The Quiet Site

The folks running LAX have huge plans. In order to raise funds for upgrades to their Tom Bradley International Terminal (as if they aren’t charging enough for airline tickets), the airport is asing the FAA for permission to charge an extra $4.50 surcharge per passenger.

What will the fees be used for? They’ll be used to epxand the terminal (adding around 700,000 square feet of space), expand customs, and enlarge the border protection areas. The fees will also go towards soundproofing homes near the airport.

The project is propsed to run between 2012 and 2019 and officials expect to raise more than $855 million. So will it pass? We’ll see…

The Sonoma Academy of Dance and Art may be in trouble. The organization is lcoated in one of the area’s “Medium Denisty Residential” areas. It’s zoned for mixed use because it was once an elementary school but residents are complaining that the school should not be allowed to host special events.

They are, after all, noisy – so say the neighbors.

The neighbors in question are, sadly, a couple that lives behind the school. They not only complain about noise from events but about the mere sound of children’s laughter. Now that’s just sad.

In any event, the school has been having special events without the proper permits and does not have any special soundproofing. The Sonoma Planning commission has now denied their application for a permit for future events – a decision that could force the school, dependent upon the revenues, to close.

Will city council overturn the ruling? We hope so.

Back in 2006, Austin Studios Received more than $6 million in funding from public bonds and local utility companies to put towards improvements.

They didn’t get around to starting those improvements until 2009. Officials plan to completely overhaul the studio grounds, including the completion of a high-tech soundproofing project, the installation of an incredibly large movie screen taking up three walls, and much, much more.

Hopefully we’ll see the completion of the projectin 2010, or very soon thereafter. The upgraded Austin Studios complex will prove a great addition to the movie-making scene.

Look, we all know that teenagers and college students like to listen to loud music but this girls seems to have taken things a bit too far. The 26 year old college student, Rai Maher-Davies, from Swansea (UK), used to play music so loud that her neighbor could hear it from her own living room.

After several complaints, a court ordered Rai to turn her tunes down but she failed to do so and after 3 more citations finally received a fine. At one point they had even confiscated some of her audio equipment.

The courts determined that this otherwise nice girl was living in a home that does not have proper soundproofing. They charged her a fine of nearly 500 pounds but did return her equipment.

The Bridge Mall in Ballarat is preparing to undergo some major renovations. The city council has plans to allow one of the buildings on the mall property to convert itself into a music and comedy club style venue.

If approved, the club will open for afternoon shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays, close, and then reopen for evening shows on the same days. The mall is nowhere near a residential area so sound problems should not be an issue, although the promoters did point out that the brick building itself already has a small amount of soundproofing.

We think it’s a great idea, great location and – hey – it’s already soundproof. Just let them have fun!

The FAA originally denied Elk Grove schools more than $10 million in funds for soundproofing but after a severe public outcry may be reviewing and overturning its decision.

The FAA has not yet made an official decision but should have a final response sometime this week. In the meantime, FAA officials have agreed to visit three of the schools in question in early 2010 to assess their noise problems.

Good news for Elk Grove students. We hope they get the soundproofing funds they deserve!

New York residents have been at a disadvantage for the past few years. Those looking for affordable apartments generally found themselves in residential areas rezoned from what were once industrial areas – places full of noise from trains and machinery.

The city required landlords to install thick soundproof windows but the landlords have decided that windows alone aren’t enough. They decided to add extra soundproofing insulation as well as new windows in the hopes that they’ll have an easier time renting their apartments out.

Whatever their reasons, we’re glad to see them taking responsibility for the location of their buildings instead of signing leases and telling their tenants to deal with it or move out!

More than 100 people died when a fire broke out in a Russian club last week and, sadly, the event brings an interesting question to light – are we so dense as to not learn from the mistakes of others?

The deaths of so many come on the heels of pending litigation caused as a result of the 2003 fire at the Station nightclub in Rhode Island back in 2003. The blaze was caused when pyrotechnic materials lit soundproofing materials on fire. Dozens died in the stampede out the only available door and many others were stuck in the back where there were no alternate exits.

So why, in Russia, were the windows of the second floor club covered with metal rods? Why didn’t Russian authorities force compliance with simple fire hazard regulations? We may never know – but we’ll certainly hear a lot about it as the legal proceedings move forward.

In Britain, a Palma judge ordered that the Centro Canino Internacional amimal refuge cease all operations immediately.

Why? A nearby neighbor is complaining that she can’t sleap at night due to the sounds from the compound. A claim that is wildly questioned due to the compound’s internal soundproofing as well as external dirt mounds, trees, and shrubbery.

Julie Ford, the Vice President of the refuge, thinks it’s homeowners animals left outside overnight causing the commotion. Her animals are inside their soundproof kennels by 6pm each evening.

Supporters of the shelter plan to protest the ruling – especially since there are very few other shelters in the area that can take the refugee’s animals. We hope they all find loving homes.

The liquor license at the Lev Cupid nightclub in Western Cape was suspended last week. Why? Neighbors complained about thenoise coming from the club.

Officials claim that the owner was rude in court, that the patrons were rowdy, and that the club stayed open past the legal time limit. The owner, on the other hand is adamant that the license should be restored. He’s even promising to collect money from patrons and sponsors in order to sound proof the entire building.

The problem? He promised to soundproof the building when he got his license last July and hasn’t done so yet. Oops.