Deerfield Selectboard planning forum on Tree House Brewing Co. noise complaints

The concert stage at Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield. Town officials are preparing to work with the company to plan for the 2025 concert season amid noise complaints to Town Hall.

The concert stage at Tree House Brewing Co. in South Deerfield. Town officials are preparing to work with the company to plan for the 2025 concert season amid noise complaints to Town Hall. STAFF FILE PHOTO/CHRIS LARABEE

By CHRIS LARABEE

Staff Writer

Published: 09-24-2024 6:03 PM

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Residents will be invited to discuss Tree House Brewing Co. at a November community forum as town officials determine how to best address noise complaints stemming from the brewery’s concerts.

In a brief discussion Sept. 18, the Deerfield Select Board signaled its intention to bring residents together to discuss Tree House’s impact on the community ahead of the 2025 outdoor concert season.

“I want to suggest the first week after the national election that we invite residents to come down and talk,” Select Board Chair Tim Hilchey said. “Since we heard from residents at a previous meeting, I wanted to follow up. … I think having a conversation with our neighbors is a good thing.”

At the Sept. 4 Select Board meeting, several residents brought up concerns regarding noise coming from Tree House’s concerts, especially those that overlapped with school nights in late August and early September.

Hilchey said the community input session will be a chance for folks to discuss the “pros and cons of Tree House and the pros and cons of the concerts” to give town officials a sense of what to consider.

“We’ll also be following the path we talked about before, which is looking at what enforcement mechanisms we have as a town to try and address noise concerns that people have,” Hilchey said. “In particular, try to get zoning, special permits, bylaws and the [Department of Environmental Protection] state noise regulations, and figure out how they all fit together to get agreement for Tree House on next season’s concerts.”

Board members expressed support for the community forum, with Blake Gilmore emphasizing this is a great opportunity for residents to share their thoughts.

“This is the time to come in and give us all the information that you have because different residents have different complaints,” he said. “Let’s get them all in here, so that we can try to address everything that comes before us.”

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An exact date for the community forum will be set in the future by the Select Board.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.