Noise Study May Be Hammond's Next Step

HAMMOND - After four months of meetings, the Hammond Wind Advisory committee made its first recommendation to the Hammond Town Board: to ask for funding for an ambient noise study to be conducted throughout the proposed wind overlay district for the town.

Wind committee facilitator, David B. Duff, told the town board that his committee was struggling to decide between relative noise standards and fixed noise standards. He said the committee was "confused" as to precisely what the ambient - or existing, background noise - sound level was in Hammond. Mr. Duff also said that the committee, as a whole, had not yet decided between setting site specific noise and setback standards or "average" noise standards that could be used as a blanket policy for the town.

Mr. Duff said that ambient sound levels throughout Hammond would "vary depending on location."

Supervisor Ronald W. Bertram said his research showed that sound studies could be very expensive, to which Mr. Duff countered with another proposal.

"I anticipated the board's answer," Mr. Duff said, "and took it upon myself to make some inquiries."

According to Mr. Duff, two sound specialists, Charles Ebbing and Clif Schneider - who have each made presentations to the wind committee - have offered their courtesy assistance in undertaking such a sound study.

"They are willing to loan us an instrument (to measure ambient sound), and to train committee members on how best to conduct such a study," Mr. Duff said, noting that, "while there is nothing scientific about it, it is a freebie."

Mr. Duff said the pair are willing to set a date and time to meet representatives of the committee in Clayton - and anyone else from the community who is interested in either learning more or assisting the wind committee in conducting the study - for a couple hours of sound measuring education.

Mr. Bertram instructed Mr. Duff to take the discussion back to the wind committee.

"We'll see where it goes from there," Mr. Bertram said.

The sound study endeavor, Mr. Bertram said, might be a good way to get wind committee applicants who were not selected onto the committee involved in the process. Applicants not selected to the committee included Sonja Kocan, Nancy Chase, Jay Benton, Steven White, Ann Root, Thomas Chapman, Jim Misenko, Mary Hamilton, Howard Demick, Larry Fuller, and Kelly Rogers.

The wind committee, composed of Leonard Bickelhaupt, Allan P. Newell, Frederick A. Proven, Dr. Stephen D. Sarfaty, Michele W. McQueer, Richard Champany, Don A. Ceresoli Jr., Merritt V. Young, Ronald Papke, and Rudolph Schneider, will meet again on Monday at 7 p.m. in the village hall.