QUEENS — Organizers of a summer outdoor concert series at Forest Hills Stadium said they are planning to invest more than $500,000 to reduce noise and install new lights to address complaints received from local residents.
The organizers, who met with community members Tuesday night, said that the noise-suppression measures will include building a concrete fence around several portions of the stadium, which sits in the middle of a residential area.
Last season, dozens of violations were issued to patrons for carrying open containers and public urination and one violation was issued for noise. The series went on a decades-long hiatus before that for noise as well.
They are also planning to redesign walls around the stage and enclose the stadium’s 10 stairways with covers to contain sounds.
In addition, organizers are considering installing several sound-absorbing panels around the stadium which can be moved depending on the need, the organizers said.
During Tuesday's meeting, several local residents complained about noise last season, but others said the concerts are a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
The upgrades, which will cost about $400,000, will start shortly and take about three weeks to complete, according to Jon McMillan, one of the organizers.
McMillan also said that throughout the entire season last year the organizers had worked with the city's Department of Environmental Protection and the Mayor’s office to monitor the noise and keep it at appropriate levels.
The organizers received one violation, he said, during the fourth concert of the season featuring The Replacements.
After that, the organizers hired a consulting company called Arup, which previously worked on acoustic design at such venues as the Barclays Center and the Sydney Opera House.
They also had a 3-D model of the stadium built to see where to best aim the sound so that it stays within the venue.
The organizers said they were also planning several other improvements including replacing light towers which were often projecting the light in multiple directions, disturbing residents who live nearby, with a system within the venue.
These upgrades will cost more than $100,000, the organizers estimated.
The stadium first relaunched the summer concert series after a decades-long hiatus in 2013. Last year it underwent its first major facelift in decades, which included a new stage, seating area and handrails.
During the meeting some residents also said the events drew rowdy crowds to the neighborhood, including people smoking marijuana.
But Deputy Inspector Judith Harrison, the commanding officer of the 112th Precinct, said that from her point of view, the concerts, which attracted crowds of about 13,000 people each, were "an overwhelming success."
"We were able to get them into that venue safely, we were able to get them out of that venue safely," she said. "There were no major incidents, no assaults, no robberies, no murders, no rapes, no violence."
Ed Sheeran kicks off the season at the stadium on May 28, with other major acts including The Who, Santana and Van Morrison set to perform later in the summer.
