Residents have lost sleep to the sounds of straining propane heaters in the middle of the night at a southeast Barrie condo site still partially under construction.
“Since December when the temperature started dropping, we’re getting rudely awakened in the night,” said Sharon Villani, who lives on Chef Lane within the Bistro 6 development. “It’s not like this little noise, you know. It’s this huge blast. You can hear it a mile away.”
Villani said she most recently heard these sounds from 3 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. on Friday, and 7-8 p.m. on Thursday.
Bistro 6 is a new condo community at 793 Mapleview Dr. E. Three of its structures are built and their 200 units occupied; two more are under construction and work will begin on the last building this spring.
Residents living in the first three buildings have had problems with noise generated by construction of the other structures, particularly from the heaters.
“It does this big blow-horn thing; it sounds like a ship’s coming in,” Villani told BarrieToday Friday morning. “Kids can’t sleep, there are seniors here. We want to sleep, right?”
Karen Pratt-Hansen, co-owner of builder Pratt Homes, said steps have been taken to quiet the noisy construction.
“Although construction equipment has been difficult to find of late, and we have been searching for alternatives for heat all week, we were able to locate the necessary equipment to mitigate the noise and it is being installed today,” she said Friday afternoon.
“We’ve been trying to work with positioning of the heaters to see if that helps alleviate some of the noise.”
On Wednesday, Pratt Homes sent Bistro 6 residents a letter about the noise situation.
"The amplified noise is due to the severe freezing temperatures we have been experiencing — the heaters are working harder,” the letter read.
The letter also said temporary heating systems on construction sites are mandatory during cold weather to protect building materials from the freezing temperatures. Residents were also warned not to turn the heating systems off, which Villani said has happened, as it makes the heaters work even harder to bring building temperatures up from freezing and it can lead to fire hazards, Pratt’s letter says.
“When we brought the heaters in in the first place, we tried to find ones that were suitable for an occupied development,” Hansen said. “Residents in Bistro 6 certainly knew that Bistro 6 was going to be under construction for a couple of years when they purchased. That was fully disclosed in the condominium documents and agreement of purchase and sale.
“That being said, people still do have to be able to live in their homes and have quiet enjoyment of their residences,” she added. “We are bringing in an alternative and we are asking residents to not tamper with the heaters, to stay away.”
Ward 9 Coun. Sergio Morales said he wasn’t aware of noise complaints concerning the Bistro 6 condos in Ward 10, but there is city policy in place to handle them.
“We (the city) can connect affected residents with the direct contact info of the on-site manager so concerns are handled immediately, instead of through an inefficient food chain,” he said.
The city’s bylaw enforcement department weighed in on the matter later Friday afternoon.
“The development in question is being built in phases. Phase one is complete and occupied, however the next phase is under construction currently and with that will come construction noise,” said Jason Forgrave, supervisor of bylaw enforcement services.
“The use of the heat exchangers/furnaces is exempt under the noise bylaw and in this case are an integral part of the process in order for the concrete being used to cure correctly as part of the building process, especially with the sub-zero temperatures we have been facing," he added.
“Staff have investigated the noise on several occasions at all hours, including overnight, and while it is a noticeable sound, it is the normal sound for such a machine that is in good working order,” Forgrave said. “If the machine was not maintained, which would cause excess noise, then enforcement could occur to bring the machine back into the normal noise range."
Forgrave also said staff have spoken to the development supervisor regarding the machines, who has stated these units have been constructed with additional noise mitigating features due to their proximity to the GO station and tracks.
"If windows/exterior doors are closed, the noise should be very minimal. Staff also requested they investigate potential to mitigate the noise, which the developer will explore," he said.
