Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-09-23-NAC-min Town of Lexington Noise Advisory Committee(NAC) Minutes of Meeting September 23,2021 A meeting of the Noise Advisory Committee ("NAC") was held via Zoom videoconference on Thursday September 23, 2021, at 7:00 PM. A quorum of three members was present. NAC Members Present: Dan Koretz (Chair), Vicki Blier, Nick Afshartous, Stewart Smith, April Wang (joined the meeting at 7:20) Others Present: Mark Sandeen (Select Board),Joe Campbell 1. Introductory Remarks Dan convened the meeting at 7:00 pm and noted that the agenda would focus on approval of the Minutes from previous meetings, the draft text of the NAC proposal to the Select Board, the presentations for Select Board and Fall Town meeting and a general discussion concerning new directions for the NAC following resolution of the current landscaping proposal. 2. Approval of Minutes The Committee reviewed revised draft minutes from the two previous NAC meetings held on September 2, 2021, and September 14, 2021.There being no further comments on the minutes,the following motion was made: Motion Dan moved that the Committee approve the Minutes from the September 2nd and September 14, 2021, NAC meetings.The motion was seconded by Vicki and following a roll call vote,the motion carried unanimously. 3. Review of Current NAC Proposal and Potential Timing of Town Meetings Dan advised the Committee that it was presently unclear if the Select Board would advance the NAC's current proposal at the upcoming Fall Town meeting. Dan had a discussion with Select Board Vice Chair Doug Lucente who indicated that he had received feedback directly from several landscapers concerning objections to the proposal. Mark also noted that it was unclear to him whether the NAC proposal would be endorsed on the Warrant for the upcoming meeting. He noted that upcoming Select Board meetings would consider the issue including a review of possible Warrant articles on September 27th. He further noted that, based on the sentiments expressed at the most recent Select Board Meeting, there appeared to be no objection to the revised proposal at this time. Nick updated the Committee on progress with bulk purchasing initiatives through MPAC. He noted that if the NAC proposal was not considered until Spring 2022 Town Meeting the MPAC initiative may be decided by that point. He also noted that if the NAC proposal was pushed to consideration by Town Meeting during the Spring of 2022,the end date of the proposed phaseout may also have to be pushed back. Dan asked if any members had concerns about the current text of the proposal. No members voiced concerns. Dan therefore noted that, in his opinion, there was no reason to re-open discussion of it further. He observed that certain members of the public and certain landscapers would likely not be satisfied with the NAC proposal and that this was to be expected. However, he noted that the Committee had made significant efforts to engage with all participants and consider opposing views in arriving at the current draft. After discussion the following motion was made: Motion Dan made a motion that the Committee confirm the NAC proposal as complete for presentation to the Select Board and Town Meeting.The Motion was seconded by Nick and following a roll call vote,the motion was approved unanimously. Vicki suggested that, ahead of the Select Board and Town meeting, the Committee should consider putting together a question-and-answer document to proactively distribute before the Town Meeting which would anticipate the expected push back from landscapers. Procedurally it was agreed that the proposed Q and A be considered by the Committee at its next meeting. 4. New Business The Committee then discussed potential new initiatives that the NAC may focus upon going forward. Dan noted that, administratively, the Town did not currently have an effective process for receiving and dealing with noise-related complaints.There are now 4 Town agencies who receive complaints. However, there is no uniformity in how complaints are dealt with, no ticketing system for tracking complaints and no standard system for informing residents how to make complaints. Dan suggested that a new NAC initiative may involve assisting in the development of a streamlined system for the intake,ticketing and resolution of noise complaints. He also noted that Belmont had recently implemented a bylaw which established an overall absolute noise restriction on all activity in that Town.This would obviously require accurate noise measuring tools for enforcement. Implementing this would require a substantial rewriting of the Noise Bylaw. It was also noted that Lexington Town Manager Jim Malloy has also floated the idea rewriting Lexington's Noise By-Law, in part because it references obsolete standards. After discussion, it was generally agreed among Committee members that the NAC support and assist with the creation of a centralized noise reporting system. Joe commented that this initiative would require the use of a software system that the Town would need to acquire. Mark noted that the Town had recently hired a new health director and suggested that Dan speak to her to gauge interest in participating in the project. He also noted that the Select Board would likely be reluctant to move forward with a central tracking/ticketing system until the Fire Department and Public Health Officer are also on board. He also noted that a two-way reporting system would be needed. Vicki suggested that the Committee should review other adjacent Town bylaws to gain further information on the issue of creating a maximum noise standard in Lexington. Other potential ideas discussed included noise issues related to: • trash collection trucks (private contractors) • motorcycles • low altitude flights/Hanscom The Committee agreed to consider these issues further in forthcoming meetings. 5. Other Business There was no other business. 6. Next Meeting The Committee agreed that the next meeting of the NAC take place at 7:OOpm on October 7, 2021. 7. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 pm.