenced at the meeting (704‑847‑5555). Jay Camp, interim assistant manager, told the board he found no town permit that allows exceeding the 60‑decibel limit; town attorney Daniel Peterson added that conditional zoning cannot be used to exempt an applicant from an ordinance requirement under state law.
A Matthews police speaker reported that the department’s CAD system showed no prior formal complaints on file for the park, but the board said it would start enforcement if documented measurements show the ordinance is being violated. Commissioners asked staff to circulate zoning documentation and to research the site’s permit history; Chief Avon (as referenced in the meeting) and lieutenant Derry said the department would research and follow up with residents.
The meeting record shows no formal action—no citations or permit revocations—were taken at the meeting. The board committed to further staff research and enforcement steps once police reports and calibrated meter readings are documented.
The board moved on to its next agenda items after acknowledging residents’ concerns and promising follow‑up.
