Circus to Get Letter Complaining of Noise

Instead of a lawsuit, the City Council this week plans to fire off a letter urging the Orange County Fair Board to further reduce the sounds of music, effects and audience noise coming from Cirque du Soleil’s Fairview Road tent.

Council members agreed Monday that litigation would waste money and have little impact since the circus packs up in mid-April, officials said. Instead, the letter to the nine-member Fair Board will stress that fairground neighbors have a right to live in peace.

“It will say that we’re concerned, and it will ask them to fix the problem,” City Councilman Joe Erickson said. “The noise cannot disturb the neighbors, and that’s a condition of the [lease] agreement, and that’s something the Fair Board could enforce if they so choose.”

Fair Board members expressed willingness to cooperate.

“I think they should turn down the noise or should shut down the show,” said board member John Crean. “This is just inexcusable.”

Cirque du Soleil officials were said to be out of town Tuesday and could not be reached for comment. Residents and officials of the fair and the circus are to meet at 7 p.m. today at the Fairgrounds’ Home Arts Building, 88 Fair Drive.

In an earlier effort to reduce noise problems for the College Park neighborhood across the street, Cirque lowered sound levels and changed show and intermission times so performances end earlier, said Doy Henley, a member of the Fair Board.

“The bottom line is if it’s too loud we have to do something about it,” he said. “We’re not going to get involved in lawsuits, we’re going to reconcile it.”

Henley said he did not believe shutting down the circus was necessary at this point.

College Park residents said they would support any measure that keeps their homes from shaking six nights a week, which they say has been happening since rehearsals began in January.

“I can’t even lay in my bed and read a book without hearing booms and sounds and loud shrill vocals,” said city Planning Commissioner Linda Dixon, who lives in the area.

Other neighbors have reported improvements, said Jill Lloyd, spokeswoman for the fairgrounds.