Summerfest’s midway isn’t the problem: Caldarelli

The biggest complaint the city receives about Summerfest is the loud and explicit music, not the midway, says Ward 10 Coun. Frances Caldarelli.

“I’ll be very frank,” she said. “What I’ve had a huge number of complaints about is the noise, the level of music on Saturday night and the lyrics that were broadcast far and wide for children and everyone else to hear.

“It was a heavy metal kind of thing. It was the kind of music where I thought it would be better if you could close the doors and people could choose whether or not to listen.”

Caldarelli made the comments at the Nov. 5 meeting of the community services committee, which was reviewing a proposed parks bylaw that would replace existing laws governing parks across Greater Sudbury.

As part of the process, the city considered banning midways on city property, a move that would have put the future of Summerfest in doubt. The festival, held in late summer at Bell Park, relies on the midway to help draw crowds and generate revenue.

Speaking on behalf of the festival, Chris Nerpin said Summerfest likely would not survive without the midway. Moving it across the street and reducing the hours it can operate has already cut into their revenue, Nerpin said.

Since the Grace Hartman Ampitheatre was rebuilt three years ago, Summerfest has been forced to move the midway across the street into the municipal parking lot. That brought it much closer to neighbours and has prompted complaints.

“Children and families are now crossing one of Sudbury’s busiest streets while attending the festival,” Nerpin said.

He said the midway generates $6,000 in revenue for the festival. Moving it across the street means they can’t charge one admission for the park and midway. They estimate overall revenues have been reduced by $15,000 as a result.

The midway was technically never allowed at Bell Park because it’s improperly zoned. However, a special permit has been issued every year allowing it, a practice staff considered ending. That decision has been turned over to the planning committee, which deals with zoning issues.

But Caldarelli said the main concern with Summerfest is how loud the bands are and the lyrics in some of their songs. Bands often bring their own sound system and the music often rattles windows several blocks away, Caldarelli said. She said no one ever complained about the midway until it moved across the street.

“Truthfully, the residents don’t like the midway in the parking lot,” she said. “I never received complaints about the midway until it was across Paris Street and in the parking lot.

“I’m wondering if it would be worth trying, for this coming year, having the midway over on the grass.”

City staff will investigate whether there’s a suitable site and will report back to council. They will also investigate what other municipalities do to control noise and whether there is a way to limit how much noise bands can make.

Another element of the proposed parks bylaw that prompted debate was a proposal to ban smoking in certain areas. The draft proposal suggests a ban on areas where people congregate, such as bleachers and standing areas. Smokers would have to stay nine metres away from such areas.

But Ward 11 Coun. Terry Kett said that type of ban would be too hard to enforce. Instead, he suggested a total smoking ban to make the rules clear cut.

“It’s just no good,” Kett said, of the proposed restrictions. “I suggest we amend the resolution to take out all the gobbledygook so it simply says no smoking on municipal (park) property. That we can enforce.

“Let’s get this done for our people.”

But Ward 2 Coun. Jacques Barbeau said trying to ban smoking in outdoor places is extremely difficult, and suggested anyone who doubted that should check the number of cigarette butts littering the outside of arenas around the city.

“You walk into any arena in our city and the fronts of those buildings are absolutely covered in cigarette butts all the time,” Barbeau said. “It’s a fulltime job for our rink rats to pick them up ... How are we going to start enforcing a bylaw that says zero smoking in parks?”

“And imagine trying to ban smoking at ball fields,” he says. “We’re having a hard enough time with the drinking ban.”

In the end, councillors passed the proposed bylaw without amendments. It will go to city council for further debate at the Nov. 20 meeting. If the particulars can be worked out by then, staff is aiming to pass it into law Dec. 11.