(Revision 9 pm 4/16/21) Tommy Long Creates False Impression through Recent Mountaineer Article

Excerpts from the Mountaineer article by Vicki Hyatt April 14, are below. Taxpayers for Peace comments in red. This article proves very damaging to efforts to REALLY address the noise problem from the SMEC. TO CLARIFY, THE SMEC HAD TWO MEETINGS WITH THREE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS (WHICH ONLY REPRESENTS A PORTION OF THE HOMES AND RESIDENTS IMPACTED), ONLY AGREED TO END WEEKDAY CONCERTS AT 9:30 AND TO AIM THE STAGE AWAY FROM REGINA PARK. THE SMEC DECIDED, AGAINST THE INPUT FROM COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS, AS TO WHAT REASONABLE DECIBEL LEVELS SHOULD BE. THERE ARE OTHER HOMES NORTH OF THE FAIRGROUNDS. IT IS SURROUNDED BY HOMES IN ALL DIRECTIONS. SOMETHING THE SMEC REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE. ALSO, THE SMEC BOARD WAS ASKED BY AN ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT TO HIRE A SOUND ENGINEER TO STUDY THE LOCATION AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS. THEY POINT BLANK REFUSED STATING COSTS. IN ADDITION, THE SMEC IS RELYING ON INEXPERIENCED GUESSES AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF DECIBEL LEVEL SETTINGS TO USE, FROM SMEC BOARD MEMBER RELATIVES WHO HAVE NOT CONDUCTED ANY PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE SMEC PROPERTY OR THE RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES THAT SURROUND IT. AND THEY CONTINUE TO ASSUME CONCERT GOERS BRING REVENUE TO THE COUNTY IN THE WAY OF HOTEL AND RESTAURANT VISITS. THIS CANNOT BE PROVEN. IT IS PURELY ASSUMPTION. AND FINALLY, TOMMY LONG AND THE SMEC BOARD, ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL, AND THE SHERIFF'S DEPT. ARE RECEIVING FEWER COMPLAINTS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED OF THIS NOISE ISSUE, RESIDENTS IN THE AREA WOULD RATHER NOT HEAR THESE CONCERTS, ARE CONCERNED OF THEIR PROPERTY VALUES, BUT ARE GIVING UP THAT ANYTHING WILL CHANGE. THE REASON? BECAUSE THE SMEC, THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, AND THE HAYWOOD COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HAVE LET THE RESIDENTS DOWN. THEY HAVE FAILED TO REALLY HEAR OUR CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS. THEY RECEIVED A PETITION WITH 109 SIGNATURES LAST FALL FROM ALL AROUND THE SMEC INCLUDING NORTH ON 209 AND LAKE JUNALUSKA. THE "CHANGES" THEY'VE MADE ARE INSIGNIFICANT. THAT IS THE REAL STORY. THE MOUNTAINEER ARTICLE IS PURE PROPAGANDA TO SUPPORT THE IMPRESSION THEY ARE "BEING GOOD NEIGHBORS" AND ALL IS WELL. DON'T BELIEVE IT. IT'S ONLY THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM.

Excerpts from Vicki Hyatt's article below:

"The first outdoor concert of the 2021 season at the Smoky Mountain Event Center got rave reviews all around." -- FROM WHO?

A quote from Tommy Long: "I got feedback from two of the homeowners association presidents --WHY DIDN'T THE 3RD COMMENT? WHY HAVE YOU ONLY MET WITH 3 COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS WHEN HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE SIGNED AND CONTINUE TO SIGN A PETITION TO END THESE CONCERTS? AND THIS FEEDBACK YOU RECEIVED, WAS IT BASED ON A POLL TAKEN BY THESE PRESIDENTS OF EVERY RESIDENT'S FEEDBACK ON HOW THE NOISE IMPACTED THEM? OR WAS IT JUST THE PRESIDENT'S IDEA? after the weekend concert, both said the decibel levels were lower and our rules helped. They were appreciative." Long said he got two complaints, and one of the concerns was about having a concert in the middle of a pandemic. That one, he said, was a nonissue and was something that was addressed last year. --ANYONE THAT HAS INTERACTED ON THIS SUBJECT WITH TOMMY LONG HAS LEARNED IT TO BE USELESS. PEOPLE WHO ARE AGAINST THIS NOISE ARE NOT LIKELY TO CONTACT MR. LONG.

Long said the event center’s governing board spent a considerable amount of time --CLARIFICATION, THERE WERE TWO "COMMITTEE" MEETINGS. TWO. this winter meeting with community residents -- 3 COMMUNITY RESIDENTS and looking at the concert guidelines to come up with changes that could better address complaints and still allow a quality concert fans would enjoy. “This isn’t a county ordinance,” he stressed. “It’s the Smoky Mountain Event Center board trying to be good neighbors.” --TRY HARDER, STOP THIS ABOMINATION, THIS ABUSE OF POWER, THIS LACK OF CONSIDERATION FOR THE TAXPAYERS OF YOUR COUNTY.

One of the homeowner association presidents recommended using an ordinance the city of Asheville worked on for three years when they were studying the noise ordinance. --WHILE THIS IS A GOOD DIRECTION TO TAKE, HOW DOES THE CITY OF ASHEVILLE COMPARE TO THE AREA IN QUESTION? DOES NOT. ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TOPOGRAPHY AND LAYOUT OF RESIDENCES AND BUSINESSES. One committee member, Ben Wilder, has a brother who is a sound engineer and provided a map that addressed decibel levels based on distance from the front of the stage, Long said. -- DOES THIS BROTHER LIVE IN THE AREA AND HAS HE COME TO SEE THE SMEC LAYOUT, THE HOMES THAT ENVELOPE IT? HAS HE EVEN BEEN ON THE PROPERTY AT ALL? WHAT GOOD IS THIS MAP AND MARKING DECIBEL LEVELS FROM THE STAGE WITHOUT KNOWING WHETHER THE NOISE IS REACHING HOMES AND DISTURBING PEOPLE ANYWAY? AND WHY DO THE VOLUNTEER SMEC BOARD MEMBERS GET TO SET DECIBEL LEVELS? HOW AND WHY ARE THEY QUALIFIED TO DO THIS AND ON WHOSE AUTHORITY?

The allowable decibel levels are lower than other places around the region --WHERE? and are something not addressed in the county noise ordinance, Long said. --WHY NOT PUBLICIZE WHAT THOSE LEVELS ARE? DON'T BEAT AROUND THE BUSH. YET THEY DON'T MEAN ANYTHING IF YOU DON'T GATHER DATA FROM HOMES AFFECTED. The event center manager is to be on hand during concerts to check out the levels with a device purchased by the organization. --AGAIN, CHECKING NOISE ON THE SMEC PROPERTY SERVES LITTLE PURPOSE AND WITH A CHEAP DEVICE. AND HOW DOES THIS DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT'S TOO LOUD FOR RESIDENTS? Another change that will be implemented during the next concert event will be to reposition the stage so it points more toward the arena, Long said. -- LONG FAILS TO REALIZE THE SMEC IS LITERALLY SURROUNDED IN EVERY DIRECTION BY HOMES, HOMES OWNED BY TAXPAYING RESIDENTS. DOESN'T MATTER WHAT DIRECTION THAT STAGE FACES, THE NOISE REMAINS.

Folks have done a lot of legwork on ordinances and realized there is a balance between the economic impact of putting on a performance like this and neighborhood noise. We’ve addressed those within our concert rules document,” he said. --PLEASE PUBLICISE THIS DOCUMENT SO EVERYONE CAN SEE WHY THESE "RULES" DIDN'T ACTUALLY PRODUCE ANY REAL CHANGE. AND WHAT "FOLKS" DID LEGWORK ON ORDINANCES WHEN NOISE ORDINANCES DON'T INCLUDE MENTION OF ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF PERFORMANCES? NOW, TAXPAYERS FOR PEACE PROVIDED RESEARCH OF UPDATED STATEWIDE NOISE ORDINANCES TO THE HAYWOOD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LAST FALL. TAXPAYERS FOR PEACE ASKED THAT THE LONG OUTDATED (1987/1995) HAYWOOD COUNTY NOISE ORDINANCE BE REVISED TO BE IN KEEPING WITH GROWING COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE NEVER HEARD BACK FROM THE HAYWOOD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS ORDINANCE WILL BE MODERNIZED.

And Major Smiley of the Haywood County Sheriff's Dept: "Major Jason Smiley, who works with the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and serves as an ex officio member of the events center board, said the office received hardly any complaints about concert noise over the weekend, a sharp contrast to calls that poured in last fall." -- FOLKS ARE GIVING UP ON THE SHERIFF'S DEPT FOR HELP ON THIS ISSUE. NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN THEY CALL. NOTHING CHANGES. PEOPLE HAVE LEARNED THIS IS USELESS, THAT IS WHY YOU RECEIVED LESS CALLS.

“At this point, we’re trying to figure things out,” Lamuraglia said, adding a lot depended on how the new rules worked out. “We’d like to do at least one a month.” -- WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT. Matteo Lamuraglia, staff manager for Asheville Music Hall.

Based on the successful weekend, the board green-lighted booking future concert events. --A BOARD OF ALL VOLUNTEERS, 5 PEOPLE, INCLUDING A HAYWOOD COUNTY COMMISSIONER HAVE DECIDED IT IS OK TO INVADE THE HOMES OF HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE AREA SURROUNDING THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN EVENT CENTER WITH LOUD, EARTH-SHATTERING CONCERT NOISE. AND GIVING RESIDENTS NO RECOURSE BUT TO SUFFER THROUGH THE NOISE IN THEIR OWN HOMES OR LEAVE UNTIL IT IS OVER.