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Residents press town to tighten event controls after loud concerts; board keeps fairgrounds hearing open
Summary
Residents near the Orange County Fairgrounds described sustained concert noise and building vibrations and urged stricter controls; the board debated lowering the permit threshold from 5,000 to 2,000, heard from fairgrounds owners denying some allegations, and voted to keep the public hearing open for further edits and outreach.
At a Dec. 18 public hearing, residents and seniors spoke at length about noise, long concert hours and vibrations from events at the Orange County Fairgrounds and Speedway, pressing the Town of Wallkill to limit the size and type of events held on the property.
“...the vibration that goes through this place all day long from 8 in the morning until 1 in the morning is horrendous,” said Cynthia Milo, who identified herself as a resident of 455 Road Extension speaking for a group at a senior living center. Several residents described windows and buildings shaking during recent large concerts, and one resident reported nighttime sound readings of 70–80 decibels at 9–10 p.m., which he said made sleep difficult.
Council members discussed proposed changes to the assemblies law that would remove a permit exemption for the fairgrounds and lower the permit trigger from 5,000 attendees to 2,000. Opponents on the board said that the current 5,000 threshold appropriately triggers permitting and that lowering it would multiply permit requirements, while other members and residents urged more controls on specific event types and stronger communication between event coordinators and neighbors.
Michael Gerda, the majority owner of the Orange County First Speedway, addressed the board and denied allegations about the most inflammatory claims, saying, “I have never auctioned off a woman ... I have never been in operation on Easter Sunday at 01:30 in the morning.” He urged the town to work with fairgrounds operators and seek practical solutions rather than broad new restrictions.
Councilman Johnson said he was not prepared to adopt new law language that night and moved to keep the public hearing open to hear more community input and fine-tune the ordinance language; the board voted to continue the hearing.
The clerk also read a related notice that the town intends to amend chapter 165 (noise) to modify the fairgrounds exemption and noted the county planning department had submitted comments that the board will review. The town signaled that further drafting, a liaison relationship with fairgrounds operators and additional outreach will follow before any final vote.
