Neighbors of the proposed Native American art market and powwow gardens north of The Journey Museum need not worry about excessive noise, project representatives said Wednesday.

People are wrong to say it would be like living near the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis or the Black Hills Speedway in the valley, project manager Randy Ross said.

The Alliance of Tribal Tourism Advocates, a nonprofit organization that represents the state's nine tribes, hosted a public information meeting Wednesday to better explain what it hopes to accomplish with the powwow gardens.

The city has set aside $812,000 in 2012 funds for the project, and in June, ATTA requested $150,000 to begin final design work. State Sen. Stan Adelstein has also committed $100,000 for initial working capital, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs $125,000 for operational costs.

Pat Wyss of Wyss Associates, the project's design consultant, said noise buffers will be an important part of the final product. The plan is to possibly consult with a sound engineer to get the best sense of how far noise will travel.

"We're fully aware that there are families, residences, folks living nearby. We're going to honor that," Wyss said. "It's a performance area. There will be activity there, but we'll do everything we can do be good neighbors."

Preliminary design includes a perimeter fence, allowing access only from the south, and ticketed and non-ticketed areas. The Native American art market would be free admission, the central amphitheater and living history village within the ticketed area.

Arnold Hernandez, who lives on the top of the hill, said he supports the project but does have concerns about traffic, lighting and noise.

"It's a great idea, and it's overdue. I just hope they take consideration of all who spoke," Hernandez said. "It's a wonderful thing. They just have to fine tune this."

That fine tuning is set to begin shortly and take three to four months, Wyss said.

"We're here to do something that's balanced, that's classic and a benefit to everyone, no matter what walk of life," Ross said. "We want people to be proud of what we do here."

Construction should begin by spring 2010 and run through the summer construction season. Early estimates say the project will cost $1.3 million to complete.

More public meetings will be scheduled as the design is finalized, Wyss said.

Contact Emilie Rusch at 394-8453 or emilie.rusch@rapidcityjournal.com