Community Noise Mitigation Planning for a Wedding Venue

Mad River Barn

The Mad River Barn Inn & Restaurant, which is in a scenic area of the Green Mountains in Vermont, hosts several outdoor weddings each year. The weddings had been hosted under a tent canopy, but the venue was looking to develop a more permanent structure. The proposed pavilion would be partially open to the outdoors and required an Act 250 land-use development permit from the state. RSG conducted a noise assessment of the proposed facility and developed mitigation measures to help the proposed pavilion reduce sound levels when compared to events previously held under the tent canopy. The mitigation included acoustical specifications for the pavilion walls, operable transparent vinyl side panels, and a house sound system with a limiter. Due to the lower sound levels, the Commission allowed for an increase in the number of events that could be held at the facility each year as requested by the venue owners. Upon completion of the pavilion, we conducted postconstruction measurements. These measurements confirmed that—with the house sound system at maximum volume—sound levels at nearby residences were below the permitted limit.

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