New athletic fields for Saint Joseph's University: A community noise battle

Abstract

Saint Joseph's University, located in Philadelphia, purchased a vacated private school campus adjacent to theirs. This new campus, which resided in neighboring Lower Merion Township, included 15 acres of open fields that the university desired to turn into NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) baseball, softball, and field hockey fields. Proposed improvements to the fields included permanent bleacher seating, press boxes, dugouts, artificial turf playing surfaces, re-grading of the fields, and sound reinforcement systems among other changes. The surrounding community vehemently opposed the proposed changes largely due to the potential noise generated from cheering crowds and sound systems. Through two and a half years of township hearings with testimony provided by a plethora of expert witnesses, Saint Joseph's University finally received approval with various restrictions to build their fields. This presentation explores the research, measurements and modeling methods undertaken to quantify the acoustical implications on the surrounding community.