Southport residents discuss noise concerns, support for live music at town hall

SOUTHPORT, N.C. (WECT) - Residents, musicians and business owners filled the Southport Community Building for a town hall on the city’s noise ordinance, sharing concerns about noise while voicing support for live music.

Several speakers said live music is an important part of Southport’s culture and local economy. Others raised concerns about sound carrying into neighborhoods, along with noise from truck traffic and vehicles backing up.

Mayor Joe Pat Hatem told the crowd the city is not looking to change live music, but wants to make sure noise of any kind does not hurt residents’ quality of life.

City Manager Noah Saldo said the meeting was an opportunity to hear what is working and what might need to change before bringing community feedback to the Board of Aldermen.

“We just wanted to give the community an opportunity to tell us what they’ve experienced with the noise ordinance, what might be loud in the community, what might need to change, what’s working well,” Saldo said.

Several residents asked the city to consider using decibel levels to create a clearer standard for measuring noise. Police Chief Todd Coring said the department is still researching that option.

Coring said the city does not own sound-measuring equipment and has been borrowing devices from Oak Island and Sunset Beach.

City officials said they have seen an uptick in noise complaints in recent months and plan to continue researching where those complaints are coming from before considering any changes to the ordinance.

No decisions were made at the town hall. City leaders said they will continue studying the issue and gathering community feedback.