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ARDEN HILLS PLANNING COMMISSION – December 3, 2025 9 <br /> <br />the MPCA, she would respectfully disagree that Boston Scientific was not meeting proper noise <br />levels and the data was there to prove this. He recommended experts be brought in to address this <br />further. He stated the residents in this neighborhood will show up and were willing to engage <br />with the City because they want to see the situation improved. <br /> <br />Curtis Swinson, 1228 Winridge Drive, reported his home does not backup to the trail, but he <br />could see the trail from his home. He explained he worked at the University of Minnesota and he <br />was a building mechanic in one of the dorms. He discussed how the University has worked to <br />alleviate noise and no longer allow for deliveries from large trucks. He was of the opinion more <br />work needs to be done to negate the noise coming from Boston Scientific. He appreciated the <br />fact equipment would be replaced and that mechanical walls would be built close to the HVAC <br />units. He stated he did not want to advocate for the wall being higher, but questioned how <br />effective the sound wall would be for the homeowners trying to sleep on the second story of their <br />home. He commented further on how disruptive the snow plows were in the middle of the night <br />after a large snow event. He recommended the beeping noises be eliminated. He asked that not <br />all of the cottonwoods be removed on the neighborhood side of the trail and recommended the <br />water runoff plan be further reviewed to ensure the stormwater pond would not overflow. <br /> <br />Maria Peters, 1250 Winridge Drive, explained she was a 20 year resident of Arden Hills. She <br />thanked the Commission for allowing her to express her deep concerns regarding the proposed <br />sound wall. She indicated she sent a detailed letter to the Commission regarding her concerns. <br />She asked the Commission to hear the neighbors, the residents of Arden Hills who are being <br />impacted by the noise and would be even more impacted by the construction of a sound wall. <br />She reported she was not an expert in construction or sound mitigation but even so she believed <br />there were more effective ways to address the noise coming from Boston Scientific. She <br />indicated after the building was expanded in 2021 Boston Scientific, the company agreed to <br />improve communication and have a liaison work with the neighborhood. She stated this never <br />happened. Instead, Boston Scientific responds with unilaterally initiated projects. She <br />recommended small changes be taken to improve the noise level situation, such as following the <br />schedule for the loading dock area. She did not believe the sound wall was an act of goodwill. <br />She encouraged Boston Scientific to really think about the people that live in this neighborhood <br />and are being impacted by the noise. She stated the proposed construction would not be a <br />solution but would only create more problems as mature trees would be removed. She indicated <br />she did not want to look out her window and see a tall ugly wall, but rather would like to enjoy <br />the trees that were currently in place. She expressed concerns with how her property value would <br />be impacted if the noise wall were installed. She reiterated that she believed it would be more <br />effective for Boston Scientific to take small measures in order to address the noise concerns than <br />to install a noise wall. <br /> <br />Pedro __________, 1250 Winridge Drive, commented he was concerned with how his property <br />value would be impacted by the proposed noise wall. He discussed a study he found where <br />property values decreased by 6% to 11% that were close to a sound wall. He asked that the City <br />take this into consideration when making a decision on the sound wall. <br /> <br />Andrew Sentenny, 1253 Winridge Drive, explained he looks through his neighbor’s homes to <br />the path. He stated he and his boys used the trail a lot and commented on the visual pollution the <br />sound wall would create for the neighbors. He understood Boston Scientific was trying to do the <br />right thing. He urged the City to hear the voices of the neighbors that were being impacted in this <br />small pocket neighborhood. He recommended Boston Scientific pursue noise solutions for the