The thumping of the bass reverberates for blocks. It rattles homes and keeps neighbors in the East Village awake.
Some residents in the area have had enough.
“I'm unable to work, sleep, watch TV,” said David Bergsma, an East Village resident. “I don't think anyone should be subjected to living somewhere where your windows are shaking for multiple hours.”
A group of about 15 residents, including Bergsma, has been pushing Petco Park officials for months to do something about the noise levels from concerts held at Gallagher Square.
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“We have zero concerns with Padre baseball games, concerts or historical events that happen inside the stadium,” said Joseph Sims, who has lived in East Village for 20 years. “Our concern is what has happened to the city park.”
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Sims says the problem is where the speakers face. When concerts are held inside the ballpark, the speakers face the Bay. At Gallagher Square, however, they face the neighborhood.
The difference in sound is "night and day," according to Bergsma.
He says he used a decibel meter on his phone to measure the sound levels from a recent concert at the park. The cellphone video provided by Bergsma shows sound levels peaking at 117 dB.
To put that into perspective, the sound of a jet engine at takeoff measures 115 dB.
Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing, while noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm, according to the CDC.
The group also hired an acoustic company for a three-day official study. It found the audio level averaged 80 dB.
“It's time for something to be done,” Bergsma said.
NBC7 reached out to Petco Park about these concerns, and they said they were in full compliance with noise regulations during ballgames and concerts at Gallagher Square.
Measures outlined in the ballpark environmental impact study limit sound at the park to 95 dB. But that's way above the city’s limit of 65 dB.
NBC7 contacted the City of San Diego for comment but has not heard back.
Petco Park officials say their plans for the $20 million Gallagher Square renovation announced last month include improvements that will help mitigate sound from concerts at the park.
“That's great, but we have not seen that plan,” Sims said.
