County to Announce Public Meeting With FAA; Prelim Report Issued
The county will soon hold a public session with representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address concerns from residents in communities close to Westchester County Airport that noise levels have been on the rise.
Scheduling of the meeting, which is expected to be announced within the week, will allow citizens to speak one-on-one with FAA officials rather than through a more conventional Town Hall-style forum, said County Executive George Latimer. It is expected to be held in the Town of New Castle.
News of the impending meeting comes after the county’s consultant, HMMH, released its preliminary Aircraft Operations and Noise Modeling Results on Oct. 23. The report showed that the number of average daily aircraft operations fell from 469 flights in 2013, to 450 in 2016 to 428 in 2018, the three years that were studied.
However, it also stated that the average daily number of noise events above 70 decibels increased in areas northwest of the airport, mainly Thornwood and Chappaqua, by two to three times during that same timespan.
The report showed that the use of Runway 16 for arrivals ticked up for both jet and propeller aircraft. Typically, arrivals for Runway 16 come from a northwesterly direction.
Other factors considered were airfield layout, terrain, weather and aircraft performance.
Latimer said that while the county has control over the operations of the airport it does not have the power to make changes to air traffic and flight patterns. He added that he wants the noise study to be an effective representation of the noise at the airport.
“You’ve got to make the case and the case is not just numbers, it’s also an analysis of what the problems are, and the fact that some individuals are so outraged by it that they want to sell their homes tomorrow, in some cases, (but) the next-door neighbor doesn’t feel the same way,” Latimer said. “There’s got to be an ability to get consensus beyond just those who are already active.”
He said if any changes need to be made, it will take political pressure applied to the FAA to make the necessary adjustments.
Peter Schlactus, chairman of the county Airport Advisory Board, said the board will delve into the report in greater detail at its December meeting. However, he noted that there is reason to believe that the complaints from some residents have been valid.
“There is ample evidence in what was presented to us, that despite this apparent reduction in the overall number of flights, that communities around the airport are or have been experiencing more and more noise impacts over the same period of time,” Schlactus said.
Although commercial aircraft flights are down, Schlactus said the number of flights from fixed-base operators have increased, leading him to wonder whether the type of aircraft used by those companies have changed.
Last month, the New Castle Town Board fired off a letter to Latimer calling for release of the study’s preliminary results and to quickly schedule the public meeting with the FAA. It also urged the county executive to take immediate steps for potential legal action against the FAA.
While the first two points have been or are in the process of being addressed, Latimer called preparing for litigation “premature.” He said the county must first explore all non-litigation alternatives.
“We have to make sure when we go to court with the FAA, we have to make sure we have a strong case and a reasonable chance to win,” Latimer said.
New Castle Supervisor-elect Ivy Pool, a co-author of the Oct. 8 letter, said the town’s Airport Advisory Board is reviewing the HMMH preliminary report. She stated that the public meeting with the FAA will be “an important first step in opening the lines of communication” with the agency. Pool said she expected that additional conversations will be needed.
While the town understands Latimer’s position that litigation should be a last resort, that request was to send a message.
“The purpose of our letter was to send notice to the county that we believe such drastic action may be necessary, particularly in light of the situation on Long Island where promises were made by the FAA to alter flight paths were ultimately not fulfilled,” Pool said.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/