Residents in the vicinity of Brewer Middle School, Liberty Elementary, and the Center for Transition Services should prepare to regularly hear "white noise" outside their windows starting this weekend. The source of the noise? Acoustical testing, which the White Settlement Independent School District is conducting as part of its bid for a U.S. Department of Defense grant that targets facility enhancements, specifically better sound insulation.
The testing is set to involve placing a loudspeaker near school buildings and directing noise at them in bursts of around 10 minutes. These will stretch across 6-8 hour periods each day but are scheduled to occur during evening and weekend hours to avoid disrupting students. The purpose, as described in the City of White Settlement's Facebook page, is to "disclose the sound transmission characteristics of the building’s façade" and to assess whether soundproofing is required.
Those living close to the schools have been alerted they will likely be able to clearly hear the testing taking place. Although this may be unusual, the tests present no danger to the public, with the stipulation that individuals stay at least 25 feet away from the speakers during testing periods. The district emphasized there’s no need for alarm. Testing is to begin as early as tomorrow, September 24, and may extend through September 30, contingent on the pace of the testing's completion.
