Council revokes music exemption for baseball games at Georgetown Fairgrounds – Halton Hills News

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Monday was the day the music died, at least for baseball teams playing at the Georgetown Fairgrounds.
After a nearly hour-long discussion, Halton Hills Council voted 6-4 to end a noise bylaw exemption that allowed youth baseball leagues to play amplified music during games.
The exemption was granted last May, permitting Halton Hills Minor Baseball Association and Halton Hills Girls Fastpitch Hawks teams to play walk-up music – brief eight to 10-second clips as the batter approaches the plate – during games.
The groups will still be able to apply for special event permits to allow amplified music and announcements for special events such as tournaments.
Mary Siddall, who lives in a house backing on to the fairgrounds, asked council to end the exemption. Her house is about 50 feet from the home plate area of Diamond 6 (also known as the barn diamond). She said it's impossible to enjoy sitting in her backyard because of the noise from the diamond every weeknight and Sunday afternoons.
“The last three summers the noise has been getting worse, because the visiting teams are now bringing their boom boxes,” she said.
Siddall said teams have also started playing music during practices in addition to games. She counted 28 nights from May and August that she considered it to be a nuisance. She recognizes that she lives next to a public park.
“I’ve never made a complaint about baseball. I’ve lived in my house for 30 years,” she said. “I can’t sit out and read on my deck when (the music) is going on.” 
Councillor Jason Brass was one of the four councillors who voted against ending the exemption – the others being Councillors Ron Norris, Clark Somerville and D'Arcy Keene.
“We’re being asked to flip-flop here based on a few people complaining,” Brass said. "We’re talking about thousands of children who play this game and quite frankly, we need to get out kids outside doing things. I think we have to work with the teams to get it turned down, but let’s not ruin the fun for thousands of kids. I think that’s ridiculous.”
“I don’t see this as a flip-flop,” said Councillor Jane Fogal. “When we passed the exemption, it was a trial. A trial is let’s see what happens and then you make a decision. We saw what happened. There wasn’t compliance.”
Town staff surveyed residents in the area around the fairgrounds. It got 47 responses, of which 64 per cent said they did not find the music disruptive, but 36 per cent did. Asked to what extent the music disrupted them, 51 per cent said it had no impact or was slightly noticeable, 18 per cent said it was frequently disruptive or negatively impacted their home environment while 31 per cent said it was occasionally disruptive.
A staff report on the topic indicated that Milton, Burlington and Oakville do not allow amplified sound for regular games and practices, but do allow it through special event permits.
Councillor Matt Kindbom said he was torn on the issue, because he said creating a welcoming sporting environment is important. However, he ultimately voted for ending the exemption. 
“The burdens of substantiating exceptions should be significant. This exemption essentially grants special permission to ignore the requirements of the bylaw,” he said. “I believe the residents have a right to the quiet enjoyment of their private property. I think this right supersedes the right to make noise. The will of the many does not trump the right of the few.”
Council had granted the exemption on the condition that the music did not exceed 63 decibels during the day and 50 db after 5 p.m.
Susie Spry, manager of enforcement services for the Town, took readings on four occasions. She said though longer recording periods are required for accurate results, the readings she took from Siddall’s kitchen ranged from 35 to 91 db, with a median level of 74.5 db, “which indicated that the majority of the burst was above the permitted decibel level,” she said. 
On average there would be 60 music bursts over the course of a 90-minute game.
“Multiple bursts at those levels would be extremely disruptive,” Spry said.
When asked for an example of what 90db would sound like, Heather Kaufmann, Community Development Supervisor with the Town, said it would be like standing next to a hairdryer.
Norris supported extending the exemption.
“Being a coach in the past, you had some kids who didn’t want to be on the ice, didn’t want to be on the field,” he said. “It was hard to get them going. Anything to get them motivated is huge.”
Somerville said he’d like to see the Town continue to work with the sports groups.
“I’d rather see them on a short leash, and see how they work on it,” he said. “I think we can still work with the baseball association and the overwhelming number of neighbours and people who want this to remain.”
Councillor Chantal Garneau said she reviewed the video of the meeting in which the exemption was granted. 
“It’s a very similar conversation to what we had last year and my understanding is last year was the compromise. Someone mentioned, having a short leash, seeing how it goes and making sure the league keeps in line with decibels that were set out,” she said.
“When I voted in favour last year, that’s what I thought we were doing. What do you think will be different if we do it again? What do you put in place to ensure we’re not here again next year having the exact same conversation?”
The motion passed by council calls for staff to continue monitoring noise levels at the fairgrounds during the 2025 season, maintain communication with both residents and user groups to ensure compliance and address concerns when they arise.
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