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Neighbors press trustees over generator noise; board to measure sound and consider screening
Summary
A nearby resident said the new fire-station generator may be producing "90 sound decibels" at his back door; the board declined immediate relocation and will measure noise when the unit is in service and consider screening or mufflers first.
Residents Dan and Roseanne Davis attended a Norwich Township Trustee meeting to complain about a backup generator the township installed near the edge of their property. The Davises said the unit is unsightly and excessively loud and asked the board to move it. Mr. Davis reported an estimate saying the generator “would emit 90 sound decibels at their back door.”
Trustees discussed options including moving the generator, installing a fence or screening, and testing the unit when it is run. Chief Richard Ellwanger and Captain Keith McDowell said the generator will be tested weekly for short periods and during emergencies. The board noted three muffler systems were available (standard, residential and hospital/critical use) and that the project used the hospital/critical muffler; trustees concluded it would be premature to relocate the unit without on-site sound measurements once the generator is operating.
The board asked Capt. McDowell to obtain a cost estimate for moving and hooking the old generator to cemetery facilities if that were later decided, and offered to explore aesthetic screening and adjusting test schedules to reduce neighbor impacts. No motion to move the generator was passed; the trustees instead tabled relocation pending operational sound testing and further cost information.
