A proposal to expand the Allied Frozen Food facility on State Street seems to have the general support of Brockport officials and residents, although noise issues have been raised by several residents.

At a January 8 public hearing on the project, Allied engineers presented plans for a 90,720 square feet single story addition to the existing freezer building at 250 State Street. Plans include the installation of detention ponds on the north and south sides of the building; the construction of a truck entrance from Owens Road; and new eight-bay truck docks on the south side of the building.

An Allied Frozen Food manager said the company had recently entered an agreement with Agrilink – its largest client – to provide more freezer storage space. Currently, much local produce is shipped outside of the area for freezer storage before being brought back to Agrilink’s Brockport location for processing. The freezer addition will eliminate some of that back and forth transportation, although the Allied representative said an even larger facility would be preferable, however, the site is constrained by its physical boundaries.

Most residents who spoke at the public hearing said they were supportive of expanded industry in the village’s industrial zone, but they were concerned not only about increased noise resulting from the expansion, but the current noise levels emanating from the business’s existing condensers.

Residents north of the canal say that the condensers already in place at Allied’s two buildings (the one being expanded and the one immediately to the west) are a source of noise pollution that makes it difficult to enjoy back yards in the summer or to sleep with windows open.

Engineer Gary Nanni said only one small condenser would be added in the expansion proposal. That new condenser, which Nanni said is "considerably smaller than the existing condensers," would be pointed upwards, instead of horizontally, as a noise abatement measure.

But the residents in attendance at the meeting want Allied to take an extra step – to reduce the noise levels of the existing condenser units.

"We have to listen to them drone on and on and on," said Ernie Anger of Evelyn Drive. "We can’t sleep with our windows open. There must be something you can do to help us out."

Carole Cole of Westwood Drive asked for information about the current decibel levels created by the condensers and a projection of what the new levels would be. Nanni said he would be able to produce that information, although he didn’t have it available at the public hearing.

Hanny Heyen of Frazier Street agreed with Anger that "this is an excellent opportunity, as good neighbors, to address the issue of noise abatement. I think you could investigate the issue and do something about it."

Nanni said it would be unusual to tie approval of this project to improvements made to already approved conditions. Planning board member John Brugger said that noise abatement might be accomplished simply with a u-shaped wall.

Nanni was expecting final approval of the project following the public hearing, but did not receive it. Some drainage calculations had yet to be submitted, Monroe County Planning comments were still outstanding, and Chairman Tom Hare said that the board wants Allied to look seriously at the noise issue.

The Brockport Planning Board also wants at least an informal approval from the Town of Sweden for the access road from Owens Road, which lies outside the village. Allied has agreed that all of its trucks would enter the facility from Owens Road and exit from the plant on to State Street and head east to Owens Road, eliminating truck traffic from village streets.

Allied is trying to move the approval process along as quickly as possible as it needs the facility to be complete by the next harvest season – September 1 at the latest.

A special planning board meeting will be held on January 22 at 7:30 p.m. to consider final approval of the project.