Ayer Board of Health to Contact DEP Over Devens Airfield Noise Complaints

AYER — February 9, 2026 — Ayer Board of Health agrees to notify state DEP of car racing noise complaints tied to Devens Airfield. Resident Amy McCoy appeared before the board Monday to report that eight car clubs holding MassDevelopment license agreements conduct autocross events at the former Devens military airfield on Saturdays and Sundays from April through October, sometimes exceeding 200 runs in a single day. McCoy, who said she spent two years and an appeal to Secretary of State William Galvin's office to obtain noise records through a public records request, cited World Health Organization guidelines placing harmful community noise thresholds around 45 decibels. Board members acknowledged the enforcement challenge — the property falls under MassDevelopment's jurisdiction in the town of Harvard — but agreed to send a letter to DEP documenting the complaint and to research Massachusetts noise regulation 310 CMR 7.10 before the next meeting. The board also advanced proposed changes to its animal and fowl regulations, including a new late-fee provision and a no-prior-notice inspection right, and tentatively scheduled a public hearing on those changes for its March meeting.