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Commission debates noise baseline, monitoring and post-construction audits
Summary
Speakers urged the township to require an independent municipal noise baseline and to require multi-season ambient studies; staff proposed a 30-day preconstruction study and post‑construction audits with continuous monitoring triggered at a megawatt threshold, but commissioners asked for greater seasonal coverage.
Noise and vibration performance standards were a recurring theme in testimony and discussion.
John McHugh and others urged the township to establish an independent municipal noise baseline so future disputes would have an objective benchmark. Staff explained the draft requires a preconstruction ambient study (30 days including the quietest hour at 3 a.m.), post‑construction audits and continuous monitoring for larger facilities, and noted that draft language borrowed from other municipal ordinances had different temporal baselines.
Commissioners debated whether one 30‑day study is sufficient and whether that study should be repeated in different seasons; several favored two 30‑day studies six months apart to capture seasonal variability. Staff agreed to clarify baseline requirements and the triggers for continuous monitoring in the next revision.
