Racket roils residents
Motocross track complaints aired

By Dale Heberlig
Sentinel Reporter

     Complaints about noise at a Hopewell Township motorcycle race track spilled
over into a public hearing Tuesday evening.
     At the close of a hearing on the revised Subdivision and Land Development
Ordinance, a handful of residents steered supervsors into an exchange about ongoing
claims of disruptive noise caused by racing at the Doubling Gap Motocross located
just south of Newburg along Route 696.
     Ellen Whitaker, who says she lives within 100 yards of the track, opened the
debate when she asked supervisors how the subdivision ordinance relates to the track.
     David Rutherford, a zoning hearing board member present at the hearing, responded
that campgrounds are now addressed in the subdivision ordinance and that the race
track may qualify as a campground.
     Supervisor Marlin Hoover added, "The race track is a cross between a campground
and an amusement park."
     That prompted Nancy Taylor, another resident upset by noise from the track, to retort,
"It's not amusing if you live near it."
     For several years, people living in the vicinity have asked the township to find a
solution to problems of noise and vibration generated by powerful engines and the track's loudspeakers.
    Township resident Cletus Whitaker told The Sentinel he has been involved with
community petitions and visits to township meetings in the past. He says those overtures
have been dismissed by the supervisors.
     "They look at us like we're from another planet. I think the people at the race track
have more influence in the township than we (residents) do."
     Supervisors cite several considerations that limit their options.
     To begin with, the board believes the motocross track was in operation before
zoning, subdivision and land development ordinances were enacted and therefore is
subject to the grandfather principle. That concept means the track is not subject to
measures passed afterthe track came into existence.
     Whitaker says grandfathering is not valid because the track stopped operating for
a period and resumed after the implementation of the township regulations.
    Track co-owner Rod Yentzel of Carlisle told The Sentinel that is not the case.
"The track has operated every year since 1981,"Yentzel says.
     Hoover also pointed to research that indicates noise ordinances are very expensive
to develop and equally costly and difficult to enforce. "We contacted an expert in this
field and the cost for developing the ordinance is staggering." he says.
     According to the board, a first step in writing a noise law would be to establish a
"baseline" noise level in the township with which future noise complaints would be
compared.
     "If you regulate noise, you must regulate all noise - that means a chain saw or a
farm tractor with a noisy muffler." Hoover says.
     Shawn Falvy, who recently moved to Hopewell Township, says he knew about
the track and accepted its presence when he purchased his home. But he may have underestimatedthe impact.
     "Frankly, it gets obnoxious." he told supervisors. "Sunday was a big problem, I could
hear the noise inside my house."
    Ellen Whitaker says the racket gets so bad that vibrations can be felt physically.
"Sometimes it is so loud, you can feel it in your gut." she says.
    Rutherford says he thinks there is a possible recourse for residents through the zoning hearing board. He points to Article 12 of the zoning ordinance that prohibits: "noise or vibration...in suchan amount to adversely effect the reasonable use of the surrounding
area or adjoining premises:"
     Yentzel says he intends to make improvements and hopes to improve conditions at
the track. "I want to work with the township, but these things don't happen overnight," he says.