It has simply been too much in the eyes of the rural neighbors to Emerald Meadows to continue any longer. Too much noise, too much litter and one too many coyotes swimming across the slight creek of the Willamette River in retreat of thumping bass, has led to the surrounding neighbors of Emerald Meadows to take their concerns to the Lane County Commissioners.
The Lane County Commissioners today heard the complaints and support for the divisive Emerald Meadows, an open plot at the base of Howard Buford Park that the Lane County Parks Department has been contracting out for events, but did not come to a final decision on what to do with it. The land has been a boon for the parks department, whose state funds have been drying up in recent years and forcing them to look for funds elsewhere.
Opponents to the space, mostly the neighboring farmers, complained of blaring noise as late as 3 a.m., four hours past what city ordinances allow, as well as potential damage to the 80 acres of pasture. Those in favor say the events generate revenue not just for the parks but the city as a whole, for food vendors and nearby hotels, for instance.
“To see people kind of pigeonhole this event because of some of the music there is very disappointing to me. I think this event could bring something amazing to this community,” said Phoenix Vaughn, director of sales and marketing for One Eleven Productions, the orchestrators of Kaleidoscope Music Festival. “Now the needs of very few now are being put over the needs of many.”
Early discussions centered around Kaleidoscope. It had been a heavily hyped festival, with ads appearing in magazines and on telephone poles since before it even had an official lineup. The parks department estimates that Kaleidoscope had 8,750 individuals attend, and sold around 6,200 tickets.
Then, its three-year contract with the county was cancelled last week after a flood of noise complaints. The festivals inaugural run had been hampered with worry from neighbors in the weeks leading up to it. By its final day, 30 noise complaints had been filed, some as far as five miles away. To distance themselves from controversy, organizers of Faerieworlds, another Emerald Meadows event, took to the podium.
“I was at Kaleidoscope and I do support other music festivals, I do support the arts on every level, but I’ve never experienced that level of noise. I just hope that Faerieworlds doesn’t get thrown out with the whole lot,” said Kelly Miller-Lopez, a producer of Faerieworlds and touring musician. “I do think Kaleidoscope should get heard at the same time, but they’re very, very different events.”
The neighboring farmers, on the other hand, stood their ground that Emerald Meadows enterprise should be unplugged.
“These large events, that are happening once a month, don’t do anything for us except increase our traffic, tax our volunteer fire department and bring people into our community that break into buildings and sheds,” said Bethany Little, a neighboring farmer to Emerald Meadows, who discussed having to separate her sheep from attacking each other after being distressed by vibrations in the soil. “This is really not OK. I really hope the parks department can find a way to make money someway else because this is the wrong way.”
Estimates this year show that Lane County has received about $105,000 from the four Emerald Meadows events: The Dirty Dash in June, Cascadia Music Festival in early July, Faerieworlds and Kaleidoscope.
Still, the Emerald Meadows debate has been tabled until a legislative work session, where the commissioners will determine the venue’s future, foggy as it may be.
“I played in rock bands, played in jazz bands, and I understand what loud music is, and I am personally shocked,” said commissioner Jay Bozievich, the vice chair, who stood at a neighbor house during Kaleidoscope to hear the music for himself. “I wish we had the funds to fund parks adequately here. That leaves us with this debate here about Emerald Meadows. I hope that in the future we can find a way to work together.”