Some residents around the Del Mar Fairgrounds say the noise level is excessive at times.
The fairgrounds hosts the San Diego County Fair and the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club's horse racing season, during which live bands perform outside. In September and October, the Scream Zone comes to town and various horse competitions take place year-round along with a range of other special events.
Resident Andy Abramson has been pushing the 22nd Agriculture Association, which overseas the fairgrounds, for the last several weeks to try to get something done about the excessive noise. But he said that it won't even add the item to the agenda for its monthly board meetings.
Linda Zweig, spokeswoman for the district, said last week that "any time we hear complaints from neighbors, we try to address them."
Zweig said she was only aware of one complaint from a neighbor and that the district has met with area residents in the past to address their complaints.
Abramason said, "I don't have a problem with them having a concert ... but when I can't listen to my stereo at a normal volume because their stuff is too loud, then it is a problem," he said.
Abramson, who has been living on the Solana Beach side of Via de la Valle for eight years, says that at first the noise wasn't an issue, but that it has been getting progressively louder over the last four years.
Linda Keyes also lives just north of Via de la Valle and has experienced the increase in noise over the last couple of years as well.
"It has gotten louder progressively," she said. "They know it's too loud, but nobody really takes control of the issue."
Zweig said the fairgrounds also performs periodic noise monitoring during large events, such as the San Diego County Fair and the race season concerts, to make sure the noise level is reasonable.
Abramson said he and some of his neighbors have approached the city of Solana Beach and the homeowners association for his condo complex about monitoring the noise from the fairgrounds to determine if it violates any decibel restrictions.
Abramson and Keyes both said they feel a lack of response and action from the association and fairgrounds on this issue.
"They don't live here; they're not affected by it," Abramson said.
Solana Beach City Manager David Ott said, "We have had one complainant recently; that complainant has requested that the city at sometime measure the noise level coming off the fairgrounds site during a concert event."
He added that a decision hasn't been made on whether the city would do noise level tests, but said they have discussed the issue with fairgrounds management.
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