Lane reduces noise at new asphalt plant

Noise generated by a new asphalt plant in the pastoral surroundings of rural Charlotte is upsetting at least one nearby camp owner, who believes the sound may be disturbing nesting birds and the peace and quiet of the local cemetery. However, other residents do not seem to be bothered by the noise, the company has been taking steps to reduce the sound, and the operation is in compliance with state regulations.

Lane Construction Corporation, which is based in Cheshire, Conn., began operations at a new asphalt plant on the Station Road in Charlotte this summer, adjacent to a gravel pit operated by Sunrise Sand and Gravel, owned by Bruce Goding of Baileyville. About a mile away by road, Susan Cook of Bath has a camp on Pennamaquan Lake, where she says there's "a tremendous amount of bird life," from loons to warblers and hummingbirds to woodpeckers. "Birds need to be able to hear each other to survive," she says, fearing the sound will affect them or cause them to leave.

Although noise monitoring of the sound from the gravel pit and asphalt plant has not been conducted, she maintains that "anyone with normal range hearing would know they're in noncompliance" with the state's noise regulations. Noting that her year-round home is right next to Bath Iron Works, she says the noise from the shipyard is not as loud as that from the asphalt plant, since BIW paid to have sound monitoring conducted.

In addition, Cook is concerned about the proximity of the operations to the Round Pond Cemetery, and she believes the Department of Environmental Protection's restriction that mining cannot be conducted any closer than within 25 feet of a cemetery "is atrocious. It's a place of resting."

Cook says she does realize, in difficult economic times with no industry in Charlotte, that complaints about noise "probably are not popular."

After Cook expressed her concerns publicly, Charlotte First Selectman Ernest James says he was contacted by a representative from Lane Construction, who offered to come to a selectman's meeting to discuss the issue. James brought the issue up at the September 29 meeting, but no action was taken by the board.

James says he hasn't heard of any complaints from close neighbors, and he understands that the company is reducing the noise level when it can. "People are happy there's a business in town."

"They want good public relations," James says of the company. "They're a company that will work with the town and the townspeople."

Tim Ring, plant manager for Lane Construction, says company personnel have spoken with neighbors, who have not expressed any concerns, and have been in contact with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which has not informed the company of any problems. "If there are any issues, we will address them," he says.

According to Ring, no blasting is done at the site and the company has made some adjustments to minimize the noise, including building a barrier wall around a generator and placing mufflers on air cylinders. Concerning the backup alarms on the trucks, he notes, "We do have to be concerned with the safety of our employees."

According to James Beyer, an environmental specialist with the DEP, only those gravel pits that have expanded by five or more acres since 1970 are required to have a license from the DEP, and then are subject to the department's noise regulations. Since the Lane asphalt plant is not an active gravel pit and is only about four acres, Beyer says, the DEP's noise rules do not apply, even though most of the noise is from that plant and not from Sunrise Sand and Gravel's operation.

"If something is making a noise and is not subject to our noise rules, then there's nothing we can do about it," Beyer notes. Although towns can enact local ordinances restricting noise, Charlotte does not have a noise ordinance, and James doesn't believe the selectmen would recommend one.

The Sunrise gravel pit, which received a DEP license in 1994 and is approved to remove five million cubic yards of sand and gravel, is subject to the DEP regulations. The gravel pit supplies sand and gravel to the Lane operation and is nearer to the Round Pond Cemetery than the asphalt plant.

The noise from the operations is created by the backup alarms and generators, according to Beyer. A rock crusher is not at either site, he says, although there is one at times at the Lane operation located on the Charlotte Road. The backup alarms on trucks are exempted from DEP regulations, since they are a requirement of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The DEP's noise regulations are based on an hourly weighted average for noise, measured at the property line, with the limits higher in industrial zones. There are also different limits for nighttime and daytime operations.

Beyer says he has not been at the site for years and will conduct an inspection of the Sunrise Sand and Gravel operation at some point.

Meanwhile, Cook says she will try to set up acoustic monitoring at her camp and watch to see if there are any changes in the bird populations around the lake.