BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

MASSENA -- The Town Council passed an revised version of a noise ordinance that had previously drawn concerns from local industrial representatives and a farmer.

The board passed the bill during their Wednesday, June 17 meeting streamed online via Facebook Live.

Town Supervisor Steve O’Shaughnessy said the version passed then was after meeting with representatives from manufacturing plants.

“We explained our processes and our thoughts about it wasn’t going to be a ‘shut everything down’ type of thing. The whole idea is to resolve issues that come up in a specific manner,” he said. “We want to develop or improve our code book. It’s quite bland and needs to be updated. Some of them are from the 1960s.”

“I think we’ve done the best we can do,” he said.

“There’s something in there about no pedestrian traffic across the Alcoa Bridge. That was rebuilt, what, 20 years ago?” Councilor Sam Carbone said. “The biggest challenge … is the Grasse River cleanup. That should be done in two years’ time.”

The new code regulates things like noisy vehicles, construction, trash collection during certain hours, shouting, restaurants and bars, private residences from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., and other potential sources of loud noises.

It doesn’t apply to bells or chimes from churches or synagogues, or emergency services, the new code says.

The new code dealing with industrial noise bans “noise in the conduct of any business: the creation of unreasonable or unnecessary noise in the operation, conduct and/or maintenance of any business, factory, plant yard or manufacturing establishment (except as otherwise provided in this chapter), including but not limited to excavating, blasting, grinding, breaking, crushing or processing of any substance (where permitted).”

Addressing animal noises, it says “no person shall keep, permit or maintain any animal under his or her control that causes unnecessary noise by continued barking, howling or other animal noises.”

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