Piping Down at Knott’s

The screaming isn’t really the problem.

It’s the screeching, scratching and rumbling sounds punctuated by blasts of air that torment neighbors of Knott’s Berry Farm’s new Supreme Scream ride.

Since Orange County’s tallest structure began dropping passengers down 30-story tracks July 3, residents along a Buena Park cul-de-sac about 800 feet from the ride say they have been overwhelmed by noise. Before that, they had been irked by the testing of the ride.

“For two months, my summer has been altered,” said Dianne Krylo, 32, who often has had to keep her children, ages 2, 4, 7 and 8, inside with the windows shut.

“I can’t swim when I want to, because it’s too loud. I can’t play with my children when I want to. Basically, I feel like a prisoner in my home.”

For some of the families along El Paso Circle, close to the looming, 312-foot ride, the Supreme Scream has become a supreme irritant.

“It’s a fingernails-on-a-chalkboard sound, that’s just what it is,” said Sue Peterson, 37. “The way that they’ve handled this has been poor.”

Her husband, Erik Peterson, 35, said it was a peaceful neighborhood for eight years, except for the occasional music or shouting. And, for those who are bound to ask, he is well aware that he bought a home near a theme park. He wouldn’t complain, he says, without cause.

“Remember, for us noise is a relative term,” he said. “We’re used to roller coasters.”

The Supreme Scream ride replaced the XK1, a spinning attraction, which nearby residents said wasn’t bothersome.

But things may be looking up for the neighbors.

After weeks of research, engineers at Knott’s think they have found a way to make the $9.2-million ride a better neighbor. Earlier this week, technicians installed diffusers on one of the ride’s three tracks that muffle its mechanical sounds. (Little can be done about the screaming.)

“I was over in the neighborhood. It was extremely quiet compared to the other two,” said Dick Rohrbach, Knott’s vice president of facilities.

The diffusers were to be installed on the remaining two tracks overnight Wednesday.

Both sides hope that this morning brings not only relative quiet but also an end to the neighborhood’s battle with the park and City Hall.

Residents complained that for weeks, Knott’s officials didn’t return their calls. On Tuesday, they took their complaints to the City Council, which took no action because the issue wasn’t on the agenda.

“They work for me, and they’re supposed to be my voice, and they’re not listening to me for whatever loyalties they have to Knott’s Berry Farm,” Krylo said of the council.

Not so, said Mayor Jerry Sigler. Knott’s and the city have been working on the problem since the complaints began.

“Sometimes you can’t do things overnight,” Sigler said. “They don’t call the residents every day and give them a report.”

Sigler said he visited El Paso Circle and other spots in Buena Park to listen to the ride.

“It’s very strange,” he said. “I went over and rode the machine myself, and you cannot hear it. When I went into the neighborhood, I could hear it more. . . . Sound travels.”

Knott’s General Manager Jack Falfas said several offices at the park had been handling the matter before he took it over. He has had discussions with residents on the phone and in person, in said.

“I am trying to keep them updated,” Falfas said. “I sincerely understand the situation. . . . I want them to be able to enjoy their backyard as much as they did at any other time.”

Residents commended the general manager, saying he has indeed made trips to the neighborhood. They also praised him for improving one track.

The park has spent about $50,000 to muffle the sound. Inspectors hired by the city but paid by Knott’s will monitor the rides Friday to see how well the equipment works.

Falfas said his company, Ohio-based Cedar Fair LLP, has similar rides in other cities but has never had complaints of this nature.

“I didn’t realize,” he said, “how nice it was to be in the middle of Lake Erie running rides with no problems.”

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Quieting the Noise

Knott’s is trying to tone down the “scream” in the Supreme Scream ride by installing sound buffers in the ride’s mechanism.

1. Air forced into tube at 260-foot-high level of tower makes a whooshing sound. New diffuser wlould eliminate the noise.

2. Piston is forced down by compressed air.

3. Cart with riders is pulled upward by cable.

Source: Knott’s Berry Farm ; graphics reporting by PAUL DUGINSKI / Los Angeles Times