...from the town crier this week ....online...


http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/communities/Niagara-on-the-Lake/article/270684

Kari Cullen, project manager for Project Niagara, listens to concerns from the public at a meeting held at Virgil Public School July 22. Citizens voice concerns at Project Niagara meeting Eddie Chau Published on Jul 31, 2009

More than 300 people packed Virgil Public School’s gymnasium Thursday with questions and concerns about a large-scale music festival proposed for Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Consultants and experts were on hand in Virgil to update residents about the progress on the development of Project Niagara, a proposed 17-week summer music festival eyed for the 260 acres of land along Lakeshore Road. The public meeting was the second meeting in a matter of weeks held by Project Niagara’s board of directors in an attempt to educate and update the community about the festival.

Thursday’s meeting revealed the results of a traffic impact study which recommended a number of options to minimize traffic concerns, including use of shuttle buses and reducing parking lot size. An acoustic engineer was on hand to discuss the impact of noise in Niagara-on-the-Lake should the festival be viable.

Kari Cullen, project manager for Project Niagara, said public meetings will be held once every few months to gather feedback and concerns from residents towards the project. The goal is to help further the project and refine its plans.

“We have to address new and evolving concerns. There will be a place for comments to be dealt with,” Cullen said. “There’s assurance that through the life time of Project Niagara to be a good neighbour and good part of the community.”

John O’Keefe, an engineer from Aerocoustics Engineering Limited in Toronto, discussed the impact of the acoustic environment of Project Niagara to its surrounding neighbours. O’Keefe noted that daytime performances would produce a sound level of 50 decibels while evening and night time performances will produce 47 and 45 decibels respectively.

Resident Joel Press was concerned about the noise impact. He asked O’Keefe whether it was possible to turn the amphitheater shell away from the residential area to reduce noise.

O’Keefe said doing so would curve the sound and reflect off the air and come down. Once studies are done and the noise levels are high, sound barriers can be put up to shield noise from nearby neighbourhoods.

Resident Ken Enns said he was concerned about traffic travelling down Niagara Stone Road and Concession 6. Enns told Nick Palomba, the consultant behind the traffic impact study that 40 per cent of traffic going through Virgil is not a good option.

Palomba said the festival will operate until 8 p.m. on a weekdays and assured traffic won’t travel through town during peak hours during the day. http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/communities/Niagara-on-the-Lake/article/270684