Residents Still Concerned About Noise From Faceb
RUTHERFORD COUNTY, N.C. -- Some Rutherford County residents are accusing Facebook of saying a noise problem was solved, when the residents feel it isn't. They say the social media giant didn't fix sound issues at the Forest City Data Center, despite expert findings released by the company in April. Those we spoke with said they've bought their own testing equipment, which was registering the sound over 60 dBa. Those residents said Facebook promised to bring the sound from the data center generators under that 60 dBa threshold, and the company said, in April they did fix the problem. But if that's the case, neighbors wanted to know why can they still hear the generators from inside their living rooms? Facebook told News 13 hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on trees and sound absorption panels to fix the noise coming from the Forest City Data Center. Facebook even showed Bennett and his neighbors an expert study proving the sound had been brought down to 60 dBa. "But, the problem is not fixed. The problem has not improved, but very, very little," said resident Jim Bennett. Bennett said he read the report from the sound consultant, hired by Facebook "he's still not convinced. "It's not a noticeable difference to the ear, no, sir," Bennett said. Bennett also said Facebook promised to conduct sound tests in front of him and his neighbors. "I think he was not truthful, yes, sir," Bennett said. The "he" Bennett was referring to was the manager of the data center. Facebook tells us neighbors asked to watch the tests after seeing the report in April. The company said the manager for the data center passed along the request. But, it's been denied. Facebook said they've done enough and besides "they're not breaking any laws. "As best as we've been able to determine all along, it was not in violation of any town ordinance," Forest City Manager John Condrey said. Regardless, Bennett said he won't be satisfied until he sees the sound tests for his own two eyes. "If they'll send a sound technician out here with a certified decibel meter, and he shows 60 decibels. We have to accept that," Bennett said. _______________ Follow WLOS on social media: WLOS ABC 13 News on Facebook: / news13 WLOS ABC 13 News on Twitter: / wlos_13 WLOS ABC 13 News on Instagram: / wlos_13 Subscribe to WLOS on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ABC13Cha... Listen to AnchorMOMS, the Podcast: https://wlos.com/news/anchormoms/anch... Watch more top local news stories: • Western Loses At ETSU, Highlights and more For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit http://www.wlos.com Watch our live newscasts and other live video at https://wlos.com/watch Have a news tip? Send it directly to us: Email us: [email protected] Call the Newsroom: 828.684.1340 WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954.
