Noise Review Board Subcommittee
Portland International Raceway Agenda
Tuesday, March 21
Agenda
Welcome
Item 1: Presentation on 1989 Resolution #34626
Item 2: Discuss potential Subcommittee recommendations to the Noise Review Board
Item 3: Review task list and determine next steps
Public Comment
The Noise Review Board Subcommittee is currently held virtually.
You are invited to join via ZOOM. Passcode 370478. You can also call by your location- 877 853 5257 US Toll-free or 888 475 4499 US Toll free, Meeting ID: 440 324 9207.
Public Testimony
The public is invited to attend the meeting and to give testimony in support or opposition to agenda items. Written testimony must include your full name and address and can also be submitted via e-mail to variances@portlandoregon.gov, Attn: Noise Board.
Accommodations
If accommodations are needed, please email variances@portlandoregon.gov at least 5 days before the meeting.
Meeting Minutes
Noise Review Board Subcommittee on PIR
March 21, 2023 Meeting Summary
Present:
- Mary Sipe, NRB Chair
- Ryan Pittel, Neighbor Representative
- Angela Moos, Neighbor Representative
- Jason Henshaw, PIR User Representative
- Ron Huegli PIR Management Representative
- Nichole (Nikki) Gamell, PIR Management Representative
- Kerrie Standlee, Acoustic Specialist Consultant to Subcommittee
- Paul Van Orden, Noise Office Consultant to Subcommittee
- Mark Wigginton, Former PIR Management Consultant to Subcommittee
The meeting was called to order by Noise Review Board Chair and Subcommittee Chair, Mary Sipe.
Chair Sipe, advised the subcommittee that with Jill Monroe leaving Katz & Associates to seek another opportunity along with the changes in moving the Noise Program from Civic Life to BDS, the contract with Katz & Associates to provide facilitation and support to the subcommittee has been terminated by mutual agreement.
Mary thanked Civic Life & Parks & Rec management and Katz & Associates for providing assistance and support to the subcommittee.
As Chair of the Subcommittee, Mary will resume duties of facilitating the meetings.
Mary said there would be a small change to tonight’s agenda. The scheduled report on Resolution #34626 has been moved to the April meeting.
Tonight we will focus on a pathway to beginning to develop recommendations, review the task list and discuss next steps.
Only three subcommittee members have submitted suggested recommendations. All three lists focused on the same items
Chair Sipe reminded subcommittee members that this is just a first pass on identifying recommendations and is a very rough draft. She said she had sorted the lists into categories and then walked through each suggestion with the subcommittee.
Noise Complaints
- Have all noise complaints related to PIR directed to one data gathering point.
- Remove the PIR phone number and email address from the PIR website and direct complaints to the Noise Office and online tracking system.
- Establish a category in the new complaint tracking system specific to PIR.
2008 Greenbusch Study
- Update/finalize the Greenbusch Study specific to PIR noise.
Confirm 103/105 trackside decibel level
- Contract with either Greenbusch or an Acoustic Engineering firm to do a noise study to confirm if 103/105 decibels at trackside equates to 65 decibels in the neighborhoods surrounding PIR.
- Once the trackside decibel level has been determined, make any necessary amendment/s to Title 18 to specify the trackside decibel limit.
Noise Meters
- Relocate the Kenton Noise Meter to an area with less ambient noise, such as near Trenton Park.
- Install a second neighborhood noise meter in a location near where complaints are coming from.
- Add an additional noise monitor to the outer western backside stretch of the racetrack.
- Direct the Noise Office to take noise meter readings at locations in the neighborhood where complaints are coming from during the 2023 race season.
- Readings to be taken for at least one hour for at least one day of each varianced event. Readings to be taken for at least one hour for specific non-varianced events that generate the most complaints…i.e., Pro Drive, Hooked on Driving
- Once the neighborhood noise meter has been relocated and an additional meter has been installed, direct the Noise Office to establish a schedule of data gathering and analysis for variance and non-varianced events. The Noise Officer will submit this data to the Noise Review Board for review on an annual basis.
- Upgrade noise meter software to allow for a more easily transparent system that can be obtained without excessive expense to PIR. Or develop expertise with the current B&K software within the Noise Office to analyze the data and create reports & graphs for the Noise Review Board to review.
- Noise Officer, Paul Van Orden said that there is currently expertise with the B&K software within the Noise Office. The issue right now is obtaining the B&K files since there is not an acoustic firm contracted with PIR to provide that service.
- Mary Sipe asked Paul if he had the expertise to create the reports and graphs that Michael Minor provided to the Noise Review Board.
- Paul responded that is able to create reports and graphs but that they would not be as “pretty” as the ones from Michael Minor. He said that Michael Minor used excel in creating his reports.
- Mary also asked Nikki & Ron if they can provide the B&K files to Paul.
- Ron explained that there is an issue with the nature of the contract with B&K and some restrictions with who is permitted to access the data under a “government” contract.
North Portland Trust Fund
- Review the flat fee assessment for varianced events that was established in 1990 to determine if the flat fee should be increased or revised to be based on ticket sales.
- Request a financial report for the North Portland Trust Fund and/or formal audit.
Noise Office Funding & Staffing
- Direct Noise Office to conduct an analysis of staffing and funding requirements as part of next year’s fiscal budget.
- Resolution #34626 stated “the City shall assure an adequate level of funding to the Noise Control office to effectuate these recommendations, especially as they concern monitoring and enforcement. Evaluate as part of next fiscal year’s budget consideration.”
Resolution #34626
- Review and re-evaluate Resolution #34626
- Review recent years trackside noise meter data to determine if the allowed decibel limits for the 4 varianced events can be lowered. (Resolution #34626 intent was to encourage a reduction in noise levels)
- After a review and re-evaluation has been completed, either establish Administrative Rules or incorporate the items in Resolution #34626 regarding “Noise Standards & Variance Process” & “Noise Control Standards” within Title 18.
- There was some discussion about the history of how the 103/105 trackside decibel limit was established. There was agreement that further noise studies need to be conducted to confirm where the trackside decibel limit should be set.
Study noise reduction options
- Direct Parks & Rec to fund a study of the cost and effectiveness of available noise barriers.
- Conduct an analysis of the motorsport events currently taking place at PIR to determine if any events have low participation and/or attendance and bring in minimal revenue to the racetrack.
- Consider reducing the frequency of these events to reduce the impact to the community.
There were some questions and discussion about the items on the list but there were no objections to the items in the list of suggested recommendations.
Next, Chair Sipe walked through each item on the Task List. Subcommittee members confirmed which tasks have been completed. There were some updates and comments added for clarity.
The subcommittee agreed with the exception of the two reports to be given at the April subcommittee meeting, the subcommittee has completed the items on the task list that they can address.
The subcommittee agreed that tasks 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13 are either addressed in some of the recommendations or would be “next steps” for the Noise Office and Parks & Rec to research.
Chari Sipe advised the subcommittee that Kerrie & Marty will give their report on their analysis of complaints and what events appear to generate the most complaints and that Kerrie & Mary will give their overview and report on Resolution #34626 at the April meeting.
She said the subcommittee would spend the May meeting completing recommendations. She told the subcommittee that many of the items would not require City Council approval with the exception of any amendments to Title 18.
The plan is to suspend the subcommittee meetings following the May meeting.
Mary will draft an update for the Noise Review Board of the subcommittee’s work since reconvening in November along with draft recommendations.
She will work with the Noise Office and Parks & Rec on the next steps in the task list and will convene periodic subcommittee meetings to update the subcommittee on progress.
She will not disband the subcommittee until she is confident that work is underway on the next steps and there is a clear plan for investigating noise mitigation opportunities.
She assured the subcommittee members that the Noise Review Board will not just hand this off and assume the remaining work will be done. The Noise Review Board will track and monitor progress until completion and final decisions are made.
She thanked everyone for their work and active participation.
Mary called for Public Comments. There being no public comments, the meeting was adjourned.
Download a copy of the minutes here: