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Resident urges countywide decibel standard after event‑venue noise complaints
Summary
During public comment, resident Joy Hurd urged commissioners to adopt an enforceable county decibel limit and asked whether the county received her WHO‑sourced guidance stating 50 dB as a sleep/peace threshold at property lines; staff noted the fairgrounds uses a calibrated meter for events and commissioners said they would follow up with ordinance specifics.
Joy Hurd of Fireside Drive in Maggie Valley told commissioners she provided county staff and a county official with a World Health Organization citation she said supports a 50‑decibel threshold at property lines for sleep and quiet, and she asked whether staff had acknowledged her April 2024 letter and what progress has been made toward a county decibel ordinance.
Hurd said the county needs a measurable decibel standard to create enforceable evidence, adding that gunshots can reach about 90 dB and that county officials had previously asked her about the source of her data. "The decibel level cannot be over 50 decibels at your property line with the windows," she said, citing WHO guidance she had shared. The chair responded that the fairgrounds has purchased an accurate, not phone‑based, decibel meter and security staff perform sound checks at events and ask organizers to quiet down if levels are excessive.
Commissioners and staff recalled earlier local work to model a sound ordinance for the fairgrounds—described as being stricter than the City of Asheville's in prior drafts—and agreed to follow up with the specific numeric standard and legal options to enforce countywide limits. Hurd said the issue extends beyond the Smoky Mountain Event Center and asked for status updates; commissioners said they would obtain the prior modeled ordinance and return with more information.
