Kennebunk dog kennel proposes soundproof fence amid 'excessive' barking complaints

KENNEBUNK, Maine — The owner of a local dog kennel is now proposing to install soundproof fencing at her business to help reduce the noise levels of barking that her neighbors can hear throughout the day.

Audra Simpson, who owns Red Barn Inn at 421 Alfred Road, and her attorney, Kristen Collins, announced the change in their plans before the town during an official site walk at her property on Wednesday, March 13.

Chairman Gary Dugas and his colleagues on the town’s Site Plan Review Board conducted the 20-minute walk, which around 10 of Simpson’s neighbors also attended.

After the site walk, neighbor Sue Poitras offered her thoughts on the proposed new fencing.

“I’m interested in her proposal to put in some acoustic paneling up,” Poitras said. “We’re encouraged to hear that.”

Previous story: Neighbors bark back at noisy kennel in Kennebunk

Neighbors who live in a significant radius of the kennel have been complaining to the town about loud levels of barking for a couple of years now. During an interview in February, some of them said the barking has been loud and consistent enough to affect their quality of life. They said the barking has impacted their abilities to work from home and to enjoy holidays, mornings, weekends, and more.

On March 13, Poitras reiterated a point she and her fellow abutters made during that interview last month.

“We’re never trying to put her out of business,” Poitras said of Simpson. “We’re just trying to not hear dogs howling.”

The Site Plan Review Board is currently considering an application by Simpson to amend a 2009 approval for her business so that she can care for 80 dogs at one time at her kennel. The 2009 approval allows for only 15.

Simpson purchased the kennel last spring. In the year leading up to her purchase, previous owners began expanding the footprint of the operation and caring for as many as 100 dogs per day, despite never getting approval from the town for either development.

Originally, in her application, Simpson proposed vinyl fencing along the chain-link fence already in place at the kennel. The idea, she said, was that the vinyl fencing would have prevented the dogs from barking at cats and other animals that pass through the field behind the kennel as they play outdoors.

During the site walk, Site Plan Review Board members asked questions about fencing, setbacks, and parking.

Per custom, only board members were allowed to ask questions during the site walk. Members of the public were allowed to attend, but those with questions or comments needed to save them for the public hearing the board will hold for Simpson’s application on Thursday, March 21.

The public hearing will start at the Kennebunk Town Hall that evening at 7 p.m.

No dogs could be seen outdoors while the site walk took place. When asked, Simpson said she had about 25 dogs in her care that afternoon, and all of them were inside.

The walk was restricted to the outdoor perimeter of the business, much to the disappointment of some members of the public. Ed Kennedy, of Drala Drive, said he routinely sees the dogs outside the kennel and wanted to see how they are kept indoors.

“I would have liked to have gone inside,” he said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk dog kennel proposes soundproof fence amid complaints