City of North Vancouver council is hoping to find a little more peace and quiet, starting with their own construction sites.
Council passed a motion from Coun. Tony Valente at its general meeting Monday (Oct. 4), directing staff to research “opportunities to minimize construction noise, dust and light impacts” that could be employed on several upcoming city park construction projects.
Urban noise has health impacts on residents, Valente said, both physical and mental.
“We want to be doing all we can to use the latest and mitigation methods,” he said.
One of the ideas cited in the motion is replacing the familiar but annoying backup beepers on heavy vehicles with white noise machines.
“I don't think anyone expects perfection or perfect silence but I think it's really important for us to lead by example, and to set that example and really push the envelope where we can,” he said.
If the results prove worthwhile, the policy could be expanded to all municipal construction projects, the motion notes.
Support for Valente’s motion was unanimous, but Mayor Linda Buchanan asked staff to make sure their report also spells out how potential changes might impact the city’s construction costs and timelines.
“We all are committed to making sure that we can have a high quality of living for people in our community,” she said. “But we also need the balance of making sure that we're able to be moving things forward in a timely manner as well.”
