The Quiet Site

One of the many churches in Schuylkill County, PA plans to open a new youth center but this one has some very unique plans. In order to reach the county’s youth, the center is going to open in a mall.

The mall is a great location for the youth center. The church feels the youth will be more likely to attend events if they are held in a location the kids already enjoy. They’re also working to update and soundproof the center to make sure the music and activities don’t disturb other tenants.

They hope to open the center in the mall by the end of March.

The Quieter Home program in Louisville is moving forward. Phase 2 of the program was approved last week, granting the Louisville Regional Airport Authority the permission it needed to soundproof another 93 homes.

Each home will be given sound-insulating treatments to help protect it (and its inhabitants) from the noise caused by the aircraft entering and leaving the airport. Homeowners will need to apply for the program by filling out an application package that will be mailed to their homes. Those who are eligibile will receive more than $50,000 in soundproofing, including upgrades to their windows, insulation, and ventilation systems!

We talk quite a bit  about the tragedy that happened on February 20th, 2003 at the Station Nightclub. That’s because the fire there that killed the lives of almost 100 people was something preventable. It was something that would not have happened had the nightclub owners used real soundproofing materials and had the entertainers not taken such risks in their performances.

We read a touching story in the Johnson Sun Rise the other day. It was about Gina Russo and her family. While her mother babysat her two children, Gina and her fiance were in the Station Nightclub. When the blaze broke out, Gina made it out but her fiance did not.

Gina recently published a book called “From the Ashes.” It documents how her life has changed since that fateful day.

Please, if you’re thinking about cutting on costs and using makeshift soundproofing products – think again. Using the wrong materials might not only make your sound problems worse but can change your life forever if a tragedy occurs.

We’re not often inspired by budding musicians but if you take just a brief look at the life of jazz singer Elli Fordyce you might find something special about her.

At the age of 72, Elli Fordyce of Yonkers, New York is just getting into the swing of things with her singing career. She had been part of a jazz group in her early 30’s but a terrible car accident shook the group and it broke up within a week. Elli didn’t sing publicly again for 15 years.

She later found a voice coach and a few other guides and then, years later, saved enough money to rent two days worth of time in a recording studio. The studio was a joke, a small room that used coats and clothing as soundproofing!

She persevered, though – and the rest, friends, is history!

The Cotgrave Candleby Lane Primary School has a rather unique plan. They’re going to convert an old cottage that was once used for the caretaker into a recording studio. The studio will be used for local bands and school children alike.

Neighbors originally protested the use of the cottage as they were concerned over potential noise issues. They stopped complaining when the school promised to soundproof the building and make sure students were quietly escorted to and from the building.

Noise continues to be an issue all around the world, not just in the United States.

Things are no different in Beirut, where Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud was forced to tour the streets of Gemmayzeh in the middle of the night. He was out investigating noise complaints near local bars and business establishments.

The Tourism Minister didn’t even hit the streets until 11:30 at night, and for good reason. He knew that would be the time businesses were noisiest and the results are surprising.

While he noted most businesses have not yet installed soundproofing materials (required by March 2010), he noted they were not operating at illegal noise levels.

Here’s a situation we don’t hear about very often.

Neighbors outside the Manchester Square area recently began noticing something pequliar. Houses and apartment buidings are being torn down on a regular basis. There are a few left, with people living there – but where have the rest gone?

The truth? LAX offered to soundproof the homes in this area a good 15 years ago. The owners decided that they didn’t want soundproofing and agreed to let LAX buy them out. The project, as it becomes closer to completion, is also becoming more noticeable.

Originally LAX planned to build a customer transporation center there but those plans have been put on hold. Something will show up there soon, though.

We all remember that fateful blaze back in 2003. The Station nightclub went up in flames after illegal soundproofing materials caught on fire because of the pyrotechnics the band Great White used during its show.

More than 100 people died in the blaze and a fund of more than $176 has been awarded the more than 165 survivors and relatives of victims.

Caprio, the General Treasurer, was given guidance from the Ethics Commission regarding the dispursement of the funds. He asked for help in the process because a law firm his family is associated with represents more than 40 victims.

We applaud his ethical response to the situation and feel confident the funds will now be properly disbursed.

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.