Residents press Newton selectmen over night noise, heavy trucks and water risks at Industrial Way site

Dozens of Newton residents told the Board of Selectmen on June 16 that operations at an Industrial Way site have become intolerably noisy and may pose environmental and safety risks.

Steve Beck, who said he has lived on Ridgewood Road for more than 30 years, described escalating daytime construction and a recent spike in rock-crushing and gravel-hauling activity that he said exceeded town site-regulation decibel limits and included nighttime hauling between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. “I can present videos of that nighttime,” Beck said, and he asked whether Newton can impose a townwide noise ordinance or require noise restrictions as a condition of future site approvals.

The question about a townwide ordinance echoed through public comment. Tom Alberti, a neighborhood resident who said he previously served five years on the Plaistow planning board, flagged excavation rules he said should apply to the operation, citing the state excavation statute RSA 155‑E and Newton’s excavation regulations. Alberti said the site appears to lack required permits — including alteration-of-terrain and wetlands approvals — and warned that reclaimed asphalt or crushed concrete brought to the site “could get into an aquifer” that serves local wells and the town public-water system.

Anne Barton and other neighbors described repeated early‑morning truck starts, overnight truck traffic and two incidents in the past month when 18‑wheelers traveled onto a small residential street and damaged mailboxes and landscaping. Tim Tanner, who said he had a copy of a DOT temporary driveway permit used for the site, said the permit limits vehicle size (no larger than a fire truck or a school bus) and that the 18‑wheelers observed by neighbors exceed that limit.

Neighbors also raised safety and environmental concerns: one speaker warned that repeated heavy‑truck travel crosses a buried gas pipeline and others asked about damage to nearby wetlands and potential impacts on Blanding’s turtles.

Board members and the police chief responded with next steps rather than immediate enforcement actions. The police chief urged residents to call Rockingham dispatch when they observe violations so an officer can be sent and said the department wants a townwide noise ordinance to improve enforceability. Selectmen said planning‑board conditional‑use permits sometimes include hours-of-operation restrictions and that the planning board can place limits (the board cited examples that have limited construction to as late as 9:00 p.m.). Chair Dan asked residents to email overlay images and documents to the town administrator so staff and board members can review the evidence and follow up.

Why it matters: Residents said the complaints are not occasional: they described repeated, multi‑month disruptions, alleged lack of required site approvals for excavation and recycling work, and potential risks to drinking‑water sources and wetlands. Town officials said the matters will require coordination between planning, code enforcement, police and, where applicable, state permitting authorities.

The meeting record shows the board accepted documentation offers from neighbors and asked the town administrator to distribute submitted materials to staff and the planning board. The board did not take immediate enforcement action at the meeting; residents said they are pursuing evidence and legal options for easement and damage claims.