The notice of violation requiring the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park to cease all construction and events came as a surprise to NCM Executive Director Wendell Strode, who thought all the parties involved had reached an amiable understanding during a public meeting Monday.
Some neighbors of the park have expressed their concern over what they term excessive noise levels being created by the cars there, including at a planning commission meeting two weeks ago.
NCM officials met with residents, government officials, and others on Monday night to discuss the issue further, then received the notice of violation at the end of the meeting.
Strode told the Bowling Green Daily News that between now and July 10, the park will address some of the concerns outlined in the notice of violation, though not all.
“I think our intention will be just to show we’re doing everything within the time period that’s practical, and hopefully the planning commission or the code enforcement board or whoever we need to visit with will understand that and be just generous or kind to us,” he told the newspaper.
The museum has retained the firm Bowlby & Associates Inc. of Franklin, Tenn., to make recommendations on how to deal with the noise problem, Strode said.
According to its website, the firm offers community and transportation noise analysis and abatement.
“It’ll be a matter of determining what is done to move forward and what we can afford to do moving forward,” Strode said.
In the classic “which came first, the chicken or the egg” situation, Strode noted that the Motorsports Park first has “to do the events to collect the data to have the recommendation” about possible solutions to alleviate the noise levels.
NCM said in a statement released Tuesday that it has “been working closely” with nearby residents and others and has hired an experienced sound mitigation company to try and solve the noise issues. In fact, the sound company representative went with the neighborhood committee to explore the suggested locations and also talked with several other neighborhood residents.
Code Enforcement Officer Preston Withers said he will be checking Wednesday to see if construction has stopped at the park. If not, he plans to issue a citation with a minimum fine of $100, and a citation could also be issued if event-related activity continues.
Withers said a citation could be appealed to the Warren County Code Enforcement Board and that the board would also hear the case if the park remains out of compliance with the notice and could decide at its next meeting in August whether to make the fine a per-day penalty instead of a one-time charge.
Meanwhile, NCM officials believe they are trying to solve the problem in good faith.
“So far everything that we have done we feel like has been a continuing indication of our understanding of the concerns and our plans to try to move forward, but to move forward with something that’s very real and beneficial that will help everybody,” Strode said.
Source:
Bowling Green Daily News
NCM Motorsports Park
Related:
Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park Will Hold Track Events Despite Shut Down Order
Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park Receives Shut Down Order Over Noise Concerns
Residents Near the Corvette Museum’s Motorsports Park Voice Concerns Over Noise Levels
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