Concert Venue Vs. Nature

People in Vernon say when it comes to a concert venue coming to town; they prefer the sound of silence, than music. They packed an auditorium Thursday night pleading with the planning and zoning commission to deny the proposal.

The venue, called TicketNetwork Forest would be built on a 9-acre stretch of land off of I-84 near exit 66 in Vernon. The plans call for a 2,000 seat concert space, that will host country and rock music acts over the summer.

Concerned residents say the venue will bring noise to Vernon. Traffic is also a worry to people who believe the area can’t handle the traffic from the extra 800 cars that could be parked their every weekend. Also, there are fears that alcohol sales on the property will cause concertgoers to act inappropriately.

"It’s a very young scene," said concerned citizen Sheryl McMullen. "It’s a young happy crowd and they plan on bringing booze."

The proposal was submitted by Vernon based TicketNetwork, C-E-O Donald Vaccaro, who says that his company has taken the proper steps to answer the town’s questions. He also says that his proposal would bring jobs and business to Vernon.

"We’ve been through 4 town committees all with unanimous approval," said Vaccaro.

The planning and zoning commission will meet again February 17.  That is the deadline for a final decision, but members of the commission say they expect that date to be pushed back.

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