Breen steps in to help Charlestown resident with noise complaint issue

By Cary Shuman

Sean Breen, Charlestown liaison for Mayor Wu’s Office of Neighborhood Services, rose from his seat at Tuesday night’s Charlestown Neighborhood Council meeting to address a resident’s complaint about loud noises emanating from the roof of the former Clarence J. Edwards School building on Walker Street, which is being repurposed as a Horace Mann School.

It was a big-city government functioning at its best when Breen, who attends every meeting of the highly effective CNC, came to the center of the room and listened to the resident’s presentation.

The resident, who only gave her first name (Jennifer), said she lives near the school building and that “the city installed huge HVAC machines on the roof that are very loud and run 24 hours a day.”

Jennifer added that the HVAC machines are located right outside the bedroom window of her home and that the problem has been present since the first week of August. She also showed a video highlighting the “very loud” noise coming from the vents.

CNC President Tom Cunha spotted Breen in the middle of the hallway and said, “I know Mr. Breen has an answer.”

Breen said one solution could be to install sound barriers.

“I understand that (the noise) is definitely unpleasant,” Breen acknowledged.

Cunha suggested holding a meeting with city inspectors and the resident (Jennifer) present “and the inspectors can tell us the (noise) standards and what can be done to fix it.”

In an interview after the meeting, Breen said he would look into what noise ordinances (decibel levels) apply to the construction project and determine how the noise problem can be alleviated as soon as possible. Breen added that he would reach out to Boston Facilities Department officials on Wednesday to discuss the matter and find a solution.

So there you have it: Sean Breen, with the help of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council, is working on it and a solution is expected to be found soon. Breen said he will also report his findings at the next CNC meeting.

Breen grew up in Charlestown and graduated from Malden Catholic in 2008.

“I’m getting old,” Breen said, smiling.