Lower Gwynedd Township. Photo by James Short.
Residents say an air-conditioning unit causes sawmill-like sounds
It wasn’t the sounds of children playing or even trespassers making a ruckus, but one township resident came to the Lower Gwynedd Township Board of Supervisors public meeting to discuss a concern she had regarding noise.
Irene Lewis, of Montgomery Road, spoke during public comment to ask the supervisors for their assistance.
“I’m here to let the board of supervisors know about a problem the neighbors are having due to the noise coming from Wissahickon Middle School,” said Lewis. She said, while she is also trying to “follow up with the appropriate people” to get the “noise problem resolved,” she also wanted the supervisors to be aware of the issue.
But, the source of the noise wasn’t people at all, but instead the building’s air conditioning unit.
“The AC unit in the back of the middle school is making an incredibly loud noise,” said Lewis. “[The noise] travels across the field, through the woods, and to our houses on Montgomery Road.”
Lewis had recorded the noise on her own electronic devices to play for the supervisors. She said she recorded the sound as she walked through the track field which lies between her road and the school’s land. She said that the noise happens mostly Monday through Friday, “whenever the AC unit is being used in the summertime.”
“I realize that maybe this isn't the board of supervisors’ job,” she said. “But, I wanted to bring it to your attention because neighbors have been communicating with the school since 2020, when they moved the AC unit from the roof down to the ground level.”
She said the neighborhood has been asking for the Wissahickon School District to do something about the issue for going on four years now. Lewis said that, while she lives “down the street,” where it isn’t as loud as it is in the field, there is still a troublesome level of noise traveling quite a distance.
“Since 2020, we have a thread of emails asking what’s being done about this problem,” said Lewis. “We just keep on getting messages that it’s being worked on.”
Having seen, or rather heard, no progress in years, Lewis said she and her neighbors are worried there is not going to be a solution offered to stop the loud noise. She said she’s heard recorded the sounds while walking along Houston Road, as well as in the surrounding woods.
“I’m concerned that this is not going to be resolved, and I would like any suggestions or help or comments that the board of supervisors has to help us with this problem,” said Lewis.
Lewis said that emails have been exchanged with the Director of Buildings and Grounds Brian Russell.
“I have contacted several other people,” she said. “I’ve contacted the police. [Lower Gwynedd Township Manager] Mimi Gleason.”
The board of supervisors also heard from Richard Gilly, also of Montgomery Road, “two houses closer to the disturbance that Ms. Lewis highlighted for you,” who added his comments about the noise, which he called a “high-pitched, buzz-saw-like whine.”
“This noise, which is extreme, is taking place during the summer camps where children are playing,” said Gilly. “My concern is that there has been no sound study whether the level of noise you are hearing, which is akin to a sawmill operating fulltime, whether that noise might be harmful to our children who are attending the Wissahickon Middle School.”
“From the last update she made us aware of, it seems the school is in communications with you,” said Duckett. “The school has addressed it in terms of ordering some type of apparatus to quiet the noise.”
The supervisor said that the district noted it may take time to get the necessary components delivered, but that “they themselves have been doing a noise study and have agreed that the noise is loud, and it’s probably too loud, and are looking for ways to mitigate the noise.”
“It does seem like the school is hearing you, and is taking steps to resolve the issue,” said Chairwoman Danielle A. Duckett. “Mimi’s probably going to keep us apprised of any concerns that you may continue to have as it progresses, but it does seem that the school is aware of the concerns.”
Duckett said, since the school is now taking steps to resolve the issue, though no timeframe could be offered on when that may happen, the board will now simply keep informed on progress through its township manager.
“Unfortunately, we can help as far as interfacing with the school district, and making sure that someone hears you,” she said. “[Gleason] will continue to be in contact with you, as with the school, and provide any assistance that we can. Unfortunately, it is not our HVAC unit, it is the school, which is another government body. Since we are apprised, we’ll do our best to try to mitigate and make sure that the communications do continue and are free-flowing.”
Gilly said that, typically being “neighbors” with the middle and high schools is pleasant.
“I enjoy being proximate to the middle school and the high school, except for this sort of issue,” he said. “I would hope that, unlike the last four years, these measures that we’re being told very vaguely about will have some concrete information.”
Gilly said that an “order for some baffling” that “strangely it takes an entire summer to be received.” He said he’d be surprised if 12 weeks is the realistic order and shipping times would be so lengthy and implied that, since summer would then be over, the district may in fact just be waiting out the complaints until the weather cools.
He asked that the township provide documentation, even if redacted, to show that an order has occurred, “so that we, as neighbors, can assess that real, concrete measures are being taken to address this problem, as opposed to years, which we’ve been hearing for the last four years.”
Supervisors and Vice Chair Michael Twersky did explain that the school district would have to provide any documentation of such an order, as the township would not have access to that information.
“I think it is probably easier for you to get the information from the school district directly,” said Twersky. “You don’t need to go through us.” Other supervisors agreed that it might be beneficial to bring the topic to the school board, and not just administrative staff.
Calls and emails to the Wissahickon School Board of Directors and the Buildings and Grounds Manager were not returned to Wissahickon Now.
