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Council sets two‑week window for company and resident to resolve industrial noise before requesting state study
Summary
A resident complained about recurring noise from plastic pellet hoppers and condenser fans adjacent to a residential lot. The council directed staff to notify both parties that it will request an MPCA noise study in two weeks unless the parties resolve the problem.
A Paynesville resident raised an ongoing noise complaint about an adjacent industrial operation, describing intermittent pounding sounds from plastic‑pellet hoppers and condenser fans that run frequently. Staff told the council the city ordinance lacks objective decibel limits and that technical enforcement under Minnesota state noise rules falls to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).
City staff reported that the industrial operator had offered to install either a fence or a vegetative buffer; staff noted the ordinance allows a fence or tree line but that a tree buffer will take years to mature and may not address mechanical noise from hoppers. Council members said a neutral study by the state would provide objective decibel data to determine whether the operation complies with MPCA standards.
The council directed staff to notify both the resident and the company that the city intends to request an MPCA noise study in two weeks if the parties have not reached an agreed‑upon fix. Councilmembers instructed staff to try additional local mediation before the deadline; if the MPCA study is requested and the MPCA finds violations the agency—rather than the city—would be the technical enforcement authority. The council’s two‑week notice passed by voice vote.
The city will return with any outcome of local mediation or documentation of the MPCA referral and any MPCA findings.
