2010-03-02-NAC-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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NOISE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES 2 March 2010 Meeting A duly posted meeting of the Noise Advisory Committee (NAC), held in the Legion Room, Cary Hall, was called to order at 7:30 PM by Chairman Tony Galaitsis with members Jeanne Krieger, Martha Wood, Steve Kropper, Bob Earsy, Jack Maloney present. Present in the audience were Lexington Building Commissioner Mr. Garry Rhodes, six Shire representatives, and five Shade St. residents. The meeting had been convened at the request of Mr. Garry Rhodes, who was tasked by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to seek procedures for addressing the noise issues related to section I of Shire’s SDUP and associated noise concerns expressed by Shade St residents. Mr. Rhodes reported that the ZBA has not taken a vote yet, and that the ZBA chairman requested assistance from NAC in the following areas: 1) Help establish the “ambient noise level” around the Shire property 2) Estimate the noise level when Raytheon occupied the site 3) Current situation and remediation under discussion regarding Building 300 4) Review whether Shire’s proposed methods for determining noise levels are reasonable Discussion by NAC members Ms. Krieger asked why a Raytheon-time noise level is relevant. Related questions were about whether the past “Raytheon noise level” referred to a) a condition with the Raytheon equipment operating, or b) a condition with the Raytheon equipment not operating (ambient). Mr. Raymond Buckley, attorney for Shire, indicated that his team knew the equipment used by Raytheon and could use a model to estimate Raytheon-time noise levels. Further discussion between NAC members established that the important and relevant quantities are the: The Equipment noise at residences with the Shire equipment ON The Ambient noise at residences with the Shire equipment OFF Consequently, any reference to the Raytheon-time noise was deemed irrelevant. Mr. Buckley agreed that this conclusion was also consistent with Shire’s position. Mr. Galaitsis asked whether anyone was concerned about daytime noise or solely about nighttime noise. Both nearby residents and Shire representatives agreed that only nighttime noise was an issue. Subsequently, Mr. Galaitsis asked what season would be used to establish the Shire Equipment noise levels (with equipment ON) and the ambient noise level (with equipment OFF). Shire proposed wintertime measurements stating that noise levels are highest when there is no foliage; citizen representatives preferred summertime measurements stating that noise levels are highest when windows are open at night. Mr. Earsy suggested a summertime measurement around 2:00 AM.