An exemption to the City of Melville’s noise bylaw has been granted to Westridge Construction Ltd., by Melville City Council, as the contractor continues work on Lift Station No. 1.

Section 7 of the noise bylaw states construction noises are limited between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays, and 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. on a Sunday or holidays.

Section 11 of the bylaw states “Council may, be (by) resolution, exempt for the provisions of the Bylaw the noises made by any person, firm or corporation in the lawful operation of any industrial or commercial or any other business undertaking.”

Located on the corner of Main Street and Halifax Street, Lift Station No. 1 pumps the City’s sewage to the lagoon.

Director of Public Works Andrew Fahlman says the project is at a point where soil needs to be compacted around recently poured concrete – a process also known as backfilling.

However, in order to do that, Fahlman explained they need to thaw the ground before proceeding.

Westridge Construction proposed to undertake the backfill work 24/7 for a short period of time, and acknowledged the necessary work would cause noise, primarily from trucks and equipment. The company laid out of the pros and cons of this process in a letter to Melville City Council.

Fahlman says contractors usually abide by the noise bylaws, but this project has come with special circumstances, hence the exemption.

“It is winter time and we are trying to complete this project as soon as possible, so it is completed in 2022 because there is a lot of work ahead of us,” he said. “We don’t want to delay the project by a couple of months until the ground thaws – that could mean April or May.”

Fahlman says residents near the construction area will be notified of when this work starts “mostly likely within 2 weeks.”

“We’re hoping to give at least 5-7 days notice to the residents of the area that this will be taking place.” he said, adding the City will send notifications on their social media platforms.