Shots Heard ‘Round the Rollerworld

A controversial domed ceiling added to an outdoor roller-hockey rink to muffle noise will be approved or rejected by the Planning Commission, not the school board, officials have ruled.

Trustees of Orange Unified School District say they will continue to investigate, however, whether rink noise that has drawn complaints from nearby residents constitutes a lease violation.

If the rink is found to be a nuisance, the district will consider revoking its lease, Superintendent Robert L. French said last week.

The Planning Commission will likely consider the issue sometime in January, officials said.

School district trustees leased the site of the old Peralta Middle School on Canal Street to a sports center two years ago, reasoning that it would be a constructive use for the abandoned site. They did not anticipate the noise complaints.

Stuart Silver, co-owner of the Anaheim Bullfrogs who built Stuart’s Rollerworld on the site, said after last week’s school board meeting, “I’m going to do whatever is necessary to make everybody happy.”

Finding middle ground could prove difficult, however. A group of several dozen neighbors has objected to noise from hockey pucks, whistles, speaker systems and cheering crowds who they say do not always leave when lights go out at 10 p.m.

Silver installed a canvas dome a year ago to protect players from the elements and to reduce some of the noise. But neighbors say the temporary structure merely amplifies the sound.

The dome requires an amendment to the rink’s permit if it is to remain in place. If the Planning Commission denies Silver’s request for a change, the city will investigate whether the facility violates nuisance ordinances, Community Development Director Jack McGee said.

Sound engineers hired by Silver said the sound has been reduced by 72% and can be reduced further. Homeowners, however, are not buying that.

“Roller hockey itself is not the problem,” said Richard Elgas, a neighbor of the sports complex. “It is a beautiful concept, a great thing for young and old alike--in the wrong place.”

Elgas and others maintain that the rink has destroyed their ability to enjoy their homes. They complain of fights and obscenities among rowdy fans in addition to the noise of the game.

But hockey fans, players and their families have equally strong feelings about the rink.

Parents say that youngsters learn discipline and commitment from involvement in the sport. Instead of roaming the malls or playing pick-up games in the streets, parents say, they are in uniform and at the rink.

“I can understand the neighbors’ complaints, but I don’t know what I would do without Stuart’s Rollerworld,” 15-year-old Ronnie De Leo said.