The County Commission got an earful last week from residents who are upset with changes to the county's noise ordinance.

Early in April, the board had strengthened the ordinance after hearing numerous complaints from residents who were upset with dirt bike tracks that had sprung up in their neighborhoods and were causing them to lose peace of mind because of the noise.

But Thursday night, dirt bike lovers showed up at the County Commission meeting to present their side of the dispute.

Denise Mask, who lives on Kelly Road, said she only started receiving complaints when she failed to sell her property to her neighbor.

"Her son had rode on our track for years before our kids had bikes. Now, her son is riding at another track in the county," she said.

Mask's husband, Greg, said they owned 11 acres, and it was far safer to watch their kids on their property than to have his son have to travel to south Georgia to ride on a track.

But Commissioner Greg Dunn said the ordinance was only amended after hearing several complaints from different areas of the county.

"This is done to preserve people's hearing," he said.

Commissioner Peter Pfeifer told the audience that the measure was not done to outlaw dirt bike riding. There are silencers and mufflers that can be used to help quiet the bikes, and he added, the decibel rating has to be measured from the neighbor's property.