Generator noise blasts residents near B.C. Place
Living near B.C. Place has become a big pain in the ears for Ray and Lesley Appel. They used to enjoy living in their downtown apartment, but that was before three huge gas-powered generators appeared outside the downtown stadium that is the site for the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics Feb. 12.
One of the huge, noisy machines began running all night Friday, said Ray Appel.
“They started going 24/7,” he said Sunday. “It’s really, really loud. We have to keep our windows and doors closed. I have to wear earplugs at night. It’s just a loud, constant hum in the background.”
Appel, who lives about a block from the southwest corner of the stadium, chatted up a friendly security guard at the site.
“He said, ‘Only one of the generators is on now; if you think this is loud, wait until all three are running,’” said Appel, who works out of his home on the 29th floor. “He said they could have used baffles to keep the generators quiet, but they didn’t.”
Appel and his wife have filed a noise complaint with the city.
As if that isn’t enough, Appel said, the air pollution from the generators is “pretty potent” and belies the organizers’ promise to put on a green Olympics.
“When you stand near them you can barely breathe,” he said.