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Noise expert says plant unlikely to raise ambient levels at nearby homes; residents cite lived experience
Summary
A hired noise engineer testified the proposed plant's operations are unlikely to cause harmful noise or vibration at the nearest homes because of distance and attenuation; nearby residents countered with accounts of ongoing construction noise, blasting vibration and phone decibel readings.
The applicant's noise and vibration expert, a licensed professional engineer, reviewed data from a Pond Road batch plant study and testified that, because the nearest residences to the proposed Goldview Road site are substantially farther away and the area already has quarry activity, the likelihood that normal plant operations would elevate ambient noise to harmful levels is low.
The expert noted that the Pond Road monitoring locations were 300–400 feet from operations and that the nearest residences at that site were about 700 feet away, while at Goldview the nearest homes are on the order of 1,800–2,200 feet away; he estimated additional attenuation with distance and terrain. "My opinion in general is that the normal plant operation should not have...a negative impact on the noise levels in the vicinity of the site," he testified.
Multiple residents disputed that finding with personal recordings of 50–85 decibels on phones during current operations and described vibrations from quarry blasting that they say have damaged interior finishes. The board accepted both expert and lay testimony and required that the applicant obtain applicable air‑quality and normal permit approvals and comply with recommended mitigation plans.
