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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-07-07-NAC-min Town of Lexington Noise Advisory Committee(NAC) Minutes of Meeting July 7,2021 A meeting of the Noise Advisory Committee ("NAC") was held via Zoom videoconference on Tuesday July 7, 2021, at 7:00 PM. A quorum of four members was present. NAC Members Present: Dan Koretz (Chair), Vicki Blier, Nick Afshartous, Stewart Smith, April Wang Others Present: Mark Sandeen,Joe Campbell 1. Introductory Remarks Dan introduced the Committee to Joe Campbell who recently approached the Chair to offer his assistance in the NAC's work.Joe noted that amongst his qualifications he has a background in speech and language processing at MIT and is a member of the Acoustical Society of America.Joe has 43 years of experience in the field.The Committee welcomed Joe's participation in the NAC. 2. Issues Arising from June 28,2021 Select Board("SB") NAC Presentation Following the SB Meeting, Dan noted that it now appears that a Fall Town Meeting may take place. As a result, the schedule for the Committee's remaining tasks, including the GLB phase-out proposal, would now be accelerated. In addition to Dan's notes, circulated to the Committee following the SB Meeting, Dan noted that the SB was generally pleased with the Committee's outreach efforts to solicit feedback on the current draft proposal. A number of comments and suggestions were made during the meeting. In particular,Joe Pato and another Town Meeting member raised the issue of continuing to allow landscaping noise at 78 dB during clean-up periods.They asked whether there was a proposal to reduce the noise level over time. NAC also received comments regarding the proposal to permit Sunday GLB use during allowed clean-up periods. It was pointed out (without specific reference)that the Town does not currently permit Sunday landscaping activity. It was unclear where such a prohibition existed in the bylaws. Dan indicated that he had reviewed the bylaws and had not found this provision. He indicated he would attempt to follow up with Town staff. 3. Review and Discussion of Task List Dan circulated a proposed Task list which contained items to be completed by NAC members to address questions raised at the SB meeting and to prepare for an anticipated Fall Town Meeting.The list and those responsible for each item are as follows: 1. Compile initial and lifetime and initial costs. The Committee discussed this matter and noted that current costing information is dated and is largely based on the Southern California experience,which is not fully relevant to New England and the shorter landscaping seasons. It was agreed that this should be updated. Assigned to: Stewart agreed to update the materials on this issue. 2a) Compile data comparing noise output and power(both CFM and output velocity) of current GLB and ELB units. Dan noted that the loss of power relative to the most powerful GLBs was one of the major arguments from some landscapers against a transition to electric blowers.The noise data are vague in manufacturer's web pages (e.g., some use noise at the ear, others noise at 50 ft., and many don't say), so this is a substantial task. Assigned to: April agreed to work on this issue. 2b) Noise by distance and number of units,with comparisons to other noise sources(airplanes, etc.). Dan pointed out that this task is quite complex as it depends on the position and orientation of units, and there is some math involved. After discussion and input from Joe, it was agreed that this analysis should be performed ahead of the Town Meeting. Assigned to: Dan and Joe agreed to work together on this issue. 3a) Update the list of jurisdictions with GLB bans. The Committee discussed the fact that due to the passage of time Rick Reibstein's spreadsheet, (which captures the communities that have enacted regulations) is out of date.The Committee agreed that the list should be updated. Assigned to: Vicki agreed to update the list and Dan agreed to provide her with the current lists that the Committee has. 3b) Regarding the jurisdictions listed in 3a),obtaining information about experiences in those jurisdictions. Assigned to: Vicki agreed to take the lead role on this issue. 4. One-to-one meetings. Dan noted that, following comments made at the SB Meeting, it was evident that one-to-one meetings were necessary with Jim Malloy, Dave Pinsonneault (head of the DPW), and the acting police chief. Amongst other issues, it will be important to discuss the mechanics of enforcing proposed noise regulations with Jim Malloy and representatives of the local police. It will also be important to understand the position of the Town's DPW in relation to whether and how Town maintenance staff will utilize electric equipment in the future. In particular, the Committee discussed the issue of managing the clean-up of large pieces of property (Town- owned and private property) where the sole use of battery powered equipment may have an impact on productivity and could require more resources (e.g. for the Town—increased staffing). Nick queried whether other communities with GLB bans had exempted their own DPWs from the regulations. Vicki suggested that it may be useful to arrange a meeting between Dave Pinsonneault and electric-only landscaper George Carrette to discuss large pieces of land. During the landscaper input sessions, George indicated that he currently provides landscape services for a parcel greater than 10 acres in an adjacent Town and was able to use electric equipment without difficulty. The Committee agreed that the positions of Town management on these issues will need to be solicited ahead of finalizing the Committee's proposal. Assigned to: Dan agreed to seek meetings with Town personnel to obtain feedback on these issues. 5. Arranging mailings publicizing the state of the proposal and the initial fall meeting(s). Assigned to: Dan agreed to take the lead on this item. 6. Updates on Subsidy Initiatives/Bulk Purchasing and Legislation Nick updated the Committee on recent contacts he had with Stella Carr and State Representative Michelle Ciccolo regarding MPAC and efforts to secure State support for subsidies on the conversion from gas to electric landscape equipment. Nick noted that Michelle was presently unsure if the legislation she introduced regarding State assistance will be successful. Assigned to: Nick agreed to follow up with Rick Reibstein, Stella Carr, Michelle Ciccolo and others to document the most recent developments in the effort to secure subsidies for equipment conversion. He also agreed to document the initiatives on bulk purchasing. 4. Next Meetings of the NAC Mark noted that if a Fall Town Meeting were to be scheduled, it would likely take place during the last week of October 2021 at the earliest. The Committee then considered dates for the next NAC meetings based upon that potential timeline and also on the next date for landscaper input on an eventual ban of GLBs (August 31, 2021). It was unanimously agreed that the next meetings would take place on September 2nd and September 14, 2021. It was also agreed that the issues of Sunday permitted operation and equipment ratings would be taken up at the next meetings. 5. Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting The Committee reviewed the draft minutes from the NAC meeting held on June 22, 2021 as posted on Slack. Motion Dan moved to approve the Minutes as presented and the Motion was seconded by Vicki. Following a roll-call vote,the Minutes from the June 22, 2021 Meeting were approved unanimously. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 pm.