Christmas decorations did not lift the mood for the crowd leveling complaints about the noise from Ford Amphitheater at a Colorado Springs listening session Tuesday night.

More than 100 people sat in the auditorium of The Classical Academy’s Brown Center for the Arts Tuesday night for a city-organized neighborhood meeting about the nearby music venue. Mayor Yemi Mobolade and Colorado Springs City Council President Randy Helms opened the meeting and sat on stage to hear issues from more than a dozen speakers.

The meeting was meant to help determine what changes the city would request Ford Amphitheater to continue making to limit its noise impact. The majority of comments focused on asking Mobolade to not issue Ford Amphitheater a noise hardship permit for next year.

The 8,000-seat outdoor arena was built by the Colorado Springs-based entertainment company VENU in the far north end of the city. The amphitheater opened in August and hosted 19 concerts during its abbreviated first season. JW Roth, the founder of VENU as well as chairman and CEO, was at the meeting but did not speak.

More than a dozen residents came on stage Tuesday to complain  that they and their families have been hurt by the noise in various ways.

Tracey Rousenelos, a mother of four living in the Flying Horse neighborhood, said the concerts were especially disruptive to her son with special needs, who would wake up panicked that somebody was making noise in his room.

“On school nights I find this to be outrageous. My children, and in particular my son, should not have to feel afraid in his own house, in his own room, in his own bed,” Rousenelos said.

The noise hardship permit gives businesses an exception to the 50 decibel maximum limit for sound that is normally in place for residential areas between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.

A sound study requested by the City Council in the fall found that the three concerts studied generated noise around 60 decibels in nearby neighborhoods. The 50 to 60 decibel range is roughly between the volume of background street traffic and a conversation.

Ford Hurts Families has been one of the largest groups organizing complaints and petitions against the amphitheater. Spokesman Chris Kane compared granting the noise permits to changing the speed limits around a luxury car dealership.

“Much like with luxury cars, it is possible to enjoy those benefits without inflicting harm onto others, and that is what we are here to demand,” Kane said.

There was a contingent of people who came out to speak positively about the amphitheater. Tony Calloura, who lives within walking distance of the amphitheater, said the noise had not been a problem at his house and was a draw for many friends wanting to visit Colorado Springs. Other speakers asked the community to give VENU time to continue making improvements.

Earlier this week, the first construction updates for sound mitigation changes at Ford Amphitheater were filed with the city Planning Department.

The project filings with the city outline an extension of the soundproofing walls at the back of the seating area next to Roth Seafood and Chophouse, the restaurant being built adjacent to the amphitheater. The project filings said the wall additions would extend out approximately 12 feet and stand 28 feet tall, the same height as the current soundproofing walls.

According to the initial plans, the walls would connect to “sound mitigation tunnels” at both ends of the top level of the amphitheater.

VENU previously said the company was also considering non-construction changes to reduce sound, including new arrangements to the speaker system and decreasing the times and volumes allowed during weeknight shows.

“That is what we want. We want it so you can enjoy the concerts from the venue, not from our back yards and front yards,” Helms said.

At the end of the meeting, Mobolade said his takeaway was that “you want action, not just patience.” Mobolade did not directly address the permit question at the end of the meeting but said the city would continue using a third party to measure the sound pollution from the amphitheater.

The 2025 season at Ford Amphitheater is scheduled to start Wednesday, April 30 with a concert by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. Several speakers worried that meant the city would be highly unlikely to deny the next noise hardship permit.