Volume raised on cement plant noise complaints

Every morning, long before he's ready, Ernest Garvin said he wakes up to an alarm clock he can't control - the noises of the concrete factories that line the street behind his home.

Garvin and his wife Shawnee are part of Friends of Indian Land - FOIL for short - a group speaking out after the report was released last week detailing sound readings taken near their Brookchase home. FOIL is made up of residents from Brookchase, Lakeview Landing, and other areas of Indian Land, including the Garvin's and Natasha and Michael Hansen, of Brookchase, and Scott Bruntmeyer and Tom and Deborah Forbes of Lakeview Landing.

The group formed last year after becoming frustrated by the county's response to complaints about three concrete factories, Blue Dot Readi-Mix, MacLeod Construction and Concrete Supply, in Perimeter 521 Commerce Park, which borders Brookchase and Lakeview Landing. A fourth factory, Cemex, is under construction.

Concrete Supply, MacLeod and Cemex have all made attempts to meet with group members and reduce their noise. Cemex is building its operations in an enclosed facility specifically to reduce noise, Executive Vice President Henry Batten said.

"Typically, most [concrete plants] are open air, but we did that to mitigate noise," Batten said. "Our goal has always been that we live in the same community they live in, our kids go to school with their kids. We want to be good corporate citizens."

Paul Cochrane, president of Blue Dot, did not immediately return calls for comment.

Last week, Lancaster County released a noise report by Dr. Noral Stewart of Charlotte-based Stewart Acoustical Services. It detailed sound readings taken over a four-day period at three locations within Brookchase and concluded that noise is "greater than normally expected or permitted in many locations."

The report was under review by the county magistrate's office and the sheriff's department Monday.

Deborah Forbes said she hopes the factories will now do what they can to reduce the noise coming from their plants.

"We'd like neighbors that care. Good neighbors," Forbes said. "Why would they not want to come into compliance and be a good neighbor?"

Her husband, Tom Forbes, sums up the group's hopes with a single sound:

"Shhh..."

This story was originally published March 18, 2008 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Volume raised on cement plant noise complaints."