Town, Developer Broker Deal on Fisher Hill Demolition Noise

The developer behind a new Fisher Hill housing development has agreed to several noise-reducing measures, including limiting the hours of its ear-shattering demolition equipment, even though they could extend work by an additional two weeks.

The deal comes after several weeks of negotiations between town officials, representatives for the developer and neighbors who said the original demolition plan would be too disruptive to life in the neighborhood. With yesterday’s approval by selectmen, the developer believes it can begin tearing into the town’s old reservoirs by late this week.

The new plan is expected to extend demolition work from five weeks to as long as seven weeks. Along with the demolition equipment, as many as 80 trucks a day will come through the site during this time.

“It is a significant change, but we’re happy to do this, “ said Peter Roth, president of New Atlantic Development.

The demolition is the latest in a decade-long effort to dismantle the long-unused reservoirs on Fisher Hill and build a collection of market-rate and affordable homes adjacent to Newbury College. The developer asked for a waiver from the town’s noise control bylaw last month because the demolition work, which involves breaking up the concrete of the reservoir and crushing it into fill, would be louder than the 90 decibels allowed under the bylaw.

Roth initially said that one of the pieces of equipment, a pneumatic hammer or “ho-ram,” would be , but later cited an acoustical engineer as saying it would be somewhat quieter. The developer also agreed yesterday to the following terms:

• The ho-ram will only operate from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.
• The developer will use a much quieter concrete pulverizer, or “muncher,” instead of the ho-ram whenever possible. The muncher may be used as late as 5 p.m. on weekdays.
• The developer will construct a temporary noise barrier around one side of the concrete-crushing machine to shield it from the upper floors of the near by Longyear residential towers.
• Crews will install an automated decibel-monitoring machine on the site to regularly monitor the level of noise and report it to several town departments.
• Trucks entering and leaving the site will be limited to 20 miles an hour on Buckminster Road and Fisher Avenue.
• Neighbors will be provided with ear protection equipment.

“The meaningful mitigation is really the work-hour limitation,” Roth told officials and neighbors Tuesday night. “It will be noisy, but it will not be noisy before 8:30 and it will not be noisy after 3:30.”

But some neighbors said the measures didn’t go far enough. Gil Fishman, a Town Meeting member and president of the Fisher Hill Neighborhood Association, said he worried the town wouldn’t be able to force the developer to take further steps if the construction noise turns out to be worse than expected.

“I don’t want to get into a situation where in two weeks it’s unbearable and intolerable,” he said.

Roth also sought to assure neighbors that any vibrations resulting from the work would no be strong enough to cause damage to neighbor’s homes.

“I don’t believe there is any danger in any homes of any abutters for things falling off the wall or things breaking,” he said.