Author: Jim Duncan

via email –

Here’s the website the lumberyard has set up for sharing information about the hum.

via press release (bolding below is mine)

R.A. YANCEY LUMBER COMPANY RESPONDS TO NOISE DISTURBANCES IN CROZET

CROZET, VA (Oct. 23, 2018) – R.A. Yancey Lumber Company (Yancey Lumber) announced today that lumber production will scale back significantly beginning this evening in response to the noise disturbances reported by neighborhoods surrounding the mill. The noise is stemming from the exhaust stack of the boiler for the company’s kilns. The company has ordered a custom-made sound muffler for the stack as a solution; however, it is estimated it will take two weeks to manufacture and ship. Until the muffler is installed, the kiln will run in “pilot light mode,” allowing the boiler to maintain enough heat at night to power up and treat lumber during the day, but halting all lumber curing operations at night.

Local citizens began reporting noise disturbances in neighboring communities last month. Several companies – Yancey and Dominion, among others – were approached about the source of the noise. At that time, Yancey Lumber did not believe the mill was the source, as no new equipment had been installed. A kiln was refurbished in August, but that kiln had been used since 1992 with no prior complaints. Given the community’s concerns, Yancey Lumber hired Acentech, an acoustical consulting firm, to investigate and measure sound levels at the mill and properties of several neighbors who had reported disturbances.

On Wednesday, Oct. 17, Acentech determined that the noise’s origin was the Yancey boiler’s exhaust stack. The company immediately began attempting to source the right equipment to muffle or cancel the noise. It has ordered a “silencer” insert that will be custom built on an expedited basis. In the meantime, the company has been making adjustments to the drive frequency of the boiler fan to reduce its speed; however, based on the reports, the reduction did not have the intended effect.

The Yancey family has owned and operated the mill in Crozet since 1949. “We are committed to being a good neighbor and community member,” said President Donnie Rose. “We are extremely sorry for the disturbances and sleepless nights the kiln has caused. We want the community to know that we’re doing everything we can to keep that from happening again.”

Sounds like (get it?) the sound is coming from Yancey Mill. Maybe?

via Nextdoor (having to pull information from private sites where logins are required sucks; this stuff should be open to all). Neither Nextdoor nor Facebook are the Internet.

Update: Crozet Gazette has the story.

White Hall Supervisor Ann Mallek confirmed Friday, Oct. 19, that the noise plaguing residents for weeks has been tracked to Yancey Lumber Corporation.

(oldest Nextdoor post first)

Continue reading “Humming Update”

via email: (on Nextdoor, too)

It has come time for me to speak my mind; on some of the happenings in our wonderful community.  Most Crozet area citizens have little knowledge of the dark side of what is going on in Crozet, right under our noses.  Let’s me start by saying, that when I moved my family here in August 2014, I had high hopes of retiring here. I still feel that way.  However, I can’t sit idly by and watch what is going on around us and not exercise my right to free speech.

Continue reading “Letter from Rich Pleasants”

Nextdoor has been abuzz. (Get it?)

Update – community meeting 30 October. Go to the bottom.

Ann Mallek sent this this morning:

Valerie Long had seen these postings about the noise as well, and had shared them with Sarah Yancey May (one of the three sibling owners) and the other family members who run the Mill.  She had also spoken to someone who had called her about it.  At that point, and again today, Sarah confirmed that there is nothing different that they are doing there that would be generating a noise like has been described.

The mill is shut down at night other than the dry kilns drying the wood and the boilers, and they have been in operation for decades.  They do run on a motor, but it does not generate anywhere near the level of noise that has been described in the neighborhood group postings.

Since there are some who have heard the noise near the Mill and are concerned that it may be from the Mill, the owners have asked an acoustic consultant to look into it for them.  They have engaged Bill Yoder with a firm called Accentech to assist them.  He is a scientist and acoustical consultant. He would like to speak with some of the residents who have been hearing the noise, so Valerie will connect him with Allen Billyk from the Old Trail Community Association who can then connect him to Marie Westbrook and Alice Faintich.  He will also be conducting an on-site investigation.

A bit more from Ann

Below, Please see links to videos and also dates of community meeting to learn more.

Here are some videos that might help better explain and describe the noises.

This first one is a guy changing the spacer which keeps the lines spaced and prevents them from hitting each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE__F9dTU8k Spacers can be different depending on how many lines there are per phase. If you go to google images and search for “transmission line spacers” you will see that there are spacers for two-, three-, and four-line phases.

This second one is a guy riding in a buggy, so you can hear the humming that they are referencing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeMFnyMXDNw

Good morning,

Phase 2 of the project is about half complete, and we are in the process of removing old conductor wire, which means they will soon be pulling new conductor wire.

Phase 3 of the project (the last segment) is in the pre-construction phase and will move into active construction soon. Our goal is to complete construction by April 2019. Rehab activities may still happen after the end date, however.

There will be a construction informational meeting held on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Crozet Elementary, 1407 Crozet Avenue, in the cafeteria.  All of our customers are welcome to attend and ask any questions about the construction process.

We will be mailing postcards sometime this week, so they should be received sometime next week.

The best part of the year, fall, is upon us.

A fun weekend ahead in Crozet

• Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival – 6,7 Crozet
• Crozet Trails Crew 5K – Saturday morning; learn more & register here
• Polo at King Family on Sunday
• Put it Out with a Pint – $1 of every pint at Starr Hill goes to the Crozet Volunteer Fire Department

Am I missing an event? Submit it here.

Bonus, it might not rain

Alison Wrabel at the Daily Progress reports (read the whole thing)

In July, the Board of Supervisors approved part of an amendment to the station’s special-use permit amendment that would allow for two additional fuel pump stations at the site on U.S. 250, but did not approve requests to extend the hours of operation of the convenience store and to allow fuel pumps to be operational around the clock.

Background, if you’re interested, going back to at least 2010.

I should have made Restore N Station its own category for easier reference.