Southern Maine residents tired of getting woken up by trash haulers clanking dumpsters may finally get some sleep soon, at least in one town.
A new noise law on the Feb. 11 Kennebunk town-meeting ballot would forbid emptying trash bins during the night.
The noise ordinance does have some exceptions, but there’s no sympathy for trash collectors.
Church bells, for instance, would generally be exempt for religious services as long as they don’t sound for longer than a half hour.
Maine noise ordinances run the gamut. Cumberland, Rangeley, Oakland, Old Orchard Beach, Augusta and Portland all have different ones, depending on location and situation.
The ordinances generally address noise levels as they relate to different times of the day.
The federal government first began telling people what they could do with their noise in 1972.
Environmentalists complained to Congress back then that Americans were losing their hearing due to too much noise, dubbing the concept “noise pollution.”
Before the environmental lobby gained power, nobody made a peep about regulating noise.
The trigger in Kennebunk for a government crackdown on noise was all-hours dumpster pickups waking people up at night.
The law would make noise unlawful if it were, well, just too loud.
Cops could avoid having to use a decibel meter – which they have to use now to prove a violation – to determine the validity of noise complaints.
But if someone makes a noise complaint and the basis of it can’t be determined the town will hire a sound engineer to come to the scene.
An ordinance committee spent months tossing around ideas to clear up what constitutes noise.
They came up with the words “plainly audible” to help determine define “noise.”
Complaints about music, ATVs, trash bins and other noise have been increasing, town officials said.
Selectman Bill Ward, meanwhile, has questioned the words “plainly audible,” wondering whether the courts would understand the phrase.
Can we please give Kennebunk to Massachusetts ?
Most of the world somehow endures church bells, roosters, barking dogs,jake brakes, backup alarms…. I’m no world traveler but try to get a restful night’s sleep in Mexico… aye, yi yi!
These boneheads complain about trash collectors emptying garbage in the early mornings? How about the town stop plowing the streets of Kennebunk until after 8am because of the NOISE generated from the plow trucks? I live almost next to the Maine Turnpike. How about I complain and have them stop all traffic from 9pm until 8am.
What a bunch of NIMBY, sissy, candy, @$$, lets pass a law would be tyrants. I got a better idea, let pass a law that anyone in Kennebunk, that tries to pass a law as a way to stick their nose in other people’s business gets their nose chop off, in the public square, with a dull axe. I’m betting the snowflakes pass this $#!+. I’m also betting the first exception will be a LGBTQ+WTFE parade, an “undocumented worker” rally, or a mostly peaceful protest from the libturd left.
OH. Isn’t it funny that the commie, socialist left only wants to interfere with the working men and women? F.U. and the horse you rode in on.
Redundant complaints shall result in losing all town related trash collection benefits and responsibility for disposal shall revert to complainant!
The real noise here is that our waste disposal costs are going to skyrocket, and we won’t even know who picks it up if the town joins EcoMaine.
Life is tough in Kennebunk Maine !
Kennebunk is facing their trash collection and disposal to double and now this completely lefty swinging board wants to add the cost of getting a sound engineer on site at the time of the infraction to evaluate noise due to some disgruntled unhappy Massachusetts transplants who suffers from collective insomnia.
Kennebunk residents are in for a crazy ride as the town has been infiltrated by leftist on committees and especially the select board. Property taxes will continue to spike at an alarming rate as in due time they will focus on chasing the cats tail with their agenda driven climate initiatives at tax payers expense. Like all lefty leadership government will grow.
I can understand the need of a new contract for trash disposal but this noise ordinance is a real hummer. An occasional flash of common sense in desperately needed in this Massachusetts North Community.
Does this need to tamp down the sounds of a vibrant civilization mean that we’re nearing the end of it?
I’m awakened each morning by my neighbors rooster and the J brake on the passing lumber trucks, and have to contend with the noise of rifle fire from the local gravel pit. And I have to deal with the theft of my night sky by the lights from the local paper mill and the noise of bass music thumping away from the speeding traffic on the newly paved highway out front.By God, I just might have to end it all to get some peace and quiet. (sarc.).
Better be careful or they may find themselves with some cement booties.
Southern Maine is what California was 30 years ago.