City Commission Will Consider New Loudspeaker System in Brookside Park

Pasadena’s Recreation and Parks Commission today will consider a City staff recommendation to approve a proposal by Maranatha High School to install a loudspeaker system at Jackie Robinson Field, the baseball diamond within the confines of Brookside Park near the Rose Bowl.
At the Commission’s meeting Jan. 15, the city’s Department of Public Works will recommend project approval. Public comments are welcome.
The proposal was first presented to the commission at a December meeting during which Department of Public Works administrator Charles Peretz informed that his department had classified the project as a “minor park improvement” under the Arroyo Seco design guidelines, signaling that a formal review was unnecessary.
He did say that it would be beneficial to share the information at a public meeting.
The proposal was submitted by Dan Blessinger, a professional sound engineer who owns DBMix Inc., and who happens to be a Maranatha High School parent. In his proposal, Blessinger said the new sound system, which DBMix proposes to install, would eliminate the need for the portable system long in use at Jackie Robinson Field events.
The project will entail upgrading the electrical system, installing amplifiers, speakers, and other audio equipment. It will also include installing a “governor,” or threshold cap, to limit maximum noise levels and confine the sound to the baseball diamond and immediate environs.
The sound system will be the city’s property, while costs associated with the installation and maintenance will be borne by Maranatha High School, Peretz said in his report to the commission. Blessinger has stated that the system should be checked and tuned up at least once a year.
Peretz noted that the East Pasadena Residents Association, which represents the neighborhood nearest to Brookside Park, has been informed of the plan and indicated they will send a representative when the testing of equipment and sound levels is initiated.
Tuesday’s meeting of the Recreation and Parks Commission will take place at City Yards-Second Floor, 233 West Mountain Street in Pasadena. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.