HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-03-NAC-min.pdfNoise Advisory Committee Meeting: June 3, 2025 Meeting
The meeting of the Noise Advisory Committee (“NAC”) was held remotely
on Zoom on Tues day, June 3, 2025 and called to order by Barbara Katzenberg at 7:02 PM.
NAC Members Present: Barbara Katzenberg (Chair) (BK), Benjamin Lees (BL), Laura Rosen
(LR), Elaine Rudell (ER)
Guests: Bruce Dempsey (Assistant Building Commissioner), Professor Richard Relbstein (on
Chicago’s Sound Camera Pilot)
Absent: Joe Pato (Select Board Liaison)
Administration
1. ER was assigned as Clerk for this meeting
Committee Business
• Announcements
• Noise Complaints: B. Katzenberg was catching up on noise complaints. In
speaking to the Assistant Building Commissioner, Bruce Dempsey, there had
been one complaint on 5/14 at the Edgewood and Merriam property. The
contractor was excavating for a drainage system and hit ledge that didn’t break
with the machine they used. The contractor obtained the services of a noise
engineer. After the barriers were installed and the hammering began, the
engineer on site measured 64.3 Dba at the lot line. Jim Kelly, the building
commissioner who has been out on leave, had indicated in a conversation with
us 6 months ago that they don’t have a formal system of documenting these
complaints compared with the police department. This was the only construction-
related noise complaint in the past few months.
• Generator Noise: There was a long discussion on the Lexington List regarding
the use of generators by landscapers to charge the batteries of the electric gas
blowers. Among the points made was the fact that landscapers were trying to
comply and come up with solutions and the generators are 4-stroke engines that
are less polluting than the 2-stroke gas powered leaf blower engines (and
thought to be less noisy).
• Report by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC): This is part of
the Minuteman Advisory group on interlocal coordination. They had a grant to
study and compare noise across municipalities in Massachusetts. MAPC is a
large group of Eastern Massachusetts municipalities and local to Lexington (Jill
Hai, who is on the Select Board, is part of the Minuteman Advisory Group on
Interlocal Coordination (MAGIC)). The report from this group was supposed to
be reported this AM but we are still awaiting the report.
• Special Permit requests: Since Joe Pato is not here today, we do not know if
there have been any special permit requests for noise/bylaw exceptions. Ralph
Clifford, head of the Zoning Board of Appeals, did not want to be involved with
decisions about waivers for special permits for construction projects. They didn’t
want to be responsible for knowing/understanding all the implications of the noise
that would be generated. Currently, special exceptions to the Noise Bylaw go to
the Select Board.
• Additional Noise Advisory Committee member: We need to identify another
member of the Noise Advisory Committee which has a 6/16th deadline to apply.
• Presentation by Tatiana Corrido (BU student of Professor Rick Reibstein in
Environmental Analysis and Policy/Management)
Measuring Sound to Reduce Noise: Trials of 2 Apps for use by groups to
measure ambient sound
o The BU campus served as a backdrop for the project.
o The study explored: When does sound become noise?
o We previously had laws to identify and mitigate harmful sources of noise
at a Federal level; this was defunded in 1982, followed by almost 50
years of inaction to reduce noise pollution in the United States.
o The approach of this study was to find the most cost efficient way
individuals and local communities could measure and identify noise; the
trial used 2 apps. The two-part study involved the use of 2 sound
recording apps: (1) NIOSH Sim (she chose this one) and (2) Noise project
(project led by Cornell Lab of ornithology researchers who collaborated
with independent community-based organizations)
o NIOSH was developed to measure workplace noise and aid in the
detection of hazardous noise by integrating professional sound level
meters and dosimeters in a smartphone app.
o The NIOSH study involved 15 students (including Tatiana) who collected
data for 2 weeks from early to mid-April of 2025. They made at least 3
recordings at varying times during the day (active, commute, walking
between classes or during meals at public spaces. The second part of the
study was a focus group in which they were asked about the app: ease of
use, favorite features, what they thought would hinder people from
participating or from making sound recordings in the long term. From the
focus group, they identified 3 key hemes: (1) intuitiveness, (2)
information, and (3) introspection in terms of how these participants
reacted to using both of these apps throughout then2 weeks. Regarding
intuitiveness, they found the Noise project had more user-friendly features
(including intuitive colors). Regarding information, Niosh focused on long
term effects of sustained noise exposure, specifically regarding hearing –
aligning with the purpose of the study, while the Noise project promotes
re-evaluation of users relationship with sound and how it relates to
wellbeing. Finally, regarding introspection, noise poses its own set of risks
where we add noise to cancel the noise around us; noise affects the way
we connect with each other. We engage less in noisy environments. The
impact of the study was to leverage use of these apps in the community
to facilitate discussions, emphasize validation, empowerment, and
documentation.
o These apps are available for IOS devices.
o The goal was to be able to replicate the findings in local communities.
There is strength in numbers if there is a need to escalate noise problems
and find remedies at a state or local government level.
o The study was also supported byy the National Science Foundation.
o They will publish the study findings on their website.
o Rick Relbstein, who worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
had a small group of interns from the various colleges. After leaving the
State but still teaching at BU, Rick developed a course where he could
continue research projects like this where the students report their work.
• Professor Richard Relbstein on Chicago’s Sound Camera Pilot
o Chicago has an ordinance to remove noise and pollution caused by loud
motorcycles. In order to accomplish this, they are going to conduct a pilot
for putting an automated compliance enforcement system in place; it
takes a picture of your license plate, and if you didn’t pay the fee, they will
find you, bill you, and note your decibel violations. So far, they have been
taking testimony to hear what people think but it has not started.
o Rick had a meeting of the Kwai Communities Group; they have a legal
advisory committee and are interested in suing the EPA to reestablish the
office of noise, abatement, and control but are not doing anything now.
Currently lawyers are not interested in noise cases because they cant
make money. He thinks we need to pass State Laws that let lawyers sue
for nuisance and get attorney fees. In Utah, physicians for a healthy
environment have sued Harlet Davidson (using a soundscape recording a
data logger that captured the sounds. They did not win on noise but won
on pollution because they have a Clean Air Act. They now have
equipment to measure ambient noise and log it (it is a data logging sound
meter).
• 250th Anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in Lexington:
April 19. 2025
o Celebrated with a lot of noise by the drummers
• Public comments: None
• Approval of minutes:
• Motion to adjourn: Barbara Katzenberg made a motion to adjourn and this was
agreed by ER, LR, and BL