Digging a Hole

I got home at 10:00 this evening to find a big hole outside my building and a lot of noise. Turns out someone scheduled work installing a new water main for tonight. I'm not sure when the work started, but when I asked the policewoman on duty what was going on, she said the next shift was about to arrive and they would be there till 2 a.m. At least I think that's what she said. I could barely hear over the sound of the drilling and the sawing of pipe. I asked if the old water main had burst or something, and she said no. Then I asked what those of us who live in the building literally feet away were supposed to do, and she said it would be over soon. Yeah, at 2 in the morning.

This is ridiculous. It's 11 p.m. now and while the drilling and sawing appear to have stopped, the whirring of the machinery and the generator is still so very loud. There's a spotlight shining on the workers that is so bright that I don't need to turn on the lights in my apartment to see where I'm walking. Who schedules work like this in a residential area to take place at night, and at such a late hour? It's inconvenient, it's noisy, it's disruptive, it's unnecessary. This could have and should have been scheduled for daytime hours. And given the timing and all, it would have been nice if we in the building had been given a heads up that it was going to be happening. Thank you, town of Newton (or whoever is responsible). This is B.S. I hope I'll be able to sleep tonight. And I just hope this work doesn't affect the water in the building overnight or in the morning.

(No, I didn't take that photo, btw. But it should sorta give you an idea of what it looks like outside my window as I write this.)