As work gets underway for the drop-off remediation and construction at the Sechelt landfill, Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors voted to waive the noise bylaw for the project’s four-month work plan.
Summit Earthworks Inc. applied to have enforcement of the noise bylaw waived from March 25 to Aug. 31, while they work on the project. Their successful tender bid included a work plan of 12-hour days for 14 days, with four days off, for four months in order to complete the work.
At the March 25 SCRD board meeting, staff told the board that they believe there’s a low probability that the noise will cause disturbance to the area, because of the location of the landfill. The landfill is located in Area D, Roberts Creek.
The staff report said, “Given the remote location of the Sechelt Landfill and the surrounding industrial-type land use, any construction or machine noise associated with the project will have limited impacts to residential properties in the area and the work being completed is generally recognized as being for the public good.”
Gibsons director Bill Beamish said he is generally opposed to more noise. Sechelt director Alton Toth said that he lives downhill from the landfill in a semi-industrialized area, and is in favour of the exemption. He said it’s normal to hear noise outside of SCRD’s noise bylaw hours because of the different jurisdictions, calling it the “ambient noise” of the area.
Toth asked to notify the District of Sechelt of the exemption. General manager of infrastructure services Remko Rosenboom said the SCRD will notify the public during the construction activity via the SCRD website and social media. Summit Earthworks Inc. will also have to attempt to limit noise disturbance.
