Residents Left to Fend for Themselves From Persistent Noise at the UV Pilot Site

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — Just weeks after what many residents describe as a half-hearted attempt to mitigate noise, the UV Pilot site is again implementing "improvements” this time, raising fences and adding more sound blankets. However, the timing, just ahead of a ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for Friday, July 25th, theses actions are clearly meant to improve optics before the event.

For over 50 days, residents living near the UV Pilot site have endured disruptive noise, yet neither Lynn nor Swampscott officials have acquired a decibel meter to quantify the issue. Compounding the frustration, community leaders have largely remained silent, failing to respond to repeated calls and concerns from residents. This lack of engagement stands in stark contrast to the "community engagement" and "cooperation" often touted by leadership.

A concerned resident expressed their exasperation in a recent email to local officials. "The original generator, having failed multiple times in the last three days, has been replaced with a smaller unit that produces a significantly louder, disturbing and penetrating noise," officials were urged to visit the site immediately and assess whether the noise levels comply with municipal noise ordinances, emphasizing their fiduciary responsibility to protect the health and safety of the neighborhood.

This isn't the first time the project's transparency has been called into question. On June 23rd, residents were informed that "remaining" sound blankets for the generator and pumps were expected to be installed. This clearly deceptive announcement raised eyebrows, as there was no original plan to install additional sound blankets on the pumps, since the project was slated to begin on Memorial Day. "This is yet another example of the evolving, changing narrative behind the UV Pilot Project," referencing a prior commitment for "police details will always be present during construction" that was later modified to "will be requested."

Residents point to a critical oversight: the MassDEP noise ordinance was overlooked by Kleinfelder, Lynn, and Swampscott during the planning stages. Now, with the project fully operational, leadership is scrambling to mitigate the noise to avoid a shutdown. Critics argue that no prior effort was made to monitor or validate the system’s full decibel output in accordance with state regulations, and that the current efforts are only a reaction to persistent complaints from abutters.

The ongoing situation has fostered distrust and skepticism among residents, who continue to demand transparency, accountability, and genuine community engagement, rather than what they perceive as post-hoc justifications and revisions.