Sound barrier for biz?

Photo: Contributed

Coldstream council has put a proposed noise bylaw on hold after industry expressed concern.

Coldstream council has put a proposed noise bylaw on hold after three major North Okanagan companies based in Lavington questioned its impact on their businesses.

“The bylaw seems to be targeted at the industrial facilities in Lavington as this was the only area of sampling of noise levels,” said Pat Lauriente, Tolko general manager in a letter to the district.

Lauriente also appeared at Monday's council meeting.

“We are concerned about how this bylaw would be enforced and the impact it could have on our operations.”

Tolko, which has a mill in Lavington that supports 558 full-time jobs, is concerned about:

• A proposed 50 decibel threshold at night
• Limited data gathered and used to support the bylaw

Council also received letters from Restoration Lands Inc., which is developing the 92-acre site where the old glass plant stands, and from Lavington Pellet Limited, an operation which sits near the Tolko mill.

Both questioned the worthiness of the proposed noise bylaw.

“We believe that further study and discussion is required on this topic in order to avoid any unintended consequences and to allow council to make a more informed decision,” read the letter from Lavington Pellet. “We look forward to working with council and the community on noise management, but are concerned that not enough due diligence has been done to date in order to implement an effective noise bylaw at this time.”

"The bylaw is on hold at the present time and we have ordered staff to purchase a sound measuring device," said Coun. Pat Cochrane. "We want to spend time getting actual readings from the operations in Lavington."

Council didn't feel it was fair to introduce a bylaw that would not be "manageable in the real world," he added.

He said there was no real rush to move forward with the bylaw.

"Residents have legitimate issues, and as a council we're struggling to find the right balance for industry to operate and provide employment but to also provide assistance for the benefit of residents."

Lavington residents recently complained that the bylaw didn't go far enough, by allowing an industrial operation the opportunity to apply for an exemption to the top decibel levels.

"We will be doing some work to establish a baseline of data to ensure the decibel ranges are appropriate," said Trevor Seibel, Coldstream's chief administrative officer.