Kingston City Council approved on April 19 Queen’s request for a one-year extension to its current exemption to the city’s noise control bylaw for the West Campus sports fields and Richardson Stadium. The new exemption will be in place from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. The new agreement has the same terms and conditions as those previously approved by the City of Kingston. The current exemption will expire on June 30.

The exemption will allow sufficient time for the city to complete its review and updates to Kingston’s noise control bylaw, a process that has been recently extended to allow for additional community consultation.

“We are pleased with the decision, and with the city’s recognition of Queen’s efforts to reduce the sound emanating from the sports fields, our communication strategies and the work with our neighbours to find solutions when issues arise,” says Leslie Dal Cin, Executive Director, Athletics and Recreation. “The new stadium will include a custom designed sound system that will significantly improve on the current system and will reduce the sound experienced by our neighbours.”

The exemption permits the use of game whistles at the sports fields between the hours of 9 am and 9 pm, Monday to Sunday. Limited amplified sound for game-related announcements and the national anthem is also permitted on a limited basis, and for Richardson Stadium the use of amplified sound for a number of events.

Queen’s will also continue to communicate with field users on the importance of keeping noise levels to a minimum. The university will post signs at the fields with that message and will continue to communicate with the community. Queen’s will also continue to report field usage statistics and neighbourhood feedback to the City of Kingston.