McGraw Construction wants to begin working as early as 6 a.m. and as late as midnight on Front Street Monday through Saturday in order to complete the road and utility improvement project.
Under the city’s noise ordinance, McGraw is currently allowed to work from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.
On Jan. 16, McGraw filed a variance application with the City and Borough of Wrangell to extend those hours. According to the application, the 18-hour workday is needed “in order to complete the job in the allotted time.”
Last week, the Wrangell Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission reviewed the request and voted in favor of extending construction work hours, but not by as much as McGraw had asked for.
P&Z said it would allow construction to take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.
That decision will be appealed, McGraw Superintendent Mike Ashton told the Sentinel last week. Ashton said he will once again ask that crews be allowed to work from 6 a.m. to midnight six days a week.
The Wrangell road improvement project is set to improve 2,500 feet of Front Street. New water lines and storm drains are being installed and existing sewer lines are being upgraded. New roadway lighting will also be installed along the town’s main street.
Ashton said the 18-hour workday is needed to complete the project.
“We have a very long way to go and a very limited time frame to do that,” he said.
P&Z will not be reviewing McGraw’s appeal. The construction company’s request will now go before the Borough Assembly members acting as the Board of Adjustments. As of Tuesday morning, McGraw had not filed an appeal to the P&Z decision with City Hall.
At the P&Z meeting last week, P&Z Chair John Taylor said he personally did not want to have to listen to construction noise through the night.
“I sure don’t want to hear that at midnight at my house,” he said.
P&Z member Terri Henson said she was not in favor of having construction continue past 10 p.m., especially on weekdays.
While allowing McGraw to work 6 a.m. to midnight six days a week would help move the project along, P&Z members agreed the noise ordinance was in place for a reason — because construction noise is loud and obnoxious.
A public hearing on the noise variance application was held during the P&Z meeting, however no one from the public attended to speak for or against the application. McGraw Construction representatives also did not attend the meeting, which was noted by P&Z members.
Ashton told the Sentinel he was not aware of the P&Z meeting.
“Had I known, I would have been there,” Ashton said.
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