Hefler Mill showing progress in noise complaints
Posted Aug 19, 2015 06:41:43 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MIDDLE SACKVILLE – A local lumber mill in the Middle Sackville-area is doing its best to quell recent noise complaints from local residents.
A power turbine generator which uses bio-mass from the Hefler Mill, located on Lucasville Road, releases steam through its stack upon shut off, creating a loud squealing noise.
District 14 Councillor Brad Johns is one of those who has been busy in August fielding some of the complaints.
He tells NEWS 95.7 one of the more recent ones came from another nearby development.
“They’re actually pumping water back up to the settlement, and so some residents were thinking that was Hefler’s,” Johns said.
“But once we got that under control we were able to tell them what it was.”
President of Hefler Lumber, Floyd Gaetz, said new modified silencers have been installed and tested to see if they would muffle the noise.
“Instead of just turning it on to its regular steam, which we could’ve done quietly without silencers now,” Gaetz said.
“We actually took it to the 20,000 pound pressure, and we forced that 20,000 pound pressure through the silencers and had it monitored again.”
Gaetz said the silencers are working better than he expected, and Compliance Officers were also surprised by the results.
Johns said he’s noticed a drop in calls since the company was first notified about the noise complaints.
