The debate over whether to address Portland International Raceway (PIR) noise levels is about to leave North Portland and may end up at City Hall.
The city’s Noise Review Board will soon meet to vote on its PIR subcommittee’s recommendations to more closely monitor and potentially reduce racetrack noise. Board approval would send the report to the new City Council that takes office in January.
“I’m happy with the report,” said subcommittee member Ryan Pittel of Kenton, “but I don’t think the (race) track advocates were real pleased with it.” That seems to be an understatement. PIR General Manger Ron Huegli served on the subcommittee and complained at a recent meeting that the report was overly focused on noise complaints. The meeting minutes also showed panelist Charles Freeborn declared that, “One of the things that grinds me a little bit when it comes to complaining, is a lot of these complaints are coming out of bias. They are people that simply do not like motorsports. I personally am not a fan of golf, but that does not give me the right to disallow somebody else to enjoy their chosen sport.”
Mary Sipe, who chaired the subcommittee, explained that the panel recognized the entertainment and financial benefits PIR brings to the city, but the report also recognizes that racetrack noise negatively affects some community members and “we need to find ways to mitigate the noise.”
Freeborn also criticized language suggesting that track noise affected people’s health. He claimed that the various medical statements in the report were not presented by a medical professional. “I am not saying it is not valid. I am saying it was not vetted correctly… so I am not in favor of including all of the horror stories that are laid out,” he said.
Sipe countered, and inserted into the meeting’s minutes that: “The ‘horror stories’ in Appendix B are quotes from noise complaints where residents who have described the physical and psychological effects they experience as a result of the noise from the racetrack.” Freeborn also asked that a quote from Kenton Neighborhood Association chair Terrance Moses about leaded fuel [from PIR] be removed from the report. Sipe agreed to do so.
Those testifying during the public comment period were largely supportive of the report.
“This issue has been like a poison in North Portland for decades,” said Mary Margaret Wheeler-Weber, Portsmouth Neighborhood Association vice chair. “It’s extremely unpleasant to talk about the negative impact of PIR noise. You risk either being gaslit or pilloried. Before coming to this meeting, I wasn’t able to completely parse what your specific recommendations are…but you really do appear to have moved forward. And for that I really want to deeply and sincerely thank all the members.”
The subcommittee document sent to the Noise Review Board includes recommendations to:
• Examine a range of track events to determine if currently acceptable 103/105 decibels limit at trackside exceeds the 65 decibel limits in nearby residential neighborhoods.
• Study relocating or adding three noise meters between Kenton and the western racetrack boundaries, near the Portsmouth neighborhood..
• Research the effectiveness, location and costs of creating noise barriers around the racetrack.
• Request increased city funding for the Noise Control Program.
Sipe, who also chairs the city Noise Review Board, hopes to schedule a board work session on the recommendations in December, possibly at the Historic Kenton Firehouse.