Case Analysis: Informal Recommendation Report

Background:
The City Council of Hartville, North Carolina authorized an
acoustical study to reduce the noise levels caused due to the
amphitheater build near the city’s boundaries. The authorization
was for a very limited technical study and was given to SMZ
Engineering. After talking to Bill Stewart, the Project Director
from SMZ Engineering, Dale Crompton realized the importance of
a comprehensive sound control program. He wants the Council to
adopt his suggestions and also his ideas for solving the relations
problems.

Audiences Issues:
The letter is addressed to all the seven City Council members.
However, two out of seven, Joseph Orcutt and Roger Lamb, are
new to the Council and have been supporters of the Four Oaks.
The remaining five are the ones Crompton will have to try and
persuade. The rest includes Sherry Clark - up for re-election this
year and has to maintain a good public relations, Tad Williams III
and John Benson – supporters of Four Oaks but low tolerance for
the inaction on Council problems, Tom Carpenter – quiet but
inquisitive about the costs and other parameters of the Council’s
decision and Cindy Gaunter – controlling the city spending. These
are the issues that have to be kept in mind.

Objectives:
• To explain the need for a comprehensive sound control
program
• To enumerate the steps to be taken to resolve public
relations
• To provide the technical data required supporting the need
of the program

Strategies:
• Will give the details of his talks with Bill Stewart, the Project
Director and explain his findings.
• Suggestions like bringing in more audience participation,
suggestions and transparency in the entire process.
• By attaching technical data from SMZ Engineering and
explaining its effects.
 Four Oaks Pavilion
818 Oak Lane, Hartville NC 00000

Dale Crompton, Facilities Manager

000-555-5644

September 12, 0000

City Council
444 East Town Street
Hartville, NC 00000

Subject: Recommendation for a comprehensive sound

control program and ideas for solving the public relations
problems.

Dear City Council Members:

You are aware that the engineers from SMZ Engineering have
started working on Four Oaks’ noise reduction plans. I had a talk
with the project director, Bill Stewart, few days back and after
listening to the findings, I would like to recommend a
comprehensive sound control program in place of the technical
study approved by the Council on July 28, 0000.

Reasons:
There are several reasons for a comprehensive sound control
program. The engineers had set up sound measuring equipments
inside the pavilion and also in the lawn and the residencies of the
people who had complained about their sleep being interrupted.
They measured sound levels before and after the concerts and
also when there were no concerts. The findings state that:
• The measuring of the sound in an environment such as the
Four Oaks is difficult. Also the concept of noise is relative
and it would be difficult to come up to one single level of
noise limit level.
• Our city does not have any zoning ordinances to limit sound
levels. The previous engineers had taken into consideration
 guidelines of EPA and the measures were taken accordingly.
However, the situation and sound levels are very different
here.
• The sound inside the pavilion measures up to 105 Decibels
(Db) which is pretty normal for an entertainment facility like
Four Oaks. An equipment can be set up that will monitor the
levels and signal the technicians when it goes above 105
Db.
• The air outside the pavilion is humid in all the seasons.
Humid air is unable to absorb the sound and thus the sound
navigates further in the city.
• The dogs in the neighborhood and also the crowd cheering
on concert nights add to the noise.
• Also, some houses in the city are of really lightweight
construction which does not reduce the sound but helps the
sound to go through.

Apart from the technical sides, there are residents’ issues as well.
As told by Bill, the residents are shocked to see the engineers
working on their problems and have told the engineers that they
have given up hopes to see the problems getting solved. Also,
some findings state that the change in the number of crowds and
ambiance has been the real problems rather than the noise.
Some residents’ do not have any problem of the noise but of
seeing such large number of people in their quite neighborhood.

Recommendation:
A comprehensive sound program will help us to understand all
the relative parameters that cause the noise levels and also how
to avoid or reduce them. Also, the sound control program will
make the public aware of the reasons of the increase in sound
level and how that can be avoided. It will not only bring
awareness among the public but also make sure that such
problems do not arise in future. Instead of finding a temporary
solution, we can resolve this issue completely.

Public relations:
Some of the above reactions have given us a picture of how the
residents’ think about the Council and the Management at Four
Oaks. I recommend the following ideas to resolve them:
• Bring in public suggestions and encourage them to
participate in the program.
 • Being transparent about the measures been taken for their
betterment.
• Conducting programs to make them understand of the
causes of the increase in sound levels like humidity, house
constructions, etc
• Try and change the public perception that the cause of the
large noise is the crowd.
• To take measures to control traffic and the crowd during the
concert to make the residents feel better.
Also, if the issues can be solved quickly and in a systematic
approach, it would change the publics’ idea about the Council’s
functioning before the coming elections.

I am also attaching the technical report sent to me by SMZ

Engineering. This includes all the technical details and the
measures to overcome them. However, as mentioned earlier, the
technical study will only help to solve the problem temporarily
and will not be beneficial in the long run.

If the Council approves the program, we can discuss the cost and
other details with the firm and try to persuade them to continue
their work at a low, reasonable price.

Sincerely,
Dale Crompton, Facilities Manager

Distribution: Mayor Jeffery Ashland, Members J. Benson, T.

Carpenter, S. Clark, C. Gaunter, R. Lamb, J. Orcutt, T. Williams III.