Council to request documents, invite plant and seek bids to address ongoing noise complaints

Council members discussed recurring noise complaints related to a local plant that had reported passing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waste testing except for one area and that had installed noise dampeners across the plant, according to staff notes. Council members said the town’s existing enforcement tools would require equipment or outside testing and that purchasing the equipment would cost about $8,000 if the town performed tests in-house.

Given that cost, staff were authorized to reach out to sound‑testing companies to obtain bids and to compare those vendor costs with the estimated $8,000 purchase price for testing equipment. Council members also asked staff to submit a public‑records request for the plant’s EPA testing reports and to invite the plant’s contractor — referenced in the meeting as PBS — to the next council meeting and to request they bring documentation in advance.

Council members described several resident contacts over the years about noise and said they had invited plant representatives to talk and provide records. Staff said the plant had not yet provided the additional documentation requested. The council debated whether to outsource testing on a complaint-by-complaint basis or to acquire town equipment for recurring enforcement; members directed staff to gather bids and return with a cost comparison at the next meeting.

Council also discussed enforcement pathways under the town’s nuisance/ordinance code and whether a hired consultant could perform tests in a manner that meets the town’s evidentiary needs for enforcement or hearings. Members agreed to pursue the public records request and to invite PBS to the next meeting and to consider vendor bids for testing before deciding whether to buy equipment for in‑house tests.

No formal enforcement action was taken at the meeting; council directed staff to pursue documentation, obtain bids and continue discussions at the next meeting.