The noise complaints started coming on May 26 when a hip-hop and funk artist called Anderson .Paak took the stage at Westbrook’s new concert venue, the open-air stage known as the Maine Savings Pavilion at Rock Row.

Now, almost three months later, the complaints about loud noise generated by a variety of artists, including Saturday night’s performance by Alice Cooper, have persisted. The complaints have not only been filed by Westbrook residents, but by a number of people who live in neighboring Portland.

One of those Portland residents whose Saturday evening was rocked by Cooper’s band was Maya Lena, president of the Nason’s Corner Neighborhood Association.

Lena said Sunday evening that she doesn’t speak for the entire neighborhood, but she does represent the views of some neighbors whose lives have been impacted by noise from the Maine Savings Plaza venue.

“I could not fall asleep. It was loud until 11 o’clock,” Lena said. “I had to wait it out.”

Fortunately for Lena, her newborn and 3-year-old were able to sleep through the concert, but Lena said it shouldn’t be like this in Nason’s Corner, a long-established Portland neighborhood that existed years before the Rock Row development. Nason’s Corner is along Brighton Avenue, not far from the Westbrook city line.

Advertisement

“The best comparison I can make would be our next-door neighbor having a very loud house party,” Lena said of the noise levels. “It is frustrating because if I complained about a loud house party, the police department would shut it down. But the police in Portland and Westbrook have decided not to get involved.”

The Westbrook Police Department posted a reminder on its Facebook page Sunday afternoon asking that any neighbors with complaints about concert noise to contact the Event Compliance Officer at 558-6007. The complaint hotline number reaches a recording that asks callers for their name, address and a details about their concern.

“Do not call the police department with a noise complaint. This ties up our lines that are needed for emergencies,” the police department Facebook post said. A police dispatcher said the department took three noise complaints Saturday evening.

Linda Adams, who serves as community liaison for the concert promoter, Waterfront Concerts of Bangor, said Sunday evening that the event compliance officer, Jamie Grant, files a noise report with the Westbrook Planning Department after each concert. Adams said Grant’s role is to collect data and present it to the city.

She said Grant is not authorized to speak to the media. Westbrook City Administrator Jerre Bryant and city spokeswoman Tina Radel could not be reached for comment Sunday night.

In the wake of Cooper’s performance, Grammy Award-winning musician and rock icon John Fogerty was scheduled to perform at Rock Row on Sunday evening. He came to Maine as part of his 50th anniversary tour, which began in the United States in April.

Advertisement

Adams said she was unable to comment on the noise produced by the Cooper concert, but invited the public to a neighborhood meeting Monday night at the Westbrook Community Center on Bridge Street. The 6 p.m. meeting will give residents the opportunity to air their concerns about how noise levels are being managed at the concert venue.

“We continue to work closely with Waterfront Concerts and the city of Westbrook to make improvements after each concert is held,” she said.

Lena is hopeful that the concert promoter and residents can come up with a solution, such as requiring artists to use the venue’s sound system and not their own. Lena said noise complaints increase when artists use their own sound systems instead of the venue’s.

“People really want this Rock Row thing to be a positive experience for all the neighborhoods,” she said.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: