NORTHAMPTON — The sound of crushing rock echoed through Village Hill Northampton Friday morning as contractors worked to prepare a site for the construction of 21 homes in a new section of the growing neighborhood above Smith College.
For those who live close to the rock-splitting operation, the noise rumbles through their homes in a way that they say began as annoying, grew into aggravating and has now reached unbearable.
“Not only is my house shaking, but my whole body is shaking,” said Linda Baker, a psychologist and college professor. The machinery loading and crushing rock operates just beyond her backyard fence.
Over the past week, some Village Hill homeowners have lodged complaints with city officials about the noise, especially during the morning hours from 7 to 9 a.m. In response, city officials said they had asked Kent Pecoy & Sons Construction not to start the rock work until 9 a.m.
But on Friday morning, neighboring resident Kenneth Dym told a Gazette reporter that the work was still beginning at a painfully early hour.
“As I write (8:15 a.m.) the pounding proceeds unabated,” Dym wrote in an email. In an earlier letter to the Gazette, he wrote “the noise is deafening, like living next door to a giant jackhammer, slamming away eight, nine, ten hours a day.”
Later that morning, Mayor David Narkewicz and City Councilor Dennis Bidwell visited the site. Narkewicz explained that the city’s request for a later start time had not reached the workers. He asked them to start no earlier than 9 a.m. when work resumes Monday.
Narkewicz said it will be a voluntary agreement with the builder to minimize disturbance in the morning. The city’s noise ordinance allows construction and demolition activities involving the use of hammers, saws, drills, or power equipment from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“Everything is within their permit,” Narkewicz said, regarding the operations on the property.
Workers at the site declined to give their names or be quoted in this article. However, they told a reporter that they had unexpectedly found many large rocks at the site while preparing the ground for new homes. The crushing operation is designed to recycle the rocks for use in improving drainage on the sloping property, for driveway foundations and for decoration. They said the work has gone on for longer than expected due to equipment problems.
The workers referred the Gazette to Pecoy & Sons Construction headquarters in West Springfield. People who answered the phone there said neither owner Kent Pecoy nor other company officials would be available for comment.
When Narkewicz came to the neighborhood Friday, he stood in Baker’s house and listened to the hauling from inside the home.
The walls were well-insulated, which dampened the noise. But the noise still carried through.
“It definitely was a loud operation,” he said later. “They’re literally crushing stone, and in some cases, crushing granite.”
Baker said she understands Pecoy did not know it would have to do so much work with rocks but wished neighbors had been consulted before the crushing began. Even if the work needed to occur, Baker said, the builders could have put the noisy machinery at the far edge of the worksite rather than directly behind homes.
Even those whose homes are across the street from the construction say the constant pounding is maddening.
“I have grandchildren that haven’t napped for two days,” said Sherry McKenney.
David Raker sent an audio recording of the rock-crushing to city officials. While officials acknowledged his concerns, Raker said he felt the city sided with the builders rather than advocating for residents.
“In each case the interactions were cordial and respectful, but still, in the end, it was the builder who had the upper hand,” he said in an email. “In no way would I or my neighbors be able to change in any significant way the actions of the builder.”
Some residents said they don’t mind the noise. Others say it’s bothersome, but it will come to an end soon. One homeowner on the border of the operation, who declined to give his name, said he understands the construction process because his home is newly built. He said he is taking advantage of the rock crushing behind his home by using some of the stones in his garden.
Residents of Village Hill will get some peace and quiet on Saturday and Sunday, but the rock crushing will begin again at 9 a.m. Monday. Narkewicz said it’s hard to give an estimate on when the project will be completed, but expects the work and noise to wrap up by sometime next week.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.