Residents complain of noise from new center

Some residents are raising concerns over their new neighbor, the Texarkana Convention Center.

Residents say Kensington Park is normally a quite neighborhood, but when the convention center opened a couple of months ago they say music from some of the center's outdoor events started to become a problem.

"I would love to see something to be done to make the noise less loud, maybe they could have their music inside the convention center," said Debbie Massey, Kensington Park resident.

Several nearby residents have complained about not just the noise, but the lack of privacy.

Public Works Director Shirley Jaster says an 8 foot privacy fence is expected to be built with in a month.

She says the fence will be paid for with bond grants allocated for a nearby linear park.

Jaster says evergreens placed in the linear park could help absorb some of the music.

Other options include directing live bands away from the neighborhood and installing some sound absorbtion panels.

City officials say the convention center has also hired a consultant to offer suggestions.