Tisbury residents vented about shaking houses, damaged grass, loud noises and heavy traffic during a public meeting Thursday.
Tisbury residents vented about shaking houses, damaged grass, loud noises and heavy traffic during a public meeting meant to allow neighbors of the Beach Road Weekend music festival a forum to convey their issues with the event.
Held Aug. 26 through Aug. 28, the music festival, put on by event producer Adam Epstein, was awarded a three-year contract to use Veterans Memorial Park as its venue by the town select board this February.
The festival played host to approximately 10,000 people over the course of its three days, which came back in full force in 2022 after the pandemic cancelled the event in 2020 and led to scaled-back lineups in 2021.
Thursday’s meeting took place at the Tisbury senior center, where approximately 50 neighbors gathered to mainly voice grievances to the town select board about the festival.
“It’s really a meeting for you, the residents, the neighbors,” said Jay Grande, who added that the town had received considerable correspondence about problems with the event.
Neighbors struck a markedly different tone than a prior forum held to discuss the event, in which dozens of Islanders appeared in support of the festival. For approximately an hour on Thursday, a different group of residents highlighted problems with noise, safety, environmental impact, traffic and damage to public property.
“The three days of the festival are pretty much a nightmare,” said nearby resident Abbe Burt, who highlighted the common theme of excessive noise during the weekend.
Jessica Tartell, general manager of Chicken Alley, said that the show’s bass caused the thrift shop’s metal building to vibrate so much that several paintings were destroyed. In addition, she said, the closure of the building during the weekend caused Chicken Alley to lose out on an estimated $20,000 of income. Store earnings go to support Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.
Frequent mention was made of the severe headaches and vibrating walls caused by the loud noise, even from self-professed music lovers. While some attendees supplied proposals for acoustic mitigation, others felt solutions were out of reach.
“It’s had a dreadful impact,” Susan Jones said of the festival. “It’s taken the joy out of living in Vineyard Haven.”
Shirley Kennedy said she closely monitored the traffic near her home on Skiff Lane during the festival, and presented to the crowd a series of printed pictures she had taken. The traffic was so chaotic, she said, that on one night of the festival a policeman had to help get her car into her garage. A separate photo Ms. Kenneday displayed of damaged tree roots in the park sparked a wave of concerned murmurs among the crowd.
Damage to the field was also an issue for Tisbury resident Ben Robinson. On recent trips to the park, he said, he has been consistently finding substantial amounts of glass shards in the field; he placed a shard that he discovered earlier in the day on the table before the board.
Because of the state of the field, the youth soccer league has not been able to practice there this year, as they usually do, neighbors said.
At one point, Island resturatuer Ben DeForest spoke out strongly in favor of the event, through Mr. Grande eventually asked him to cede the floor to affected neighbors. While Mr. DeForest admitted that he had some involvement in the festival, he characterized the complaints as “conjecture” and “a not in my backyard issue.”
Other residents took issue with his framing.
“When you put [a festival] in the densest part of the year-round town, it affects everyone,” said Kim Hilliard. “In all of Vineyard Haven there is nowhere to go.”
Mr. Epstein listened to residents’ concerns and eventually made remarks of his own.
“It’s important to have meetings like this,” said Mr. Epstein. “We want the opportunity to continue to improve.”
When prompted by a question from select board member John Cahill, Mr. Epstein said he would be open to renegotiating aspects of the concert contract.
The select board ended the meeting, saying that they would continue discussion of the festival at later dates.
Comments
Fact checking Ben Robinson.
Really Ben? Vineyard HavenFact checking Ben Robinson. Youth soccer doesn’t use Veterans Park in the fall. The whole program runs out of the West Tisbury school during fall season.
The point he’s trying to make
Lives on Skiff ave Skiff ave VHThe point he’s trying to make is that nobody can use the field without the risk of cutting themselves on broken glass from some drunk who doesn’t have the sense to look for a recycling bin.
They didn’t sell any glass at
Bill EdgartownThey didn’t sell any glass at the venue, it was aluminum only. There were groups of kids collecting every aluminum can that was left on the ground
To be clear, I am well aware
Ben Robinson Vineyard HavenTo be clear, I am well aware that the WT school fields are used. And to the vast credit of The Field Fund those fields are in excellent shape, and all the rain in October only made them more healthy. Vet's Field used to see, in the fall, plenty of use such as travel soccer, adult leagues, afternoon pick up games, a bunch of friends practicing or scrimmaging. Not so much this fall.
And this is directly to my larger point about maintenance and the concert. Since 2019 the fields have seen a marked decline. Two things happened, the town changed its maintenance practices, including disinviting The Field Fund from the valuable work they had been contributing, and in 2019 the first concert appeared. At that time I raised the long term care of the field to the Select Board, and urged that it be considered in the contract. Unfortunately that did not happen, and since after each of the three concerts and during the rest of the year the field has been receiving less than proper care.
But the jarring fact that just so compounded this general lack of care for the field over these last years was that the load of soil brought in after this last concert had not been finely screened. It carried in it plastic and metal debris, small gravel (but larger than you would ever want on a playing field), and broken glass, in fact lots of it. I know this because after the concert I followed the repair process, and after they had spread the soil it rained and "lifted" all the gravel, debris and glass to the surface. When I saw this from walking the field, I immediately brought this to the attention of the DPW crew that was there that day repairing other parts of the park. I also alerted the Town who alerted the concert promoter and to their credit, the landscaper came back and raked it the best they could and added better soil. But it's almost impossible to remove it all, and in scanning the field since it is now harder to find debris, still plenty of small gravel, and yes still, the rare piece of glass as I showed in the meeting. It is wholly unfortunate that this occurred. But my point that this mistake reveals is that we are not caring for an important town asset properly. We need a real maintenance plan for the fields, especially if we need to account for a large concert, if it is to occur.
This is awful. This concert
Jon KatamaThis is awful. This concert came to where these people lived before. It’s a not in my backyard situation Is the most selfish and egotistical thing for someone to say. Spend sometime in real life, offline. There’s a legit concert in their backyard now dude, nobody would want that. I feel terrible for these neighbors.
I would LOVE to have a
Not an Old Person OBI would LOVE to have a concert in my back yard! Out of an entire summer, 3 days are disrupted for peoples enjoyment and fun. Get over it and try and enjoy it yourself. Epstein should just give the neighbors free tickets to shut them up
exactly...3 days out of the
Paul OBexactly...3 whole days out of the year, that brings untold amounts of money to the community at large. The nerve...right?
Excessive noise is quite a
frank brunelle TisburyExcessive noise is quite a mild description of the impact of the sound system for this project. For example, from our personal experience the noise is one thing but thumping incessantly and shaking items on shelves makes it impossible to enjoy one's home. In fact, the sound is so powerful that it actually bounces off our neighbors house creating an echo and so it is a case of absolute madness. When the contract was being negotiated this subject came up and we knew that the system would be completely unacceptable to some people, while being very popular with attendees. There was debate with our select board which refused to consider what we knew would happen because of the type of equipment that was proposed. Nevertheless our select board ignored warnings of damage from this choice and so we were left with it, damage to our playing field, and damage to young people sports and dog walkers and being able to use the park for several weeks, not days. In addition to these issues Mr. Epstein has not paid a percentage of ticket sales stating that the event loses money. Please forgive me if I am wrong, but I believe this is the case and so a renegotiated contract should change the sound system and make up the amounts the town expected and expire without renewal. I had email contact with Mr. Epstein and asked him to change the sound system, and his reply was that this was what the select board voted for and so all of this really reflects on our leadership more than anything else. Now, finally, thanks to 50 people and an effort by Jay Grande to listen to complaints we have some movement in negotiations and hopefully it will be solved by cooperation and creative management. But it must end at this location in 3 years as a part of and regardless of the negotiation and a more suitable venue be found. We all love music, properly presented.
Thank you, Frank, for stating
Tom TisburyThank you, Frank, for stating the facts, we must use this opportunity to make loud and clear without electronic amplification to our Board of Selectman no more signing multiyear contracts to private concerns to take advantage of our public property. The very fact that selectman signed an agreement which lasts long past their tenure so they do not have to answer to the towns people should be a no starter. Who ok'd this contract I mean did the Board of Selectmen have someone knowledgeable of contracts review same and who was it? I wonder if maybe we need more information about whose hands were in the pot which has brought on this debacle and caused so much inconvenience and upset to or community. And I don’t want to hear how someone is making money from public land, that is not what the land was purchased for nor envisioned by the private concerns who gifted the property to the town of Tisbury. There is so much wrong here it is difficult to imagine the gaul of the people who thought this size production would fly in this neighborhood. The town is open to lawsuits if we have an emergency god forbid which could delay medical care so that someone in the town hall can holds up a check for twenty-five thousand and say look what I got, like a five-year-old.
I like the festival, but I
gary vineyard havenI like the festival, but I have to admit that the sound engineer was out of control with the bass, especially during Beck. It was so horrible I felt my insides liquifying and we actually left the venue.
I was at concert & enjoyed,
Beth Neighbor to vets fieldI was at concert & enjoyed, but yes - the sound system was overly loud, heavy bass & distorted
Also discovered post - festival that refrigerator trucks ran 24 hours / day during the entire event on Causeway
Can this all be ironed out ?
Don't fear the bass Gary,
JamesDon't fear the bass Gary, embrace it
Is anyone else coming to the
Corn Fused Vineyard HavenIs anyone else coming to the conclusion that Barnstable County Fairgrounds would be a better place to hold festival concerts since they already hold smaller one-day versions already?
So tell me how I get there
Schools Out TisburySo tell me how I get there from here?
The same way off Islanders
Laurence EdgartownThe same way off Islanders came to the Vineyard, only in reverse.
I’m not traveling to
Islander OBI’m not traveling to Barnstable. Keep the concert here.
The wild exaggeration and
Charles AquinnahThe wild exaggeration and pearl clutching in these comments cannot be described as anything but comedic. If you want people to take your concerns seriously sensationalizing to the point of absurdity does not help the process.
Again this will decide by
Tom TisburyAgain this will decide by Tisbury residents but thanks for your input from up Island
No Tom, it's not decided by
Decided by whom TisburyNo Tom, it's not decided by the Tisbury voters. It's decided by the Select Board.
If it were left up to the voters they'd agree to it all except for those same "anti everything" people that we've heard so much about lately and which flooded the meeting the other night.
The same "anti everything" group that cost us taxpayers millions of dollars because they were ill informed about the facts of the school by a dozen plus truth stretchers!
The same "anti everything" crowd that fought the school a second time at a vote earlier this year and lost. The no crowd, aka the vocal minority ,lost Tuesday night at the ballot for removing the food requirement and the no crowd shouldn't have a vote with removing the concert. If the "anti everything" crowd wins then kiss the car show at Veteran's Park goodbye (they're already working to remove that) Kiss First Friday's good bye and maybe they'll say the Tisbury Street Fair should go too!
Removing the concert takes money out of the town, not just with what Adam Epstein's company pays for the use of the field but from rooms tax, short term rental tax, meals tax, embarkation fee and sales tax. It's not all about money and all efforts to address these issues should be made. That's how you are able to get results. Banning an event does nothing except move it to another town like Oak Bluffs. Why shouldn't Tisbury have a signature event like most of the other island towns do?
So let’s move the concert up
Christine SengeSo let’s move the concert up to Aquinnah & see how you like it, Charles.
What we have here is growing
Bob EdgartownWhat we have here is growing pains in trying to create a much needed music festival. I say this as music is good for the sole and we all could use some healing. BRW will figure out a way to adjust these real and some exaggerated concerns. 10,000 people had a memorable event and we should not let a few bring it to an end. Coming through a 9 acre park and finding a piece of glass is someone looking to create a problem for BRW. Who knows how or when this one piece got there. Let’s work this out as we have with the OB fireworks, Edgartown parade, AG fair and other large scale events in the Summer.
A major cause of the traffic
Jane EdgartownA major cause of the traffic volume of shuttle buses on smaller streets was the selling of "VIP" parking tickets at the high school for $110 each. These were promoted as the "nearest guaranteed parking to the festival". All shuttles had to stop there on the way to and from the festival to prioritize those pass holders. So, no matter where the shuttle bus was heading on the island or how much more direct another route might be, all buses traveled to the high school first.
maybe they should have held
John edgartownmaybe they should have held the meeting at night so those of us who work full time, and LOVED the festival could have been present. naturally. the older retired crowd got the loudest voices heard
Again this is a issue for
Tom TisburyAgain this is a issue for Tisbury taxpayers and those who live in Tisbury but thanks for your input from Edgartown
Tisbury doesn’t control the
JD Oak BluffsTisbury doesn’t control the island. Yes the event is in Tisbury, but that doesn’t mean you’re the only ones who get a say. That would be the same as me saying you can use the ferry that pulls into OB because you don’t live there. Dumb argument
The concert was managed well.
Mark Acker VHThe concert was managed well. The problem is the type music brought in a 90% off Island audience and I hardly saw any people of color or race at the show. It did not benefit the Island except some vendors and hotels.
Step one - have the event in
Brian Vineyard HavenStep one - have the event in late June or after Labor Day - this would indeed help merchants in the area - as well as , provide additional income for those who rent houses during the summer - businesses are packed in August and housed are totally rented - it would also mitagate the losses incurred by Chickrn Alley
Step two - collect additional rent for the maintenance of the field
Step three - make a contribution commensurate with the loss Chicken Alkey incurs to the Community Foundation
Step Four - Why does the Vineyard need a Frstival to begin with ?
Any islander with common
Common sense isn't so common anymoreAny islander with common sense knows instinctively that this concert is too big for the island to safely, respectfully and spatially handle. Once again The People have been left out of the decision making. This and many of the other countless fights and problems we are now subjected to on a weekly basis in the island papers makes it clear to me that Martha's Vineyard is now just as crazy and toxic as the rest of the country. I miss the 70s. but I'd settle for the 90's when housing was still affordable and Vineyard life was still a beautiful, peaceful respite from the madness of America.
Common Sense, I agree with
Lorraine EdgartownCommon Sense, I agree with you. Wrong place, wrong everything. Way too much noise, trash, discombobulation for neighbors, way too huge for this island. I read about people wanting entertainment to come to them, on the island, but many drive off island for grocery shopping, shopping in general, so that does not hold water for me. The average person has been left out of the decision making and I frequently write comments over the years about people using the island of Martha's Vineyard as an ATM machine...IMHO.
Close the Island now! No more
Mike McGear Vineyard HavenClose the Island now! No more fun! Cancel Summer rum-tum-tum. Peace and love y'all...
Seems like several of the
Sara Oak BluffsSeems like several of the commenters have ponies in this race, both pro and con. We attended Sunday. I thought it was way too loud on the field -- and the sound was distorted substantially so that I couldn't understand the words (a frequent complaint, I must say). I wondered at the time, as we wandered up to the SSA during the closing event, what the neighbors must think of the noise. A friend of mine, sitting on the OB side of the Lagoon, thought the concert was wonderful, as he could discern every word. Perhaps a mite too loud, Mr. Epstein? The final notes could be heard clearly at the SSA, as well. I must say, had it been in my back yard, so to speak, I would not have been happy. We wll give a bit in the way of comfort in the summer in order to support our tourist-based economy, but this may well be too much. When house and home are disrupted for three days, that's probably asking too much.
The suggestion of another
Sara Oak BluffsThe suggestion of another locale seems very reasonable. Probably not Barnstable, though.
There were no recycling bins…
Lynn vera Oak bluffsThere were no recycling bins….. it was so hard for many of us who value recycling to be at the festival. Everything ( compostable food, garbage, bottles etc) all went into garbage bins. This really needs to be corrected at any future event
It's true that sound pressure
Erich MenemshaIt's true that sound pressure levels have become a substitute/proxy for musical content. Nevertheless, it is what modern audiences seek out. In the industry at large, audiences have come to expect these entirely unhealthy levels of low frequency energy, pumped out at 120bpm, as the main attraction. I say this as someone with a significant audio engineering background who attended my share of Pink Floyd and similar shows. Music, at large, has abandoned dynamic range as a feature of music, and I think that's sad.
Meanwhile, SPL can be dictated in contracts, and artists can choose to take it or leave it. On the one hand, it's a three day event, but to be fair to the abutters, these bass levels, in a different context, are considered torture, so I think it's unfair to label these complaints as strictly NIMBY. With proper loudspeaker array design, the higher frequency content can be more effectively managed, but in free air (outdoor) settings, sub-bass frequencies are just inherently omnidirectional.
Everyone involved has my sympathies. The island is a great location for music festivals, but maybe this is the wrong flavor of content. If I were an abutter attending these meetings, I'd want to question the town about what measures they took to establish and enforce clear limits for SPL of the event in the contract, particularly in the sub-bass range. If those didn't exist, I'd demand they be established. A lot of the complaints I read here seem like logistics that could be ameliorated by better site/traffic management... but sound pressure levels may not be one of them as far as making everyone happy. Promoters shouldn't be allowed to put the hearing health of neighbors in jeopardy, imho.
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