Maybe if we just talk…

By DAVID HULSE

GLEN SPEY — Lumberland residents and officials last week demonstrated that sometimes the least amount of regulation can be the best.

Zoning in Lumberland calls for “noise permits” when businesses or residents anticipate activities that will generate noise in excessive amounts or late into the evening. Such permits are usually reviewed by the Environmental Management Council (EMC) and decided by the town board.

Last week, an application from Lisa and Don Hunt had prompted unusual interest, including letters for and against their application. The Hunts were planning a third annual outdoor party at their home on Rio Dam Road, to include live music and overnight camping. They requested a permit allowing extra noise until 2:00 a.m.

When the volunteer EMC met, it did not have quorum and could not vote its recommendation, so the application went directly to the town board.

The Hunts’ neighbors Pete and Phyllis Kuiken, whose home is between a half-mile and a mile away, wrote to the town concerned that late night, early morning noise from the party, which occurred last year, not be repeated. “We had to shut the windows and turn on fans to drown the noise out,” Phyllis told the town board on June13.

The Hunts are motorcycle enthusiasts and the Kuikens were also concerned about the noise of departing party guests.

The Kuikens didn’t want the party stopped but suggested reduced use of amplifiers and an earlier curfew.

The Hunt home is about 1,000 feet off the road and in the middle of a 10-acre lot. Lisa Hunt said there were no problems the first year, but wet conditions last year may have made the sound travel better. She said a 1:00 a.m. compromise was okay, as long non-amplified music was okay past that time.

Don Hunt said he could not force them, but that he encourages all his guests to stay over and camp after the party.

The board approved the Hunt’s application as submitted. Supervisor John LiGreci said he was confident that the neighbors would work out a compromise that would not require a town role. “There is a fine line between regulation and a police state. I don’t want anyone to think of Lumberland as a police state,” he said.

In other business, LiGreci reported: there is no federal money this year for a planned relocation of the town salt shed, that the town’s emergency management plan is badly outdated and he will move to update it, that following the town’s implementation of a moratorium on new campground areas, a zoning update planning meeting has been scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on June 27.