PUBLICATION: The Business Press
DATE: December 15, 1997
SECTION: Pg. 4
BYLINE: Joseph Ascenzi
DATELINE: Pomona, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Milo Rodich, member, Fairplex Neighborhood Action Committee
The Business Press reports that a year-round entertainment complex proposed for the Pomona (California) Fairplex got a nod of approval from several city council members last week.
The article states that Paradise Park, the $100 million entertainment center planned by Upland-based Lewis Homes Retail, would bring more traffic, noise and other problems to the neighborhoods surrounding Fairplex - and that those issues must be addressed before the project can be built.
According to the article, the proposal to make part of Fairplex a year-round attraction with retail shops, theme restaurants and a multiplex theater is already engendering some opposition among residents who live nearby.
The article reports that council members said they're confident those concerns can be assuaged, and that Paradise Park - which they see as a potential economic and financial boon to the city and the surrounding area - will eventually be built. "I support the concept, no question about that," Mayor Eddie Cortez said two days after Lewis Homes Retail formally presented the project at the council's Dec. 8 meeting, the article reports. "The idea is to make Fairplex a destination location, and there's no doubt in my mind that we can do that." Councilman Willie White, whose district includes Fairplex, repeated Lewis Homes Retail's oft-stated reason for developing at Fairplex: 3 million people already visit there every year, so it's logical to think an entertainment center would work there."These days people are looking for convenience, and Fairplex is a convenient place to get to," White said. "If it's convenient, people will take to it and they will go there."
According to the article, White said traffic problems could be mitigated by creating special lanes for residents, and that visitors to Paradise Park would be strictly prohibited from parking in neighborhoods surrounding Fairplex. Councilman Elliott Rothman, whose district includes California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and the city's Phillips Ranch residential area, said the project "looks good on its face," but that there are some issues of concern. "I like the idea, but we still need to crunch some numbers before we know whether this can work or not," he said. "I think the ultimate success of this thing would depend on how it was marketed."
The article demonstrates that, not everyone, however, is thrilled at the prospect of a project that would bring large numbers of visitors to Fairplex 12 months of the year. Milo Rodich, who has lived in the Mountain Meadows development in the hills above Fairplex for 12 years, said the streets around Fairplex can't handle the volume of traffic that Paradise Park would Attract, the article says. "I feel that this project is inappropriate to the setting, and there are a lot of people up here who agree with me," Rodich said in the article. "This is a residential area, and Fairplex isn't designed to handle that much noise and traffic. The city hasn't done anything to mitigate the problems that are there now, so there's no reason to think they'd be able to mitigate this." the Business Press quotes Rodich as saying. Rodich said the Fairplex Neighborhood Action Committee, of which he's a member, will fight the project even in court, if necessary.
Greg Hoxworth, director of commercial leasing and development for Lewis Homes Retail, acknowledged that that residents near Fairplex have genuine concerns about such a project being built near their neighborhoods, the article elaborates. "We know we have issues to address, like noise, traffic and trash," said Hoxworth, who spoke before residents last week at two public meetings sponsored by Lewis Homes Retail. "We're finding out what their concerns are and we're going to figure out what we can do about them. I have no doubt that we can work out 99% of their problems, whatever they are." Marcello Dorr, vice president of the Mountain Meadows Master Homeowners Association, said he'll support Paradise Park only if the city figures out how to reduce traffic, noise and other problems the development may cause, the article reports. "I think they need to take a long look at all of those things before they go full blast on this. I think it's something the area needs, but they really need to get a handle on those things before they think about doing it." Dorr says in the article.
PUBLICATION: USA Today
DATE: December 15, 1997
SECTION: Money; Pg. 12B
BYLINE: David Field
DATELINE: Chicago, Illinois
USA Today reports that a suburban Republican conservative and an inner-city preacher's son and Democrat have bonded to get funds and support to build a controversial third airport about 45 miles south of Chicago, the nation's transportation hub.
According to USA Today, both Rep. Henry Hyde, R.-Ill., best known for his anti-abortion Politics, and Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill.,the son of civil rights advocate Jesse Jackson, want a third airport for the Chicago area near Peotone, Ill. They admit their idea, which has drawn the wrath of Chicago's mayor and the city's two biggest airlines, is a pairing of legislators who disagree on almost everything else.
The article elaborates that they admit their interests are parochial: Hyde wants to reduce the noise, congestion and environmental burden that his constituents suffer from their neighbor, Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Jackson is candid about his view of a third airport as an economic boon for the depressed and jobs-starved part of south Chicago that he represents. The two argue that the new airport would help solve a national problem, too: It would be an important spur to competition in Chicago.
According to the article, O'Hare is the nation's busiest airport, and United and American airlines control about 80% of its 33 million annual boardings. That, Hyde and Jackson say, keeps fares high. "For the time-sensitive business traveler from Chicago to many of our nation's major business markets, United and American at their 'Fortress O'Hare' are able to extract monopoly fare-premiums out of Chicago business travelers," the article quotes Hyde as saying. Hyde cites estimates that Chicago-area passengers pay as much as $ 300 million a year more because of the lack of competition. Chicago's smaller airport, Midway, has discount airlines like Southwest, but they don't really compete for the same business passengers as American and United, he says in the article. "A new airport means that significant long-haul competition, not just the short-hop discount airlines out of Midway Airport, can come into the metropolitan Chicago market. A new airport means an end to the monopoly business-fare gravy train that 'Fortress O'Hare' has provided United and American," Hyde says in the article.
The article reports that Hyde has asked Assistant Attorney General Joel Klein if a new Chicago airport would trim airfares for fliers by providing more competition for United and American. Klein says yes. The airlines disagree. They say a new airport won't increase competition because it won't be used. "Airlines just won't go there," says American CEO Robert Crandall in the article.
According to the article, United spokesman Joe Hopkins says Hyde's allegations of a lack of competition at O'Hare and price-fixing by the two airlines are unfounded. "There is cutthroat competition at O'Hare between United and American for passengers, and wherever there is competition, it's better for consumers," Hopkins says. Others agree. Gerald Roper, head of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, argues that a third airport is not needed to increase airline competition. "Chicago is one of the very few cities that enjoys the fruits of competition between two major hub operators," he says in the article. "This third airport proposal is about jobs and land values, not airports or airline service," says Mike Boyd, an airline consultant in Golden, Colo. quoted in the article. USA Today elaborates that Jackson says long-term job creation is his goal. He sees the Peotone airport as an employment machine. It would create 236,000 jobs, not all of them at the airport, he says. The Peotone facility would help keep Chicago growing when O'Hare reaches capacity, he says. Boyd says, according to the report, that O'Hare may someday reach its capacity but counters, "Let's use the unused capacity at O'Hare, where as much as 30% more use can be got out of it, and then start long-term planning on a rational place to build a third airport, which may well be needed someday."
The article reports that Hyde and Jackson have enlisted Chicago suburbs as allies, most of them O'Hare neighbors who want to avoid aircraft noise and more of what Hyde calls "O'Hare's dirty but not so little secret" -- air pollution caused by aircraft emissions. The two say that the Clinton administration has encouraged United's and American's dominance of Chicago and blocked funding to study a third airport. They're still angry that the Federal Aviation Administration last spring removed the proposed airport from its planning list, making it ineligible for federal funds. Hyde and Jackson insist that they'd protect the investment United, American and others have made in O'Hare and Midway as well as O'Hare and Midway's portion of the FAA's annual airport grants. They would also keep the airports from losing traffic to the third airport.
The Peotone project could carry a price tag of almost $5 billion, the article states. Of that, $174 million would be land acquisition. The main cost -- $ 3.4 billion -- would be for construction, the Illinois Transportation Department says. The airport could not open before 2005 at the earliest. The major airlines say it doesn't matter when the airport opens. "It's a dumb idea. Why pave over some of America's prime farmland?" Crandall says in the article. United's chief executive, Gerald Greenwald, is more diplomatic but no less critical: "I just don't see the logic of it." The airport isn't finding support from other quarters of the industry, either, the report indicates. "It's not necessary. Our carriers have said they are not going to use it," says David Fuscus, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, the major airlines' trade group.
Illinois officials aren't giving up, USA Today reports. Recruiting airlines for the third airport has just started, says Bob York, project manager of the Illinois Transportation Department.
PUBLICATION: The Atlanta Journal
DATE: December 14, 1997
SECTION: Local News; Pg. 01H
BYLINE: Joe Earle
DATELINE: Atlanta, Georgia
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Jane Willingham, resident; Jane Randolph, president, Historical College Park Association; Ora Cole, Hapeville resident, Jack Wood, Hapeville resident
According to the Atlanta Journal, an airport expansion option released Friday by a committee advising Hartsfield shows the possibility of a new runway north of the existing airport--a runway College Park Mayor Jack Longino believes would direct jets over his house and could mean construction in areas of the city near Woodward Academy, which sits in the historic district.
According to the Atlanta Journal, Hartsfield's gain would mean the loss of historic homes and a way of life for College Park and Hapeville residents. The report describes how Jane Willingham doesn't want to leave the graceful, 1904 home her grandparents built in College Park. Her feelings about expanding Hartsfield International Airport are simple: Do it someplace else. "We've got enough noise and enough jet fumes already. We don't need any more," she said Saturday as she took a break from decorating her Christmas tree, the report says.
The article describes Willingham's home which sits in a 606-acre historic district that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places just 13 months ago. The district was created, in part, to protect the community from airport expansion, said Jane Randolph, president of the Historical College Park neighborhood association. "I think they just ought to build another airport away from all of us on the Southside," Willingham says in the article.
The advisory committee, says the report, composed of government officials and business leaders, recommended against expanding the airport. But the committee also chose three options for expanding the airport, if it must be done. The final decision will be up to officials with the city of Atlanta, which owns and operates the airport.
The article elaborates that Longino said he and College Park City Council members will decide this week whether to endorse any of the committee's proposals. But, on Saturday, he argued that any airport expansion could prove to be a disaster for his city. "I don't think this is good for any of the south Fulton (County) cities. Period," Longino says in the article.
After past expansions at Hartsfield, College Park has lost residents and city revenues, he says in the report. Before any new airport expansion, he said, Atlanta officials should find ways to repay College Park and other cities for the tax and utility revenues they will lose. "If Atlanta thinks College Park is going to roll over and play dead, we have another thing coming," he says in the article.
According to the article, Hapeville Mayor C.C. Martin said Saturday his community also opposes plans for a new runway on the north side of the airport. "It would practically do away with Hapeville," he said.
The article describes 78-year-old Ora Cole,sitting on her glassed-in porch on Hapeville's Myrtle Street, worrying about losing her comfortable home. "I don't know where in the world I would go. If I was a multimillionaire, I don't know where I'd go. I've been here (in Hapeville) 50 years," the talkative, white-haired Cole said as she watched her cats play on her stoop. "I would never find what I've got here, I don't care where I went."
The article also reports that across the railroad tracks that run through Hapeville, Jack Wood can't wait for airport officials to buy his yellow bungalow and pay him to move away. He says he's the last homeowner on his street, which is only a five-minute drive from the airport. The constant noise of jets has run other homeowners off. Houses have been razed or rented. Some are simply abandoned, he said, and now attract rats and snakes. "I wish they'd come and buy all this land," the retired state employee said in the article. "All they have to do is come by and make me an offer I can't refuse and it's 'Wait a minute and let me get a van backed up here,' and I'm gone."
PUBLICATION: Orlando Sentinel Tribune
DATE: December 14, 1997
SECTION: Volusia Extra; Pg. K5
BYLINE: Gwyneth Shaw
DATELINE: Orange City, Florida
The Orlando Sentinel Tribune reports that residents of golf course communities may start their days a little earlier, thanks to a recent decision by the Orange City Council. Last week, the Tribune reports, council members agreed to allow golf courses to apply for an annual waiver of the city's noise ordinance, permitting early morning mowing of course greens.
According to the article, the decision came about after some residents living near The Pines golf club went before the council last month with a petition - asking the city to let the management begin mowing at 5:30 a.m. Several residents who spoke at that meeting said they felt they should be able to decide when mowing begins, because they're the only ones affected by the early noise.
According to the report, two years ago, the previous council agreed to consider an amendment to the law, but never followed through on the motion. City laws don't allow noisy equipment such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers before 8 a.m. the article reports. But neighbors of The Pines said they didn't mind getting up early if it meant they could snag a 7 a.m. tee time, says the article. "Our members like to play early, and if you've got a 7 a.m. (tournament) starting, and you have 144 golfers, you can't just go out and mow a green," course manager Mark Stanchina says in the article. "We can give up an hour's tee times, but that would cost us $4,000 a week." Stanchina said other local courses, such as those at Glen Abbey, DeBary Golf and Country Club and DeLand, begin mowing around 6 a.m., according to the article.
The article reports he said The Pines would be willing to start at 6 as well. The council's latest compromise is to allow courses to mow in the pre-dawn hours, as long as a waiver of the noise law is applied for each year. The waiver would also permit night irrigation of the greens. Although council member Carol Tetor expressed concern that 5 or 5:30 a.m. was too early even for avid golfers, according to the article, but council member Ted Erwin said golf course neighborhoods come with strings. "Everybody who has moved out there was aware of that," he says in the article. "There are certain amenities to living in a golf course community, and there are certain inconveniences, two of those being early morning mowing and irrigation at night."
PUBLICATION: The Washington Post
DATE: December 14, 1997
SECTION: A Section; Pg. A06
BYLINE: Sue Anne Pressley
DATELINE: Dallas, Texas area
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Billy Dennis, Linda Dennis, Lawrence Cummings, neighbors
The Washington Post reports that since the new chimes began ringing on the hour at his church in this north Dallas suburb, the Rev. Thomas Jackson has learned an odd lesson: One man's peace is another man's pest. The article describes how to Jackson and his flock at the Calvary Christian Center, the Westminster chimes sounding a familiar 16-note tune every hour, with a 10-minute medley of hymns twice a day create a few moments of serenity in a hectic day. But to neighbors Billy and Linda Dennis, and Lawrence Cumings, all of whom work at night and sleep during the day, the chimes have shattered their routine and so frazzled their nerves that they have filed complaints accusing the church of violating the city noise ordinance.
"On Sunday mornings in the back yard on my patio, I can't hear myself think," said Billy Dennis, 54, who lives across the street from the church in this largely residential neighborhood. "You sit here and you're gritting your teeth every hour -- 'When are they going to ring?' I constantly think about it in my sleep. I don't understand why a preacher and a church are so dead set on disturbing a neighborhood," he says in the article.
The Post describes how the controversy has provided plenty of fodder for Dallas area radio talk shows, and, with its holiday timing, has produced the inevitable cries of "Scrooge!" aimed at the complaining neighbors. On Tuesday, the first official complainant, Cumings, will meet Jackson in municipal court here at a proceeding to decide if the church should be fined for playing the chimes too loudly -- there is no specific ordinance preventing them from being played at all. At an earlier court appearance, Jackson pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge and requested a jury trial, the Post reports. "We want to have both the compassion of Christ and the backbone of Christ," Jackson, 34, said last week, according to the article. "We've got to remember that Jesus wasn't a wimp. Jesus was a carpenter. He wasn't only a spiritually strong man, but a physically and emotionally strong one. Jesus would stand up and fight for what he believed in," the article reports.
The article describes how the issue has divided residents of this town of about 25,000, which began as a housing development for people who work in Dallas, about 20 miles away, and was incorporated only a few years ago. Jackson said he and the 400 members of his church had originally thought the chimes might give a sense of community to the area, and judging from the response he has received -- with more than three-quarters of the callers and letter-writers saying "they love the bells" --he believes they already have served to unite many residents. The chimes began playing in September after the church had completed a new 550-seat building.
For Alberta Lucas, the article says, the discord is very painful. Lucas donated most of the money for the chimes in memory of her husband, Johnny, 50, a devoted church worker who died after a brief illness in May. She never dreamed, she said, that her well-meaning gift would create such a stir. "They mean a lot to my family and my kids," Lucas said. "It's really sad that anybody would not like them. Everybody has their opinion, I guess, but people who know me, they seem to love them. I've never heard anybody say anything negative. I think it's very peaceful, for our family and for everyone. Nowadays, you need things that give you more of a peaceful atmosphere -- the world is such a rat race," she says in the article.
According to the article, Lucas said she hates to think that something done in her husband's memory would hurt anyone. "My three little grandchildren, when they hear them," she said, "they always go, 'Those are Paw Paw's bells.' "But Billy Dennis, the article reports, said he thinks "the majority of the neighborhood is afraid to say anything because a church is involved." "This young minister is trying to say God called him to do this -- it is not a religious issue," Dennis says in the article. "We don't mind church -- I believe in God like everybody else -- but when it interferes with the privacy in my home, I don't see why I have to put up with it."
Dennis said he bought his home in the community long before the church arrived about 10 years ago. "I plan on retiring right where I'm at," he said in the article. "When we first moved here, it was a quiet neighborhood, and this bunch of rascals has turned everything upside down. They're trying to use the concept of church to get the city not to use the city noise ordinance. I wonder how many people would like to live across the street from a bunch of bells or bright lights or anything, regardless of whether it came from a business or a basketball club or a church," he says in the article.
The chimes, which play from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. every day, can be heard about a half-mile away, Jackson said in the article. Depending on the hour, the 16-note tune lasts about 45 seconds, with a deep bass note counting the time. At noon and 5 p.m., hymns such as "Amazing Grace" or "How Great Thou Art" are usually played for about 10 minutes; with the holiday season, those songs have been replaced by Christmas carols.
The Post reports that Jackson said the situation "has made us very sad," adding that he is concerned by venomous messages received by both sides of the argument. "We have learned that Mr. Cumings has received derogatory mail stating that he must be an atheist or a satanist, and we absolutely disapprove of such conduct. By the same token, I have received mail suggesting I'm not a very good pastor because I am inconsiderate of three or four neighbors."
The article says, he said he hopes to have "a sit-down" with those aggrieved neighbors. "The only thing in our minds that is not negotiable -- we will negotiate the volume, we will negotiate the frequency -- but what we aren't willing to negotiate is to flat turn the bells off."
The report goes on to say that Dennis, at least, after three months of being irritated, hinted that may not be good enough. "What I want now is, I want them turned off," he said. "I want them turned off permanently. He [Jackson] can buy me off or make regular appearances in court. I'm going to find me a good lawyer."
The report describes how outside the church these days, a marquee reads, "Help Us Save Our Bells," and Jackson said his congregation has been doing a lot of praying about the controversy. In the meantime, the bells keep ringing -- every day at noon and 5p.m., the sounds of "Jingle Bells" and "White Christmas" waft over the neighborhood. "The whole thing has a certain satire to it," Jackson says in the article. "It's a church and these are church bells and this is what churches do."
PUBLICATION: The Daily News of Los Angeles
DATE: December 20, 1997
SECTION: News, Pg. N1
BYLINE: Patrick Mcgreevy
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Don Schultz, president, Van Nuys Homeowners Association; Gerald Silver, president, Homeowners of Encino;
The Daily News of Los Angeles reports that after years of debate about noise problems at Van Nuys Airport, the Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to extend the curfew at the airfield so that noisy jets will be barred from taking off after 10 p.m. instead of 11 p.m.
According to the article, the curfew expansion was the culmination of six years of work since a noise study committee recommended it, said Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Association. Councilman Joel Wachs, whose district includes the airport, hailed the action as "a major step toward improving the quality of life in this community." "It's a lot easier to wind down in comfort after a long, hard day if your windows aren't rattling and your house isn't shaking," Wachs said. "I think this is the most significant thing to happen for noise relief at Van Nuys Airport since the 1981 curfew was first approved," Schultz said. Some homeowners, however, wanted the council to go further in curbing airport noise.
The article says in setting the curfew hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. for jets louder than 74 decibels, the council did not act on a companion proposal to ban the additional stationing of noisy, Stage 2 jets at the airport, noted Gerald Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino. "It's a drop in the bucket," Silver said of the council action. "It's too little, too late. It provides virtually no relief." The "nonaddition rule" for Stage 2 jets was pulled back from the council by the Airport Commission after tenants at Van Nuys Airport warned that it would have devastating financial effects on their businesses.
The article explains that the nonaddition rule would not allow replacements if aircraft reach the end of their useful life or are sold, he said. Harold Lee, who runs Million Air at Van Nuys Airport and heads an airport tenant group, said there are about 40 of the older, noisier Stage 2 jets still at Van Nuys Airport, and they are leaving at a rate of about five per year. Silver wants a firm phaseout schedule.
According to the article, a task force of tenants and homeowner leaders has been formed to try to work out a compromise. Silver, who is not part of the group, called the talks a scam meant to water down any regulations. Silver wants to ban new, noisy jets from the airfield and set a schedule for phasing out the use of Stage 2 aircraft based there.
The report says Lee said the tenants support the curfew change but strenuously object to the nonaddition rule. "The nonaddition rule just hurts the businesses, and all it does is transfer noise from Van Nuys to Burbank Airport," Lee said. Tenants are hoping to at least be allowed to replace Stage 2 aircraft when they are sold. "It means the fleet could not grow," Lee said of the proposed compromise. Wachs said it is a key priority to examine the effects of the nonaddition rule in the coming months. He said noise and economic impact studies are being done on the rule and that the Airport Commission hopes to have a public hearing in February in the San Fernando Valley to discuss the proposed rule. "We want people to be happy where they live at all hours of the day," Wachs said. The new curfew hours will go into effect 30 days after the ordinance is approved by Mayor Richard Riordan. He has 10 days to decide.
PUBLICATION: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
DATE: December 20, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Pg. 1
BYLINE: Gordon Dickson
DATELINE: Grapevine, Texas
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that expansion of the city library probably isn't a good option because of its proximity to a proposed eighth runway at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, city officials said this week.
The article says Grapevine, Southlake and Colleyville plan to combine forces on a three-city library. In recent weeks, all three parties have become more serious about splitting the cost of the estimated $13 million project and building a state-of-the-art library on Texas 26, about two miles west of the Grapevine library.
According to the report, Grapevine officials had talked about expanding the library at 1201 S. Main St. But Mayor William D. Tate told council members that the library is too close to the proposed runway's "crash zone" - a term that airport officials said was improper for Tate to use - and that the expense of a library expansion probably couldn't be justified. Library users might complain about airplane noise and might fear for their safety because of low-flying aircraft, Tate said. "The crash zone, it looks like it comes right up to the wall of the library," Tate said. "With the concern people have with planes that are that low and that close, even if you spend the money on insulation to reduce the noise, people might question the judgment of spending money on that. I'm just saying it's awful close. " Airport spokesman Joe Dealey Jr. said that Tate's use of the term "crash zone" is "in extremely poor taste" and that Grapevine officials are overreacting to the runway's possible effect on the area. "There is no such terminology in the FAA or airport. " Instead, the Federal Aviation Administration designates certain areas close to a runway as "clear zones," where development is often restricted to provide airplanes a safe passage and pilots a clear view, Dealey said.
The report says the runway is tentatively expected to open by 2002. "There is no doubt that, based on the proposed location of the planned west runway, aircraft arriving and departing that runway will be flying over the general area," Dealey said. "The clear zone, I don't believe it extends as far north as the Grapevine library. But in general terms, Grapevine officials would be wise to consider potential noise effects. " The airport has offered to buy about 43 acres just south of the library and just north of bustling Texas 114/121 for a clear zone. The airport offered $21 million to the property owner, Trinity Industries, and "negotiations are still under way," Dealey said. The Trinity Industries land between Minters Chapel Road and Main Street is primarily vacant but is surrounded by a growing commercial area of restaurants, car lots and hotels.
According to the report, Colleyville Mayor Richard Newton said that Grapevine's dilemma shows that all three cities could benefit from a three-city project - Southlake and Colleyville because they don't have libraries, and Grapevine because its library is too close to the airport. Southlake pays $8,000 to $10,000 a year for use of the Grapevine library, and Colleyville pays about $20,000 a year, officials said. Southlake City Manager Curtis Hawk said that if the three-city deal doesn't work out, he would expect Southlake and Colleyville to pay a much higher annual bill to Grapevine until the smaller cities can build their own libraries. "Probably a fair share would be in six figures," Hawk said. "We know that right now we have a sweetheart deal. "
The report says if approved, the three-city library would have 45,000 square feet - three times the size of the Grapevine library, which was built 11 years ago. Southlake and Colleyville would each pay about 25 percent of the construction and operating costs. Grapevine would pay the remaining costs and would manage the facility. Residents of all three cities would have full library privileges. The proposal has many opponents in Southlake who don't want Grapevine to have full administrative control. All three city councils are expected to be asked at their meetings in January to approve letters of intent to build the library.
PUBLICATION: The Times-Picayune
DATE: December 20, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Pg. B1
BYLINE: James Varney
DATELINE: New Orleans, Louisiana
The Times-Picayune reports that practice flights of a B-1 Bomber startled residents of the New Orleans Lakefront with unusually loud noise.
The article reports that the bomber made three unscheduled passes but did not land at the Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse, Lt. Col. Joy Moser said in Wichita, Kan. Although the passes were a relatively minor affair, with the pilots navigating by instruments and flying around 240 mph, residents were startled by the "after-burner climbout" that followed, Moser said. In that maneuver, a standard one for B-1 pilots during training, the aircraft screams aloft at a cruising speed of 420 mph. Witnesses said the noise from the bomber blew out a garage window, rattled houses and set off a wave of car alarms as it departed the New Orleans area.
According to the report, the bomber was unarmed, and on straightforward test flights to specific points along the Gulf Coast when the pilots realized they had never attempted a landing using New Orleans' "precision approach radar," which enables pilots to land in little or zero visibility, Moser said. So they decided to change their plans and made the unscheduled passes. Pilots are allowed to make such changes in plans, Moser said. Still, she said, it's not likely to occur again. "Probably because of the complaints we've gotten we won't come back," she said. "We don't want to disturb the people of New Orleans, and we've got other places we can do that exercise."
PUBLICATION: The Washington Post
DATE: December 20, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Pg. B02
BYLINE: Peter S. Goodman
DATELINE: Anne Arundel, Maryland
The Washington Post reports that County Executive John G. Gary is behind a Speedway Project in Anne Arundel, Maryland.
The article reports that developers are proposing to build a major league auto speedway in Anne Arundel County. Currently, planners are trying to steer their project through an obstacle course of opposition and bureaucratic hurdles, but they are counting on a boost from a key ally, County Executive John G. Gary (R). "He can make this thing happen," said Annapolis lobbyist Gerard E. Evans, whose client list includes the Washington Redskins. Three years ago, Evans and Redskins officials tried to win county approval for a new stadium in Anne Arundel, without the full backing of Gary's friend and predecessor, Robert R. Neall (R), now a state senator. The effort failed.
According to the report, Gary has said he would welcome the speedway, with its promise of millions of dollars in tax revenue and thousands of jobs, provided it was similarly embraced by local communities. If they did back the idea, he said yesterday, he would move to "fast-track" the proposal through the permitting stages. But community support is uncertain. The same people who fought the Redskins stadium have begun to mobilize against the speedway, and for similar reasons -- fears of traffic and noise and concern over property values.
The report describes how track would be built on what is now a sand-and-gravel operation near Route 32 and the Baltimore Washington Parkway. The first phase would include 54,800 seats built in time for business in 2000. The developers have longer-term plans to expand the track beyond 100,000 seats. The land involved includes parcels that fall under different zoning classifications. Projects considered "light industrial" are permitted on many of the parcels, but some of the land is zoned for "heavy industrial" development. Land use specialists said the zoning hodgepodge complicates the developers' efforts to obtain the necessary approvals to build. Under county code, a speedway could be built on light industrial land, provided it passes muster with a county hearing officer, but no such provision exists for heavy industrial land.
According to the article, to use that land for the speedway, the developer would either need to change the county code or change the designation of the land itself -- an often complicated process that would require the blessing of the County Council. But the track needs only 85 acres of the 400-acre site, said Chris Lencheski, general manager for the developer, Middle River Racing Association. He said the speedway could be sited to use only space on light industrial land, where the code already allows for speedways. The developers would have to satisfy a hearing officer, who would need to conclude that roads and other services are adequate and that noise and other concerns would not pose a problem. In other words, the developers would have to accomplish precisely what the Reskins failed to accomplish three years ago. This time, however, the developers might well have the county testifying in their favor.
The article says developers would say little about their strategy, stressing that their legal team is exploring its options. Bill Badger, vice president of the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp., which is courting the project aggressively, said the developers hope to win approval without going before a hearing officer, where opponents would have a place to vent their objections. "Going through that process takes time and can certainly create detriments to getting your project done," Badger said. "We'd like to avoid that process." One way would be to persuade the council to change the zoning code to eliminate the requirement of hearing officer approval, placing the authority in the hands of Gary's planning staff. But that route still would offer opponents a chance to derail the project at a council hearing. And council proceedings generally are more exposed to political winds than those before a hearing officer, who enjoys a good deal of independence.
Gary said what becomes of the project ultimately rests on whether the developers can convince opponents that their project is different from the football stadium and that they are sensitive to the concerns of their would-be neighbors. Gary said. "If the communities can see where they'll actually get something in return, I think you'll find them receptive."
PUBLICATION: AAP Newsfeed
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: Nationwide General News; Australian General News
DATELINE: Sydney, Australia
Australian General News reports that classes in 300 schools would be disrupted by aircraft noise if a second Sydney airport was built at Badgerys Creek in the city's west, New South Wales Environment Minister Pam Allan said today.
According to the report, Ms Allan said the estimates prepared by the state's Environment Protection Authority (EPA) indicated the schools would be exposed to noise levels exceeding 65 decibels which would make even simple conversation difficult. The noise would impair student's concentration and disrupt classes in the schools. It would also interfere with the sleep of children in preschools, which were not included in the 300 total, Ms Allan said.
The article describes how the federal government's draft EIS summary had grossly underestimated the potential for noise at the schools, stating a maximum of 40 would be affected, she said. The EPA had used data compiled from flight patterns at Kingsford Smith Airport to analyse noise potential of an international airport at Badgerys Creek. The federal government had not indicated how its estimates were calculated and Ms Allan was concerned that the Badgery's Creek EIS due this week should not "bodgy" the issue.
According to the article, Ms Allan told reporters, "the ALP policy over last few months has been we're going to ensure that the federal government has a fair dinkum environmental process." "The indicators are that Badgerys Creek does not have a fair environmental impact." Ms Allan said she did not support the Badgerys Creek airport. "The damage this would cause to the education of children would be totally unacceptable. There should be no second international airport at Badgerys Creek or anywhere in the Sydney Basin," she said.
PUBLICATION: AAP Newsfeed
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: Nationwide General News; Racing
BYLINE: Blair Speedy
DATELINE: Sydney, Australia
AAP Newsfeed reports that the Sydney Turf Club (STC) won conditional approval from Canterbury Council to proceed with its development for night racing at Canterbury.
According to the report, Canterbury City Council general manager Jim Montague said the council had last night granted deferred commencement consent to the STC's development application. "There's a whole series of things that the turf club has to satisfy before that consent becomes final," he said. The STC had six months to comply with the conditions before it could begin development, Mr Montague said.
The report says STC Chief executive Pat Parker said most of the conditions involved concerns that have been raised by residents in relation to noise, parking and traffic. He said noise would be reduced by a volume limiter on the course public address system, traffic would be directed away from certain quiet streets and there would be buffer zones of 30-50 metres in the carparks near residential areas. The betting ring moved to inside the grandstand. Under the council conditions, night meetings would be limited to 12 per year, with the last race held at 10.15pm.
The article says the council also required the STC to provide additional police during meetings, Parker said. "We pay for a certain number of police at our other meetings, we'll go to the police department and request more staff for night meetings," he said. "I'm certain if the police can provide staffing for about a hundred greyhound meetings and about a hundred harness racing meetings in Sydney, we are reasonably confident that they would also provide us with police on twelve Wednesday nights." He said resident concern over spillage from the powerful on-course lights would be addressed by the lighting system under consideration, which minimises stray light and has already been successfully installed at Moonee Valley for night racing. Parker said he was not prepared to estimate when racing could begin until all details were finalised.
PUBLICATION: The Baltimore Sun
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: Local (News), Pg. 2B
BYLINE: Lisa Respers
DATELINE: Aberdeen, Maryland
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Jane E. Hukill, co-chairwoman, Coalition for Safe Disposal of Chemical Weapons; Walter Harris, resident.
The Baltimore Sun reports that the Hellfire, a helicopter-launched missile, will be tested at Abbey Point in Maryland and will be fired at a remote area of the proving ground. Area residents worry about the noise and environmental effects.
According to the article, Gary Holloway, a spokesman for the proving ground, said the missile would carry 16 pounds of explosives, which would detonate when the missile strikes its classified target. The missile is an anti-armor weapon that was used during the Persian Gulf war.
The article says residents across the Chesapeake Bay from the proving ground say they are constantly rocked by the shock waves from heavy weapons testing and are concerned about the effects of the missile. "We think that they are not looking at ways to test large weapons in other areas," said Jane E. Hukill, co-chairwoman of the citizens group Coalition for Safe Disposal of Chemical Weapons and a resident of Worton in Kent County. "We recently had a meeting with [APG officials] and they did not tell us that this missile thing was in the works," Hukill said. Residents long have complained that the noise and shock waves cause houses to shake and damage their belongings. Walter Harris lives on the water in Kent County across from APG and said that when testing occurs, it "feels like an earthquake" in his home. "Missile ranges are not exactly the kind of neighbor that I want," Harris said.
Holloway said officials created a computer model that uses weather conditions to determine the expected noise level. If that level is deemed too high, the test would be postponed. Residents can file claims with the Army for any damage caused by testing, Holloway said.
PUBLICATION: Chicago Daily Herald
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: News; Pg. 4
BYLINE: Matthew Nickerson
DATELINE: Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Daily Herald reports that Immaculate Conception High School's hopes of getting Chicago to pay more for airplane soundproofing are growing a bit brighter.
According to the article, a meeting between representatives from the Elmhurst school and the city this week was "productive," according to Immaculate Conception's lawyer, Joe Karaganis. City officials, though, "haven't committed to anything," he said. "Discussions have been encouraging because they have been marked by apparent good faith," Karaganis said.
The article says the Roman Catholic institution, which also operates a grade school, sued Chicago in September, demanding $7.6 million to insulate four buildings against noise. Planes from city-owned O'Hare International Airport distract students repeatedly every day, school leaders said. Chicago has agreed soundproofing is needed, but is only willing to pay for $2.9 million worth. Among other objections, the city says some rooms for which Immaculate Conception wants insulation are really not "educational spaces," and so shouldn't get soundproofing. One sticking point was the rectory. Immaculate Conception pastor Rev. Gerald Riva said classes are held there, but the city balked.
According to the article, the school's suit is still pending in DuPage County Circuit Court, but Karaganis said the city now has agreed to do two things. For the purpose of continuing discussion, the city will accept as true Riva's statements about which rooms are - or will be soon - used for education, according to Karaganis. Also, city noise experts, who had previously done a "two-day snapshot" analysis of sound levels, will visit the school again, Karaganis said. Immaculate Conception's representatives, using separate monitoring equipment, will join the city's experts in doing a study. The sound monitoring will likely be done over Christmas vacation. City lawyers declined to comment on negotiations.
PUBLICATION: The Kennebec Journal
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: Local; Pg. 9
BYLINE: Mechele Cooper
DATELINE: Hallowell, Maine
The Kennebec Journal reports that a proposed tire recycling and truck maintenance facility in Hallowell Maine concerns area residents. Neighbors of the proposed facility worry about potential traffic and noise.
The article reports that an application for a conditional-use permit to convert the former Augusta Tank & Culvert Co. on Outer Central Street into a tire recycling and truck maintenance facility could put a damper on the city's plans for rezoning. The 34-acre site, located south of Central Street and directly west of the Maine Turnpike, is zoned Business B, which means it could be used for commercial and industrial purposes. City Manager Mike Huston said Thursday that the Outer Central Street site is scheduled to be reverted to a residential zone in 1988 under a comprehensive plan. "The long-range planning committee has been working on this since October," Huston said. "The rezoning has already been adopted by the city of Hallowell, now they have to adopt amendments to the zoning conformance for the (comprehensive) plan." The site is surrounded by residences, he said.
According to the article, Edward Slack, a planning board member, said that because the application submitted by the company last week was incomplete, the board couldn't make a decision during its regular meeting Wednesday. Slack said the permit application will be placed on the board's agenda next month. That meeting is set for 7 p.m. on Jan. 21 in city hall. "Because we had an incomplete application we're seeking legal advice," Slack said. "By the time they apply again our new ordinances will be voted in by the council, which changes the zoning of that district. And so we weren't sure last night technically how we stand. Because the application wasn't complete, we didn't know if we need to honor it under the old ordinance or the new."
The report says if the application is considered under the new ordinance, then Arthur Schofield, Inc., the Massachusetts company proposing the site conversion, would have to go to the city's board of appeals for a variance to change the zoning back from residential to commercial. Huston said that Schofield essentially asked the board for guidance. The board requested a full perimeter survey, and Slack said the board may inspect the site.
The article says residents who live on Outer Central Street who attended the meeting Wednesday were concerned about potential noise and traffic generated by the operation. "The overwhelming tenor of public comments was that this would be an inappropriate site for an operation like this," Huston said. "The roads are narrow and unsuitable for the trucks that would be involved." Slack said that 10 22-wheel tractor-trailers would move in and out of the tire-recycling site every day.
The report says according to the company, noise shouldn't be a problem. The only noise would be from a bucket-loader and a backhoe that will pick the tires up and place them on a conveyor belt so they can be cut into chips. "Everybody expressed some concerns about the bulk of the traffic, particularly with Vicki's dance studio, which is west of there," Slack said. "There's parking in the road and at 3 o'clock kids are dropped off." Vicki Gilbert, who runs Vicki's School of Dance on Outer Central Street, said that the tire-recycling facility sounds like a great idea, but she is concerned about traffic because of her students. "People are always worrying about the traffic here because I have a lot of young children near the road because of the parking," Gilbert said. "For years I've been trying to get a streetlight so they could be more visible. If this comes about maybe the city could help me deal with that." Slack said that the route Schofield's trucks would follow, after they exit the turnpike, runs from Whitten Road to Winthrop Street to Town Farm Road to Central Street, and then into the plant on Outer Central Street.
PUBLICATION: Roanoke Times & World News
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: Current, Pg. Nrv1
BYLINE: Robert Freis
DATELINE: Christiansburg, Virginia
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Tim Griffith, resident.
The Roanoke Times & World News reports that the proposed expansion of a Lumber Mill in Christiansburg Virginia has citizens alarmed. Neighbors worry about added noise and other environmental pollution.
According to the article, Turman Lumber in Montgomery County has made a zoning request to expand an existing sawmill which planners have recently put on indefinite hold. At last month's commission meeting, citizens complained that Turman has been a chronic source of dust, noise and traffic in their rural neighborhood. Allowing the company to expand would only make the situation worse, they said . Since then, neighbors and Turman's representatives met to negotiate. That conference was "totally unsuccessful in resolving our differences," said Kendall Clay, Turman's attorney.
The report says Clay told the commissioners that Turman will pave internal roads, build a deceleration industrial access lane off Fire Tower Road, and enhance the site's landscaped screening whether or not its rezoning request is approved. However, neighbors distrust company owner Mike Turman so deeply that promises mean little to them. "I have a hard time defending what he's done in the past. And I have a hard time swallowing what he wants to do now," said Fire Tower Road resident Tim Griffith. "He has a community full of foes. There's an awful lot of anger in this room. In the past he's painted a pretty picture, but it's never lasted."
According to the report, Clay told the commission last month that the rezoning from agriculture to industrial status of an additional 19 acres Turman owns next to its existing operation would allow the company to diversify its operation and hire more workers. Turman made a similar request in 1992, which was subsequently denied by the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, after neighbors voiced many of the same complaints about noise, dust, traffic and groundwater contamination. Then, as now, Clay said the company might be forced to move from Montgomery County if not allowed to expand. Griffith, speaking for other neighbors, said Wednesday that the community would be glad to see the Turman sawmill leave. "They certainly don't want him to grow bigger."
The article says Clay acknowledged the neighborhood unrest and said citizen concerns had "probably not been dealt with sufficiently" by the company. "We want to try to change that situation," the evidence being Turman's pledges to improve and screen its site, Clay said. The county wants to make the lumber operation's expansion contingent on connecting the site to public water and sewer service. However, it's uncertain when Turman would be able to connect to new lines planned for the nearby Tyler Road corridor. In addition, Turman's present septic system was designed for a much smaller operation and needs to be updated, Zoning Administrator Jeff Scott said. Members of the Planning Commission were also concerned about allowing an industrial expansion in an area designated for agriculture by Montgomery County's Comprehensive Plan.
The report explains how all of those issues, in addition to the citizen opposition, led the Planning Commission to table the matter by an 8-0 vote. Commissioner Joe Draper, a principal in an engineering firm that did site work for Turman Lumber Co., abstained. If Turman accomplishes the site improvements it promised, "that will go a long way toward addressing the issue of past performance," Commissioner Ray Alcorn said. The Planning Commission's vote is only a recommendation to the supervisors, who will make the ultimate decision. Next month the supervisors will have two options: agree with the Planning Commission and table the rezoning; or vote to reopen Turman Lumber Co.'s case, set a public hearing and make its own decision.
Robert Freis can be reached at 381-1674 or robertf@roanoke.com
PUBLICATION: The Tampa Tribune
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: Florida/Metro, Pg. 5
DATELINE: Tampa, Florida
The Tampa Tribune reports that the Tampa City Council approved a settlement Thursday between Tampa Catholic High School and residents of the nearby Wellswood neighborhood over the construction of a football field.
According to the article, Tampa City Council members unanimously agreed on a resolution that will let the Rome Avenue school build a 2,000-seat stadium for home games. Sixteen homeowners will be reimbursed by the diocese of St. Petersburg to pay for noise buffers including fences and soundproofed windows. The school will be allowed to play only eight home games a year. They must end by 10 p.m. The diocese also agreed to pay attorney fees for the homeowners, said Mark Bentley, who represented the high school and the diocese.
PUBLICATION: The Times-Picayune
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: National; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Vicki Hyman
DATELINE: Kenner, Louisiana
The Times-Picayune reports that the Kenner City Council has adopted legislation to control airport growth.
The article explains that Kenner City Council members unanimously approved legislation that allows them to veto any development they think would hurt the safety and property values of city residents. The legislation zones the airport as an "aviation heavy industrial district" and requires airport authorities to seek a special permit for any construction project.
According to the article, no one from the airport or the New Orleans Aviation Board spoke out against the legislation, although airport planners have said the city's efforts to control growth at the south Kenner airfield is unlawful. Some Kenner officials say they expect a legal challenge, although airport officials have remained silent on the issue. "At this point, they have no grounds to sue. At this point, we haven't denied the airport anything. We have defined the process by which they must apply," Councilman John Lavarine III said. "If the council sees fit to deny any project, we may see litigation."The legislation also didn't garner any response from the public. "The citizens understand this issue," Councilman Terry McCarthy said. "Otherwise, these chambers would be packed."
The report describes how the vote culminated a yearlong attempt to rein in airport growth just as airport officials begin an $850 million refurbishment and expansion program. For Kenner officials, the most immediate issue is a plan to convert the east-west taxiway into a runway for private aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to approve the project next year. In addition, city officials are concerned about a proposed 8,000-foot runway for commercial jets to be built in the swamps just west of Kenner. Both projects, they say, would increase noise, and the conversion project could raise safety concerns for residents just east of the airport, who are still stinging from the deadly 1982 crash of Pan Am Flight 759. Airport officials contend the conversion project would reduce noise and better protect residents because the new runway would be deeper inside the airfield
The report says the airport or its tenants now will have to get a conditional use permit from Kenner to proceed with any construction project, from runways and taxiways to fencing and road improvements. Once a detailed site plan is submitted, the project must go before the city Planning and Zoning Commission for a public hearing and recommendation. Then it will go to the City Council for another hearing and a final decision.
PUBLICATION: The Times-Picayune
DATE: December 19, 1997
SECTION: Money; Pg. C1
BYLINE: Matt Scallan
DATELINE: Kenner, Louisiana
The Times-Picayune reports that the expiration a five year contract with airlines presents an opportunity to negotiate any new contract with citizen concerns in mind.
The article describes how the airport's five-year contract with airlines about to expire Dec. 31. The New Orleans Aviation Board extended the contract for six months to allow more time for negotiations.
According to the report, talks had stalled over New Orleans' proposal to lower landing fees while raising terminal rental rates. Mayor Marc Morial's proposal for a mandatory noise-abatement program also has slowed negotiations. The proposal is designed to address the concerns of Kenner residents, who say pilots too often fly low over their neighborhoods.
The report says the airlines are complaining about what they say is excessive spending on consultant and other professional fees in the airport's $55 million budget. Airport officials argue that they are in the most expensive phase of an $850 million development program that includes efforts to boost non-airline revenue. The airport has a voluntary noise-abatement flight pattern, which airport officials say is followed except for during certain weather.
According to the article, a study of the flight paths from the week of Dec. 7-13 shows that 10 of the 1,500 flights that arrived at or left the airport strayed from the recommended routes, and those may have been to avoid bad weather. The airport's noise-abatement office is checking the paths from the beginning of the year to get a better understanding of the problem. "The mayor wants to improve air service to the city and he wants to reduce the noise over Kenner. This is his one chance to do it," negotiation team member Anthony Mumphrey said.
PUBLICATION: AP Online
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: International News
DATELINE: Oslo, Norway
AP Online reports that state noise regulations have made it illegal to ring steeple bells in Norway.
The article describes how for generations, Norwegian churches have rung their bells for hours to mark the start of the Christmas holiday in this predominately Lutheran country. But that won't happen this year for two churches in Steigen, a town on Engeloya, or Angel Island, in the arctic Nordland province, the Norwegian news agency NTB reported Thursday. The bells produce 125 decibels of noise too loud under state labor rules, since employees have to stand next to the bells to ring them.
The report says Parish minister Arne Loefgard had asked the town council for $40,000 for an automatic bell ringing system, but was turned down.
PUBLICATION: The Commercial Appeal
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Neighbors, Pg. Gc1
BYLINE: Clay Bailey
DATELINE: Memphis, Tennessee
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Brad and Marla Becksfort, residents.
The Commercial Appeal reports that a neighborhood kennel in Tennessee recently had its permit revoked due to noise pollution.
According to the article, neighbors in Germantown were upset about incessant barking at Skipper's Doggie World, also known as B & H Kennel and Oakleigh Kennel. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen is trying to decide if the owners have violated a longstanding special permit that allowed the kennel onto the residentially zoned site at 8659 Poplar Pike.
The report says the business has operated on the property since the mid-1960s and had been allowed to continue under the special permit granted by the city. Officials say they rarely, if ever, received complaints about the animals but put a clause in the agreement that the permit could be revoked if the kennel became a nuisance as nearby residential areas developed. The problems began about a year ago, when homeowners, led by Brad Becksfort of 8634 Beaverwood, complained about barking that seemed to go on at all hours. "The noise was what was impossible," said Becksfort's wife, Marla, who represented the neighborhood before the board. "I could be in the house, with the doors closed, the windows closed with the TV on, and I would have to turn the TV up. I couldn't hear it above the (noise) level of the dogs. It was all night long; it didn't seem to stop. The TV was the final straw to me. That was about 11:15 at night, and that's when I called the police."
The article explains that homeowners and current kennel owner Angela Campbell say the problems arose over the last two years when Campbell was trying to sell the business. The owner had a pending contract, and the potential owner was operating the kennel under a lease-purchase arrangement, Campbell said. But the sales contract fell through, and the business returned to Campbell, who since then has been trying to soothe the neighbors' feelings. "I'm sure it was horrible," Campbell said of the period before she regained ownership. "I'm totally sympathetic to the neighbors."
According to the article, at last week's meeting, board members listened to complaints from the residents and explanations from Campbell. There was little doubt officials would revoke the license; the question was how long they would give the owner to close the business. Campbell said she has possible reservations from customers until the Fourth of July. However, the kennel owner added that she planned to sell the 6.6-acre site and relocate the kennel farther out in the county. She seemed confident that she could sell the property, believing there is a strong market for that size tract in the heart of Germantown, and added that she had four developers interested in the land. The problem, she said, is how long it would take to close such a deal.
Alderman John Drinnon suggested that the city give Campbell until March 31 to close. Alderman Bob Parrish, who once lived near the kennel and said he had no complaints about the operation, said June 30 sounded better to him, saying it is a question of how long it takes to close a business and sell the property. "I do feel like the time has come (for the kennel to close)," Parrish said, adding: "It is a business that doesn't belong in a residential area." Drinnon's motion for March failed, and the board unanimously passed the motion that the permit be revoked and the kennel should close by June 30.
PUBLICATION: The Evening Standard
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Features; Editorial; Pg. 11; Viewpoint
DATELINE: Palmerstown North, New Zealand
The Evening Standard reports that a New Zealand court recently affirmed the rights of a local gun club.
According to the article, the Rifle, Rod and Gun Club Manawatu was suspicious of the Palmerston North City Council's application to the Environment Court for a declaratory judgment on the club's activities at Turitea. The reserved decision released by Judge John Treadwell, proves the council's application was a wise move. The decision should take the heat out of a long-running dispute which has created a degree of acrimony between the club and some of its neighbors.
The article says Judge Treadwell has ruled basically that the club has a right to continue its shooting operations at the Turitea rifle range, and that neighbors should recognize that. That will not please all the neighbors, many of whom have taken up residence as part of a general trend toward urbanization of rural areas, but it provides simple and commonsense justice for the long-standing club. Judge Treadwell clarified what activities can now take place at the club within the terms of the original resource consent issued by the then Kairanga County Council in 1967. Those permitted activities, says Judge Treadwell, include the firing of rifles exceeding .22 calibre, and also the firing of pistols, shotguns and black powder firearms. Over the years some neighbors have complained to the city council that only smallbore rifles were covered by the original consent.
The report says apart from its local interest, Judge Treadwell's decision can be seen to have national implications as well. In effect, what the judge is saying is that in such a conflict the high ground belongs to the people who were there first. The club was there before the urban developers moved in; and the club's rights take precedence over those of the new residents, despite the arrival post-1967 of legislation such as the Resource Management Act. That judgment is eminently sensible in that it protects the rights of people who have done no wrong, broken no laws; and who have just happened to be in the way (no doubt somewhat noisily in the way) of a changing lifestyle trend. The club was there before the area became urbanized, and the people who bought property there knew the club was already in residence.
According to the article, the matter may not, of course, simply go away because of Judge Treadwell's decision. The club might be happy at the outcome, but some residents and developers will not be, and the city council might also have some reservations of its own. Residents and developers might want to test Judge Treadwell's decision against the noise provisions in the Resource Management Act, for example, but if they try to do so, they could have a difficult task in succeeding with such a case because the judge's ruling is so clear in terms of where the high ground lies. The ultimate solution to the dispute, of course, and the one which most people would agree is sensible, is for the club to relocate and to be able to purchase a suitable alternative range. The club has confirmed it is looking for such a site, and it surely makes sense for residents and developers to help the club in practical ways. That may even include putting some money in. If the residents want a quiet, undisturbed environment, then they may well have to front up to the club with some money to help secure it.
PUBLICATION: The Florida Times-Union
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: National/International; Pg. A-1
BYLINE: Jim Saunders
DATELINE: Jacksonville, Florida
The Florida Times-Union reports that officials in Jacksonville, Florida said a new sound study has raised questions that are forcing them to rethink plans for building a 17,000-seat amphitheater in Metropolitan Park.
According to the report, the study, which said an amphitheater can be built to protect some nearby neighborhoods from excessive noise, calls for a design that some city officials fear could include unsightly walls along the St. Johns River. Officials also worry that the design, while protecting neighborhoods south of the river might funnel noise into homes on Jacksonville's Eastside. "There are still some issues that need to be grappled with to the mayor's satisfaction," said Susan Wiles, chief of staff to Mayor John Delaney. Wiles said the questions have caused the city to put on the "backburner" negotiations with The Cellar Door Cos., a Fort Lauderdale-based concert promoter that wants to manage the amphitheater. She said the city needs to resolve the design issues before deciding whether to go ahead with a deal.
The article says Delaney in recent months has embraced the idea of building an amphitheater to replace Metropolitan Park's aging bandshell. Such a facility would allow Jacksonville to draw big name entertainers who currently skip the city because of inadequate facilities. Coupled with other changes at the park, the amphitheater is projected to cost about $20 million.
The article describes how the city this year hired consultants to study how sound travels from Metropolitan Park, at least in part, because noise has been a major issue in the debate about whether to build the amphitheater. Residents of nearby neighborhoods, such as St. Nicholas, have argued for months that an amphitheater will flood their homes with late-night noise. The sound study, which was put together by consultants from Texas and Illinois, offers recommendations to block noise. Those recommendations include building concrete walls along part of the amphitheater, lowering the facility's roof and pointing the amphitheater in a more northerly direction.
According to the article, Wiles said the recommendations have raised questions about how the amphitheater would look and how it would affect neighborhoods north of the site. While the concrete walls would block sound from traveling across the river, Wiles said officials fear that such a structure would not look good on the riverfront. Also, some officials worry that the walls might prevent some concert- goers from seeing the river -- one of the main attractions of the site. "The sound study presented a picture that we all need to think about," said Mike Weinstein, executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, which is reviewing the project.
The article explains how the idea of pointing the amphitheater in a more northerly direction has raised concerns that noise would be piped into neighborhoods on the lower Eastside. Wiles said the city has asked Texas-based consultant Abram Sustaita to look further at the plan's impact on the Eastside. City Councilman Terry Fields, however, said he has not heard widespread concerns from Eastside residents about possible noise. Fields, who grew up in the area, said residents are used to noise from concerts. "All of my life, we've always been able to hear the concerts," said Fields, whose district includes the area. "It's part of our landscape. It's part of our community."
PUBLICATION: The Indianapolis News
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Metro South; Pg. S01
BYLINE: Karen Bridges
DATELINE: Franklin, Indiana
The Indianapolis News reports that an apple orchard and farm market will be allowed to expand after the Zoning Board restricted the use of noise devices to frighten birds.
The article reports that the Johnson County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a use variance for the Apple Works orchards, run by Richard and Sarah Brown in Hensley Township, but put several restrictions on the operation. About 20 opponents attended the hearing. Neighbors had complained in the past about a bird distress call broadcast over the orchard to drive away crows and other birds. "That was my biggest concern - the noise maker," Lloyd Craig told the board. He and other neighbors were pleased when use of the noise device was banned as a condition for the variance. Neighbors also were concerned about nuisance birds being shot at in an effort to control them. One neighbor, Kent Haste, was concerned that the shooting was unsafe for residents.
According tot he article, Sarah Brown said shooting was used when the noise maker had been turned off. Brown said attempts to shoot birds was done carefully and was limited to the grounds of the orchard. "We had only 5 percent of our crop left after a hard freeze, and the crows were destroying it. We've got to be able to protect our crop," she said. Richard Brown told the board he wants to increase sales space, inventory, parking and hours of operation. He also wants to schedule live entertainment at festivals and provide educational opportunities for children. The Browns sell fresh produce, including apples and cider, baked goods and pick-your-own strawberries
The report says the variance, approved 3-1, contains these restrictions:
A maximum of 37 parking spaces.
The operation will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, May through February.
A 4-foot-by-4-foot sign at the entrance will be the only sign allowed.
The access drive will be rounded to meet County Road 250 West straight-on.
Retail sales goods will be limited to those listed in the 1998 Indiana Roadside Market guide, excluding wine.
The existing retail building will be 45-feet square.
Attractions allowed will include educational tours, hay rides, a petting zoo and a maze.
An annual festival including live entertainment will be allowed.
No sound devices are to be used that can be heard by neighbors.
Any violation of terms of the variance would result in revocation, and the board would force the business to close.
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 1; Metro Desk
BYLINE: Henry Chu
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Julie Newmar; Peter Graves; Meredith Baxter
The Los Angeles Times reports that Los Angeles' leaf blower ban lost its teeth when the City Council decided to reduce violations to an infraction from a misdemeanor. Consequently, the fine goes down. Enforcement will begin January 6.
According to the article, violations will now only cost $270 as opposed to the original $1000 and as much as half-a-year in jail. The council instituted the ban last year, but waited to begin enforcement until disagreements between gardeners and rich residents could be addressed.
The report says that gardeners in the area want a ban that is phased in over five years. A representative of the Association of Latin American Gardeners said a quick ban "is not the solution when you deprive people of a fundamental tool" used to earn a living. He suggested that many gardeners would continue using the blowers as acts of civil disobedience.
The article notes that the ban prohibits people from using gas-fueled leafblowers within 500 feet of homes. A phone number for complaints and a program to educate users will also be implemented. A proposal to gradually implement the ban was rejected by the council. The idea was to help gardeners learn to get along without them over time, and to allow companies that make the blowers to come up with quieter, less-polluting models. One council member noted that the issue has been a problem for over ten years, "ample time for gardeners and manufacturers to gird for changes."
The article explains that when the original council member who proposed the plan retired, support was weakened in the council. Also, Latin American gardeners have become more organized in their opposition, and gained support from three Latin American council members. National magazines mocked the delayed enforcement. Police also worry that the law will be hard to enforce.
PUBLICATION: The New York Times
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Section B; Page 12; Column 1; Metropolitan Desk
BYLINE: Norimitsu Onishi
DATELINE: New York, New York
The New York Times reports that the City's Corporation Counsel sued the Federal Government to stop it from adding 21 new flights a day at La Guardia Airport, arguing that the extra traffic at the already congested airport would compromise the safety of air travelers and Queens residents.
The article says the suit challenges a decision in October by the United States Department of Transportation to increase the number of slots, or takeoffs and landings, allowed at La Guardia, one of four airports in the country where the number of flights are restricted because of heavy demand. The department granted the 21 daily slots to Valujet Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Airtran Airways. The department said that competition from the airlines, which planned to offer low-price flights to Atlanta, Denver and Knoxville, Tenn., would be in the public interest.
The report says the decision angers Claire Shulman, the Queens Borough President, who has long said that her constituents are unfairly affected by noise and pollution from the airport. "They didn't have to add slots to La Guardia," Mrs. Shulman said yesterday, adding that the Transportation Department should have reallocated existing slots to the new carriers. "As it is, when you're leaving from La Guardia, you have to wait for your plane on the runway. And the planes that are coming out of the airport are making a lot of noise over our neighborhoods."
According to the report, carriers already operating at La Guardia typically buy slots from or sell them to one another depending on need. As carriers new to La Guardia, the three airlines were granted new slots by the Transportation Department, which effectively added 21 landings and takeoffs a day to the about 1,000 flights now. The other airports where flights are restricted are Kennedy International in Queens, O'Hare in Chicago and National in Washington. Under a Federal provision adopted in 1994, the department can grant slots to new carriers if "warranted by exceptional circumstances," he said.
The article explains that Mrs. Shulman said given the Corporation Counsel's permission, Queens County could have filed the suit independently. "But the Mayor wanted to do it with us," said Mrs. Shulman, who was the most prominent Democrat to endorse Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani in his recent successful re-election campaign. In its lawsuit, the Giuliani administration argued that the Transportation Department's decision went against the public interest. The Mayor said in a statement that the department had "effectively eliminated the 'exceptional circumstances' portion of the test." He added that "the United States Department of Transportation does not have the power to weaken the standard established by Congress."
The article describes how most legal challenges against Federal regulations governing flight patterns at La Guardia and other airports have been unsuccessful over the years. But the airport has always been a popular target for politicians striking a populist pose. Last year, for example, Mr. Giuliani boycotted the United States Open at Flushing Meadow in Queens because during the tournament flights are shifted away from the airspace above the National Tennis Center to residential areas.
PUBLICATION: The Orange County Register
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Community; Pg. 01
BYLINE: Vivianne Wightman
DATELINE: Placentia, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Norman Eckenrode, Mayor; Chris Becker, director, Public Works; Donna Strasser, resident.
The Orange County Register reports that trains are expected to rumble and roar through Placentia California in increasingly hefty numbers in the next 10 to 15 years. Their numbers may jump from about 40 trains a day to as many as 150 trains daily along the Orangethorpe Avenue corridor.
According to the report, city officials are fighting the railroad's proposal to add overpasses and underpasses at local crossings to meet the expected 74 percent increase in rail traffic by 2010. The City Council is pushing to have the seven miles of railroad tracks in Placentia lowered to lessen the impacts of noise and traffic disruption. Under the railroad's proposal, overpasses and underpasses would be built at five of the nine Placentia streets that cross the tracks. The other four streets could potentially close to through traffic. Mayor Norman Eckenrode said that plan could result in the railroad crossing arm being down seven-and-a half hours a day to accomodate passing trains. Other city officials worry that delays at railroad crossings could be a real problem in life-or-death situations. "The city's ability to deliver emergency services would be severed south of Orangethorpe if they go with the overpasses and underpasses," said Chris Becker, director of Public Works. "There would be fewer places to get across because of closed streets. "It would essentially divide a good portion of our city. We wouldn't be able to get to La Jolla and Atwood." City Administrator Bob D'Amato said that more police and fire stations may have to be built to provide services to areas south of the railroad tracks.
The article says last week, the Placentia City Council took the first step in denouncing the $200 million proposal. Not only could the project cause street closures, traffic problems, safety and service access problems and increased noise, council members said it would also require the need to close down and demolish homes and businesses to make way for the railroad's overpasses and underpasses. The Council hired a consultant, Management Facilitators Inc. of Bermuda Dunes, to draft an alternative plan to lower the seven-mile stretch of railroad tracks along the Orangethorpe corridor. Though the city's $428 million alternative would cost more than twice what the railroad has proposed, city officials believe the cost of safety and the longterm impact on Placentia cannot be measured in dollar values. "All of the impacts will go away with the lowered railroad," Becker said. "It's going to be an uphill battle for us. The railroad will have a lot of obstacles to present us. Such as, they don't like the lowered railroad because they are afraid of flooding and earthquakes making the walls collapse, but (our consultant) faced the same arguments in Alahambra and Alameda (Street in Hungtington Park) and won.
According to the article, other nearby cities have joined Placentia in its fight. Yorba Linda, Anaheim and Fullerton will also be affected by the increase in railroad traffic. "We have the biggest impact (among the cities) in terms of the fact that we have the most to lose with the most crossings," Beckner said. "We are prepared to go it alone, but we believe we have the backing of the other cities," he added. "No action has been taken yet, but even if they don't support us financially, they support our plans." Funds for the railroad project will come from all levels of government, including Orange County Transit Authority, Southern California Association of Governments and a 10-percent contribution by the railroad, Becker said.
The article says an OCTA and SCAG study revealed that an expected 57-percent increase in road traffic along the Orangethorpe corridor by the year 2010 is compounding the problem. The OCTA, SCAG, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, all agree that more freight trains will be needed. Improvements at the Los Angeles ports and harbors, specifically at Long Beach, and the diversion of freight trains from San Gabriel to the Orangethorpe corridor are the primary reasons for the increased need, they said. More cars plus more trains equals more problems, Becker said, especially when it comes to noise created by travel on overpasses and underpasses and 150 trains chugging past nearby residences. "As more and more trains come on the tracks and if they aren't lowered," he said. "Then increasing numbers of residents will complain, 'Gosh, it's noisy with the trains going by all of the time. Can't you do something about it?"'
The article describes Donna Strasser, a 10-year Placentia resident, who said the loss of her home in the Del Cerro Mobile Home Park is not her biggest worry. Noise is. "I think a lot of residents will be bothered by the increase in noise and traffic," she said. "We are kind of used to it right now. But if they have that many trains and more new people moving into the area, it will create a big mess." Most Placentia residents, she said, are unaware of the potential impact the railroad proposal could have on their lives. "I really don't believe a lot of people know about this," she said. "We heard of the expansion of the railroad and the addition of overpasses and underpasses, but we didn't hear anything about it taking out the homes." City officials are asking residents to join the battle by submitting letters of support to city, county and government officials and attending local workshops on the railroad.
The report says the city said several of the nine Placentia streets that cross the railroad along Orangethorpe Avenue would suffer the worst impacts from the proposal: The Bradford Avenue closure would impact the businesses in Santa Fe's old town. Traffic would be diverted to other streets like Jefferson, causing traffic problems elsewhere. The Rose Drive/Tustin Avenue roadway overpass would wipe out nearly half of the Del Cerro Mobile Home Park _ destroying 12 homes, and cutting off road access on Rose Drive so that the entire retail center on the northeast corner Orangethorpe Avenue would fail. Kraemer Boulevard's underpass would greatly restrict and cut off access on Kraemer to residential areas like the the Cinnamon Tree condominium complex and Placentia Lakes, as well as to businesses and City Hall. Lakeview Avenue's overpass would wipe out the shopping center filled with restaurants, office buildings and shops on the northwest corner of Lakeview and Orangethorpe. "We want to force them hard to pursue this as the more viable option," Becker said. "But even with all of the impacts, they only look at the price and not the impact it will have on people. There will need to be more money spent in order to safeguard the community's interest." The city claims a lowered rail system would reduce noise and allow for street level traffic crossings.
The report describes how trains range in length from 3/4-mile to 1-mile long. Sound-barriers of 20- to 30-feet in height would have to be constructed throughout the city under the railroad's proposal. The city wants the railroad put into open trenches about 25 feet deep.
PUBLICATION: The Richmond Times Dispatch
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Area/State, Pg. B-1
BYLINE: Charles Boothe
DATELINE: Hanover, Virginia
The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that Virginia County officials approved a controversial plan to extend the runway at the county's airport. Some residents oppose the project fearing a decrease in property values and greater noise.
The article says Hanover County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Ward said the 750-foot extension, which will make the runway 5,400 feet long, is an "excellent investment for the county." More than 25 residents who live near the airport spoke against the extension, saying it will only lead to increased air traffic. That, they said, will mean more noise, a lowering of property values and more danger for nearby neighborhoods. "If I thought for a second that a longer runway would endanger anyone, I would not vote for it," Ward said. "But it will actually increase safety." Five other supervisors voted to approve the expansion. Tom Giles, who represents the Chickahominy District, where most of the neighborhoods near the airport are located, was the only dissenting vote.
The article describes how the $2.2 million project will make the airport safer for small jets, especially in inclement weather, county officials have said. Also, they said, it will give pilots extra room to ascend sooner and avoid residential areas. Deputy County Administrator Richard Johnson said 98 percent of the money for the project will come from federal and state funds set aside for airports. The county will pay only $44,000 of the cost.
The report says several residents spoke in favor of the extension, some of them business members who said the airport is vital to their businesses. As part of the motion to approve the conditional use permit amendment that will allow the extension, supervisors agreed to stipulate the county will not take any action to expand the airport's current role as a general aviation reliever. That resolution was drawn up by an alliance of neighborhood representatives.
PUBLICATION: The Times-Picayune
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: National; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Vicki Hyman
DATELINE: New Orleans, Louisiana
The Times-Picayune reports that Kenner City Council is expected to vote to give itself veto power over any project at the New Orleans International Airport that would hurt the safety and property values of Kenner residents.
According to the report, city officials have over the past year, hammered out legislation to classify the airport as an "aviation heavy industrial district" and to require the New Orleans Aviation Board to seek a special Kenner permit for any construction project - from fencing to warehouses to runways. Sal Anzelmo, Kenner's attorney for airport matters, says the airport currently is zoned heavy industrial. Airport officials contend it is not zoned at all, and that Kenner has no authority to zone the airport.
The article says jet noise and safety have been at the core of the city's discontent over the airport for decades, although recently council members have complained more and more often that the New Orleans Aviation Board refuses to communicate or cooperate with them. Airport officials say they regularly brief Kenner officials on airport projects. City officials have framed the issue matter-of-factly, saying they need to regulate the airport just as they do any other business in Kenner. "Good zoning is a definite must," council President Betty Bonura said. "It helps plan for orderly, city growth, and it protects everyone's interests."
The article says airport planners say the proposed legislation is unlawful and could stunt growth at the airport during a critical $850 million refurbishment and expansion program. Although the Aviation Board has not said how it plans to respond if the laws are enacted, some Kenner council members say they expect the matter to end up in court. Under the legislation, the airport would need a conditional use permit from Kenner to proceed with a construction project. Originally, the ordinance called for a list of improvements that would not need city approval, such as fencing, machine shops, cold storage warehouses and hotels. But residents, the Planning and Zoning Commission and some council members said Kenner shouldn't give up any authority over development. Another law would set up the permit process, including the submission of a detailed site plan. The project would go before the Planning and Zoning Commission for a public hearing and recommendation, then proceed to the City Council for another hearing and the final decision. The proposal also lets the City Council require the airport or its tenants seeking a permit to implement measures to control noise, dust, air pollution and visual blight.
PUBLICATION: The Times-Picayune
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: National; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Rhonda Bell
DATELINE: Luling, Louisiana
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Cindy Kinler, resident.
The Times-Picayune reports that residents in Luling, Louisiana oppose a proposal for a new Winn-Dixie market. Residents say the secondary entrance to the market will cause noise pollution and safety hazards.
The report describes how a tiny access road would serve as a secondary entrance to the Winn-Dixie Marketplace in Luling's Lakewood. Many Lakewood residents said they fear increased traffic and related hazards as the access road is built off the east side of Lakewood Drive, nearly 600 feet south of the road's intersection with U.S. 90. "We don't want the access off Lakewood," said Cindy Kinler, a Lakewood resident who attended the meeting at Mimosa Park Elementary School. "Safety needs to come first."
According to the article, opposition to the access road could block the store's construction, officials said. Tom Bauer, the project's developer, said because the chain requires a secondary entrance to all of its stores, rejection of the road could kill the project. Residents say additional traffic could bring more noise and safety concerns. Three parish schools - Mimosa, Lakewood Elementary and A.A. Songy - and several day-care centers are within about a half mile of the store's proposed site. Bauer said the store is willing to finance a traffic study to determine the volume on U.S. 90 and Lakewood Drive.
The article says the state Department of Transportation and Development will ultimately decide whether to place an additional traffic signal on U.S. 90. Residents already have complained that they have witnessed more accidents on U.S. 90 with the construction of the nearby Davis Pond diversion project. Residents of the nearby Willowdale and Willowridge subdivisions have begun using Lakewood Drive to leave their neighborhoods because of the traffic headaches.
The report says St. Charles Councilman Bill Sirmon said he wanted to gauge the community's reaction to the proposed store. Sirmon said he also plans to meet with leaders of the Lakewood West Civic Association and Willowdale Property Owners Association to see if the snags can be ironed out. The proposed access road has been approved by the St. Charles Planning and Zoning Committee but was tabled at Monday's council meeting. "They're not going to build this Winn-Dixie without the permission of St. Charles Parish," Sirmon said.
According to the article, store officials also need clearance from the Army Corps of Engineers, because the nine-acre site is mostly wetlands, and the state Transportation Department, to build the store's main entrance off U.S. 90. Lakewood area residents also have flooding concerns in a neighborhood where most of the 200-plus homes flooded in May 1995. But David Overstreet, parish engineer, said the store would feature a retention pond and cause less runoff than the undeveloped site. Bauer said the store is designed to handle a 25-year storm, even though the parish only requires a system to handle a 10-year storm. Bauer said the store will have about 125 employees. The company plans to close the Winn-Dixie at Paul Maillard Road.
PUBLICATION: The Washington Post
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Pg. D01
BYLINE: Peter S. Goodman and Scott Wilson
DATELINE: Anne Arundel, Maryland
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Ray Smallwood, president, Maryland City Civic Association; Jeanne Mignon, vice president, Russett Homeowners' Association; Brent Quan, resident; Joan Baker, resident; Shane Pendergrass, Howard resident and representative.
The Washington Post reports that neighborhood activists in Anne Arundel County, Maryland find themselves staring at a $100 million, 100,000-seat auto racing track and entertainment center that would host National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing events.
According to the article area activists had only recently successfully fought the Washington Redskins and their visions for a 78,000-seat stadium in Anne Arundel. "If Jack Kent Cooke couldn't do it, I didn't think anybody would have enough nerve," said Ray Smallwood, president of the Maryland City Civic Association who was a central player in the community campaign to send the Redskins elsewhere. "I figured we'd scared a lot of wolves out of the pack, but apparently, they're still hungry."
The article describes how the racetrack would be built on what is now an inaccessible and wind-scoured moonscape of gravel and marsh grasses, just off the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Route 32. The 400-acre parcel includes a sand-and-gravel operation. Officially, the track developer is continuing to look at other sites in the Washington-Baltimore area, but Bill Badger, vice president of the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp., which is courting the project, said: "This appears to be their favorite site. . . . These are very serious people."
The report says as news of the proposal circulates through nearby suburban communities, reactions sound much the same as those that sacked the Redskins: Many people are worried about traffic and crowds, noise and tumult. "Whenever you get large groups of people in the recreational mode -- testosterone blooming -- I think there's a little concern," said Jeanne Mignon, vice president of the Russett Homeowners' Association, which represents a sprawling community that eventually will comprise 3,500 houses, many within a few hundred yards of the proposed raceway. "Are these people going to be good citizens as they're driving around the community? Are people drinking alcohol?"
The report describes how local auto racing fans are nostalgic for the days of Dorsey Speedway, a 3,000-seat raceway that operated for 35 years in neighboring Howard County but shut down in 1985. They are hopeful local racing might now be on its way back. "I would be a seat holder," said Linda Schuman, 26, who fondly remembers watching her brother zip his Camaro around the dirt track at Dorsey. "NASCAR is a big, upcoming thing."
The article says the track would be built by Middle River Racing Association, a partnership of two Baltimore entrepreneurs and an owner of Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania. It is now doing traffic studies and plans to make presentations to local community associations to try to win support, said General Manager Chris Lencheski. Anne Arundel County Executive John G. Gary (R) said Tuesday that he relishes the thousands of jobs and $10 million in annual tax revenue the raceway could bring, but he stressed that county support would hinge on the assent of nearby residents. "It's not a done deal," Gary said. The developers "have to do the sales work with the community, not me."
According to the article, the racing association is laboring to reassure its would-be neighbors they have nothing to fear. Although the Redskins stadium would have funneled traffic down Route 198 -- an often congested artery through Laurel and its suburbs -- the raceway would rely exclusively on the parkway and Route 32 to get people to the site, Lencheski said. Moreover, the track would be built at the bottom of a bowl, shielding neighbors from noise. A brick facade much like the one adorning Baltimore's Camden Yards ballpark would further buffer the noise, he added.
But, the report continues, many residents aren't buying those assurances. "NASCAR? We're talking noise, " said Brent Quan, who lives with his wife and two young children on a quintessentially suburban street in Russett. "It would be like putting a freeway in your back yard." Joan Baker, who lives down the street, reacted similarly. "You can't get around now with the traffic," she said.
The article describes how similar sentiments echoed in neighboring Howard, where land-use battles have enflamed fears of ever-worsening traffic. A coalition of homeowners associations is in a fight with the Rouse Co., which wants to build 1,400 houses on a parcel not far from the NASCAR site. Some Howard officials reacted sharply to the idea of a sports venue even larger than the defeated football stadium just over the county line. "If there are negative impacts, Howard will get them," said Del. Shane Pendergrass (D-Howard). "If there are positives financially, Howard will not benefit." But Joseph Rutter, Howard's director of planning and zoning, said Howard likely won't take a position on the proposal, just as it stayed largely on the sidelines of the Redskins stadium fight. "We do not try to dictate local land-use decisions in neighboring jurisdictions," Rutter said.
The article says Howard County Executive Charles I. Ecker, a Republican candidate for governor, said he was confident Route 32 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway would handle most of the traffic, sparing local roads from NASCAR crowds, and he said the races could boost business at local hotels and restaurants. Indeed, several Howard businesses were calculating likewise, welcoming the proposal as a possible economic boon. Howard's aging Route 1 strip has undergone a renaissance of sorts, and local business owners said a racetrack expected to draw people from throughout the region could further fuel the transformation. "I certainly like the idea of this region getting some share of those dollars," said Steven H. Adler, the managing partner of the Savage Mill, a 19th-century mill turned mall in southeastern Howard.
According to the article, the developers confirm that no Anne Arundel County dollars would be needed to make the project go. Baltimore County, once the first choice for the raceway site, appears to have lost the project because of developers' concerns that a needed extension to Route 43 wouldn't happen quickly enough for them to land NASCAR races. Lencheski said existing roads feeding the Anne Arundel site probably are sufficient now, with a ramp leading to the site from Route 32 already in place. State highway authorities now are designing a $62 million road improvement project for Route 32 that will eliminate traffic lights and make it a freeway from the parkway to Interstate 97. Gary said that project has been in the works far longer than a NASCAR track has been in the picture.
PUBLICATION: The Chicago Tribune
DATE: December 18, 1997
SECTION: Metro Du Page; Pg. 1; Zone: D
BYLINE: Rogers Worthington
DATELINE: Chicago, Illinois
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Roberta Dorsey, Park Ridge resident; Ronald Weitecha, Mayor of Park Ridge; Arlene Mulder, Mayor of Arlington Heights and chair of the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission.
The Chicago Tribune reports that six months after Mayor Daley's "Fly Quiet" program at O'Hare Airport in Chicago, area residents are still complaining about aircraft noise. Some residents say noise is worse.
According to the article, in June, Mayor Richard Daley announced his "Fly Quiet" program to reduce overnight aircraft noise around O'Hare International Airport. The idea was to reroute departing flights over forest preserves, industrial parks and other less populated areas of the noise -weary suburbs ringing O'Hare. The airlines promised to cooperate, and Chicago's Aviation Department printed 15,000 manuals telling pilots how to achieve the goals.
But, the article continues, six months later, many suburbanites who live close to O'Hare say little has changed, and some complain that the noise is worse. The Aviation Department acknowledges that telephone complaints to O'Hare's noise hot line have increased virtually every month since the program began. City officials say the program is working between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. But they acknowledge that problems continue in the "shoulder hours" of 10 to 11 p.m., and 6 to 7 a.m., when most overnight flights depart as airlines rush off their final planes of the day or start their morning schedules with bursts of activity. Meanwhile, at least one United pilot says he has never seen the noise -abatement manual. And if he were to get one, he said, it would be difficult to integrate it with pilot flight books.
The report says FAA officials say safety concerns leave them at the mercy of wind direction, even if that means scuttling Daley's anti- noise program. They say they must launch large, heavily loaded planes into the wind. And if that takes the aircraft over residential areas at low altitudes, then so be it. Municipalities, such as Schiller Park, where Chicago has soundproofed homes, are less vocal. But in suburbs including Bensenville, Arlington Heights and Harwood Heights, as well as parts of Chicago's Northwest Side, the complaints have been steady and heavy. In October, they hit a high of 3,668, nearly 10 times May's total, according to the Aviation Department. Thirty-six percent were during the Fly Quiet hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. "You can't carry on a conversation. You can't hear the TV upstairs at night. And my husband, who could sleep through a burning house and who never woke up for a crying baby, is awakened by this," said Roberta Dorsey, who said she considers the noise over the last six months to be the worst in the 30 years that she has lived in Park Ridge. "Is the Fly Quiet program working? I don't believe so," said Mayor Ronald Weitecha of Park Ridge, the suburb that has phoned in the most noise complaints and a member of the anti- noise Suburban O'Hare Commission.
The article says Aviation Department officials blame publicity, politics, runway repairs and shifting wind for the complaints. They say publicity over Fly Quiet has drawn attention to O'Hare's noise hot line. They also suspect that some supporters of a third regional airport appear to be calling the hot line in an effort to run up the noise complaints and make Fly Quiet look like a failure. Deputy Aviation Commissioner Christopher Arman says complaints during Fly Quiet hours sometimes come from areas where no planes were flying.
The report describes how city officials say they should be applauded for trying to contain night noise at the world's busiest airport, site of 2,600 landings and departures a day. "There's no other airport in the country that's attempting something like this," said Dennis Culloton, an Aviation Department spokesman. Culloton considers Fly Quiet's main achievement to be putting flight controllers, airlines and many suburban officials on the same page in attacking the noise problem. "Would residents rather we not be attempting anything at all?" he said. Although city officials say the program has achieved 90 percent compliance between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., problems persist in the busy shoulder hours. Those problems are significant because, in October, nearly 74 percent of all nightly departures and nearly 40 percent of complaints for the Fly Quiet period occurred between 10 and 11 p.m. or between 6 and 7 a.m. "It's still not working effectively during the shoulder hours," said Arlene Mulder, Mayor of Arlington Heights and chair of the city-backed O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, a group of municipalities working with Daley on airport noise. Mulder has expressed concern that there may be too many departing planes during the shoulder hours. The commission was successful this fall when it persuaded air-traffic controllers to deny requests for takeoffs in which planes don't use the full runway and thus depart at lower altitudes. Most of October's noise complaints were about low-flying aircraft.
Meanwhile,the report goes on, it's questionable how many of the 15,000 handsome, blue "Aviator's Guide to Noise Abatement" manuals printed for the Fly Quiet program have made it into pilots' hands. "Crews will take off and land according to the directives they have printed in their operations manual--which is not this (Fly Quiet manual)--or on verbal instructions from the tower," said John McNamara, a United pilot who contends that the city's manuals have not been widely distributed. Ultimately, the wind dictates whether air-traffic controllers and pilots can follow Fly Quiet guidelines. "For a lot of what we do at the FAA, we don't have a choice," said Denis Burke, who directs the Terminal Radar Approach Control center in Elgin.
The article says the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission is starting to scrutinize why noise complaints have grown. In January, an independent noise analyst is expected to join the effort.
PUBLICATION: The Orlando Sentinel Tribune
DATE: December 17, 1997
SECTION: Local & State; Pg. D1
BYLINE: Cory Lancaster
DATELINE: Orlando, Florida
The Orlando Sentinel Tribune reports that county commissioners in Orlando, Florida voted to sign a 50-year lease with the Central Florida YMCA and contribute $1.9 million toward the new fitness center in Blanchard Park. Area residents worry about noise and are concerned over the loss of their park.
According to the article, hundreds of residents attended meetings about the plan last summer, and some complained it would bring too much noise and traffic to their sleepy, natural park. Only three residents showed up for Tuesday's vote and none spoke at the meeting. Afterward, two said they figured the approval was a done deal. "My whole neighborhood is still against it," said Chris Logue, 18, who sat quietly in the back of the meeting with his father. "I've lived right on the park for 18 years. I hate to see something like this built."
But, the report continues, commissioners, who spent almost an hour debating the details of the lease, said they worked hard to resolve the residents' concerns. Commissioners, for example, demanded to have more say over who serves on a YMCA advisory board that will recommend activities and fees for the fitness center. And they said they want the park's playground to be moved and open to residents while the fitness center is being built. The county and the YMCA will make the suggested changes to the lease and contract in the next few weeks, and then give them to the county chairman to sign. That will commit the county to the partnership, although commissioners still will have some say over the center's design, which will be similar to - but smaller than - the Downtown Orlando "Y" on Mills Avenue, according to the contract.
The report says commissioners called the Blanchard Park "Y" a good deal for residents. The fitness center will take up only 4 acres of the park's 130 acres, half of which encompass wetlands and the Little Econ River, they said. No tax dollars will be spent to operate and maintain the fitness center, and the YMCA will provide 5,000 square feet of space inside for community meetings and other public uses.
PUBLICATION: The Richmond Times Dispatch
DATE: December 17, 1997
SECTION: Hanover Plus, Pg. J-3
BYLINE: Charles Boothe
DATELINE: Hanover, Virginia
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Laura Berry, member, Hanover Coalition to Save Our Community and Stop the Airport Expansion; Kevin Damian, member, Hanover Community Alliance.
The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that a municipal airport in Hanover, Virginia recently received approval from a neighborhood association for a runway extension.
The article explains that the Hanover Community Alliance, a group representing neighborhoods around the Hanover County Municipal Airport has given thumbs up to a proposal to extend the airport's runway. "As far as the extension is concerned, we voted 6-3 in favor of extending the runway," said Ron Harman, chairman of the alliance. The alliance has representatives from 10 neighborhoods in the area. "Since February we've attended many meetings on the extension, received a lot of information and reviewed the environmental study. We haven't heard any evidence to lead us not to support the extension."
According to the article, some residents have repeatedly said the project will merely lead to increased air traffic, creating more noise and more danger. But members of the Hanover Community Alliance also want the Board of Supervisors to adopt a resolution stipulating that nothing will be done at the airport to expand the facility beyond its current capacity. Some residents believe the county has a hidden agenda and the extension is part of a larger plan to expand the airport.
The article describes how last month the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the project to lengthen the runway and taxiway by 750 feet. The extension has been touted by the county as a measure to maintain another margin of safety, especially for small jets using the airport in inclement weather. The extension of the runway and taxiway would bring the total runway length to 5,400 feet. County officials say the project has been in the works for five years. Richard Johnson, Hanover County's deputy administrator, said he's lived near the airport for 17 years and he shares other residents' concerns. But he's convinced the airport is safe and the runway extension will further improve safety. He said the $2.2 million project will be financed by federal and state grants from various airport-related fees, not from taxpayers, and the county's portion will only be 2 percent of that total.
The article says the impact reduction, he said, will result from aircraft having more runway, which will enable them to climb and turn before flying over residences, reducing noise and adding yet another margin of safety. Johnson also said the land is there, no property owners will be affected and the only change would be that a few trees may have to be "topped off" because the obstruction area around the airport will be extended. If more airplanes and small jets use the airport in the future, Johnson said, it will be a result of natural growth in the area, not because the runway is longer. Johnson said the danger to residences near a general aviation airport is minimal. "There was only one accident in 1996 (nationwide) that resulted in a fatality to a person not at the airport or on the aircraft," he said. "A plane had to land on a highway and struck a car."
According to the report, Jackie Dankos, chairman of the airport Advisory Committee, agrees with Johnson that the extension will add another element of safety and will not mean more traffic and larger planes. He said the runway is designed for aircraft under 40,000 pounds, which means it couldn't handle large planes, and the separation of the runway and taxiway is too narrow for larger planes. According to information provided by the county, the runway is designed to handle planes such as the Falcon 50 business jet, which weighs 39,000 pounds and has a wingspan of 62 feet. A Boeing 727 weighs 170,000 pounds and has a wingspan of 108 feet. Dankos, who has been a pilot since 1973, said 5,000-foot and longer runways are becoming standard for general aviation airports.
The article says currently, 79 aircraft (only one small jet) are based at the airport, said Paul Pedersen, owner of Sundance Aviation, the airport's fixed-based operator. "More than half of those are used primarily for business purposes," he said, adding that the airport has an average of 160 to 200 operations a day. He said Sundance has 13 planes and employs 24 people, seven of whom are pilots. Pedersen said pilots who routinely use the airport try to work with the county in avoiding flyovers of residential areas. Because many flights are for pleasure and training, Pedersen said, people may not realize the economic benefits of the airport. "We have three separate charter companies bringing bank mail and bank checks every weekday evening," he said. "That gives 150 to 200 people three or four hours work after they land. And that's just one example."
The report says Dankos said several businesses are located at the airport, and have planes based there. Some owners of those businesses and others located at nearby Hanover Industrial Air Park spoke at the Planning Commission's public hearing last month and said the airport is a valuable asset to them. Ricky Dennis, owner of Townsend Racing Products, said the airport is essential to his business. "When we have parts coming in, they can land and be at our business in minutes," he said. The county estimates that the airport helps pump $6 million to $8 million annually into the local economy.
The article explains how an environmental assessment related to the project, completed in 1995 by the Federal Aviation Administration, concluded that the extension would create no significant impact in many areas, including air and water quality, noise, safety, vehicular traffic, home relocation and business activity. Still, some residents are not convinced. Laura Berry, who lives in the AshCreek development near the airport, said she remains opposed to the extension. "I feel one of the largest questions is a matter of informed consent," she said. "The expansion has been planned for a long time, but we were not told about it until January (1997)." She said many residents who moved to the area were told the facility was "a little country airport with no plans to expand." "A lot of it has been a semantics game," Berry said. "Whether it's an extension or expansion it means the same thing, and that's more and more aircraft. "If the county will assure us there will be no increase in operations that would be fine. But they're not going to do that. We don't want to shut down the airport, and we don't have a problem with improving its appearance and maintaining it. We just don't want more air traffic."
The article says Berry is a member of an organization called the Hanover Coalition to Save Our Community and Stop the Airport Expansion, which, she said, was formed earlier this year after the extension plans were announced. According to a brochure containing the coalition's stand on the issue, the runway extension is just another step toward a new terminal building, an additional taxiway and an access road, enabling the airport to "fulfill its role as a general aviation reliever airport for Richmond International." That, the coalition says, will mean "more aircraft, higher noise levels, more vehicular traffic, lower housing values, greater danger and a diminished quality of life." "The FAA and certain county officials want to expand the Richmond International Airport to handle more cargo and commercial flights. They want to divert general aviation traffic from RIC to Hanover Airport to free up RIC's capacity ... We believe their plan is regional economic development at the cost of Hanover citizens. Unless you're one of the relative few who will financially benefit from the expansion, it's a bad plan for you." Berry said the extension and expansion are tied together, and she doesn't believe the Board of Supervisors will adopt the alliance's resolution.
According to the article, Kevin Damian, a resident of Fox Head, is skeptical as well. He is a member of the alliance and was one of the three who voted against supporting the extension. "I think the money could be better spent elsewhere," he said, "and I think the county has a different agenda than they're saying. They want to attract more planes, more corporate jets." Damian said his neighborhood sees a lot of air traffic, especially training flights with touch-and-go patterns. "It's like an air show out here sometimes," he said, adding that the last thing residents want is more aircraft.
The article says Berry said she would not have moved to AshCreek if she had known about the extension. She was looking, she said, for a more tranquil quality of life. "We may as well have moved to Innsbrook." Since opening in 1971, the airport has seen operations increase 2 percent to 4 percent annually, according to county officials. While the day-to-day operations of the airport and routine maintenance are handled by Sundance Aviation, the county employs an airport manager who oversees the contract with the fixed-based operator and works on various projects and grants. Much of the airport's income is generated by fuel sales, hangar rentals and services performed by Sundance Aviation, but the county still contributes about $50,000 to $100,000 a year for capital improvements.
PUBLICATION: The San Francisco Chronicle
DATE: December 17, 1997
SECTION: News; Pg. A22
BYLINE: Rick Delvecchio
DATELINE: Oakland, California
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland port commissioners voted to move ahead with a $600 million airport expansion yesterday, saying the benefits of the project for the region outweigh the problems that added noise could cause for airport neighbors.
According to the article, the expansion is 10 years overdue, and Oakland must act now to hold its share of the Bay Area's passenger traffic and to make room for the fast-growing air cargo business, port commissioners said. "In the interests of the larger community, we must move ahead," Commissioner James Lockhart said. Construction would begin in the fall on a series of 18 projects, including new cargo handling facilities, a single passenger terminal with 12 added gates, a parking garage and a widening of 98th Avenue. Port officials say the changes will make the airport access easier. The added convenience, they say, will draw East Bay travelers who now choose San Francisco International Airport.
The report describes how San Leandro residents and school and city officials say noise from cargo flights is dragging down property values and disrupting classes at a nearby elementary school and middle school. The city of San Leandro has demanded an end to night air operations at the airport's North Field. The city also wants the port to adopt a noise insulation program for homes, businesses and schools modeled on one in use at San Francisco International. Speakers from San Leandro and Alameda pressed for more time to review the environmental papers, which they said had been issued in revised form with too little time for review.
PUBLICATION: The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
DATE: December 17, 1997
SECTION: Local/State, Pg. 7B
BYLINE: Yolanda Rodriguez
DATELINE: Sarasota, Florida
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that sidewalk dining has become very popular in Sarasota, Florida, particularly on St. Armands Circle, prompting calls for stricter controls from nearby residents because of concerns about noise.
According to the article, throughout the city, 27 restaurants have permits for outdoor dining on rights of way and 12 of them are on St. Armands Circle, where nearby residents have complained. The Sarasota City Commission is currently preparing to hold public hearings on two amendments to the zoning code to regulate outdoor dining on city rights of way. The proposed ordinance regulates the number of tables that can be put out and how far apart they can be from each other. But it also has a section that places further restrictions on St. Armands restaurants. Restaurants there would be prohibited from putting out tables if they are 120 feet from a residential zone. It also requires the restaurants to stop serving food and beverages outdoors at 10 p.m., seven days a week. Patrons would be required to leave their outdoor tables by 11 p.m.
The article says current laws regulating cafe-style dining do not have time restrictions for restaurants using rights of way. But the laws do allow the city engineer, who issues the permits, to impose whatever restrictions he feels are necessary to protect the surrounding neighborhood, said Sarah Schenk, an assistant city attorney.
The report says the second ordinance would regulate open-air dining on private property in commercial areas throughout the city. On private property, restaurants would have to stop serving at 11:59 p.m. But if they are within 120 feet of a residential zone, they would have to stop serving at 10 p.m. Restaurants could have outdoor tables across the street from homes if they were granted a special exception, and if they have a 61/2-foot-high masonry wall with no windows separating the tables from homes.
According to the article, restaurant owners are unhappy with the proposed restrictions. John Monetti, manager of the Columbia Restaurant on St. Armands Circle, said that the time restrictions included in the ordinances will essentially force restaurant owners to stop seating patrons at about 8 p.m. because a meal often takes two to three hours to complete. He said that the proposed laws have come about because of concerns about noise, but that the city was already dealing with that issue. Troy Syprett, one of the owners of Big Shots Sports Cafe on Main Street, said the city is sending the message to business owners that "what we let you do today, we may not let you do tomorrow. We will change the rules on you."
PUBLICATION: The Times-Picayune
DATE: December 17, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Pg. B1
BYLINE: Rhonda Bell
DATELINE: St. Charles, Louisiana
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Michael Heath, president, Red Church Civic Association; Ellis Alexander, St. Charles Parish Councilman; Curtis Johnson, St. Charles Councilman; Ganesier Ramchandran, St. Charles Councilman.
The Times-Picayune reports that a proposed grain barge fleeting operation that would be moored on the Mississippi River just across the levee from Destrehan's Red Church subdivision in St. Charles, Louisiana is drawing heated opposition from neighborhood residents and St. Charles Parish Council members.
According to the article, protests from angry residents of Red Church and surrounding areas caused council members to fire off a letter of objection to the Army Corps of Engineers, which has final say on the project proposed by Tulane Fleeting Inc. of Waggaman. Tulane is applying for a corps permit to operate a grain barge transfer station consisting of eight tiers of barges, nine barges wide on the river near Longview Drive - Red Church's main drag. Residents say they are concerned that the fleeting would emit fumes, create noise and possibly pose a safety hazard for the neighborhood of 280 homes. A corps spokeswoman said Tuesday that the agency is reviewing the application.
The report says council members said the fleeting business could pose a hazard and interfere with the quality of life in Red Church. "It is high time we protect those residents who bought those houses in good faith," said Councilman Ganesier "Ram" Ramchandran. "Most of us are pro-industry. We understand the concerns. But industry can go beyond the zones where citizens in good faith bought property." Councilman Ellis Alexander recommended that the council include a list of stipulations that the corps consider if it issues Tulane the permit. The stipulations include no loading or unloading of grain at the site, no obnoxious odors from the barges, activities limited to daylight hours, no communications using outside speaker systems and maintaining the trees on the batture. Alexander also asked that the corps hold Tulane responsible for expenses residents would face if they are forced to evacuate because of an accident at the fleeting center.
The article says Tulane did not have a representative at the Monday meeting and company officials declined to comment when contacted Tuesday. Richard Ferdon, a Destrehan real estate agent who owns part of the batture adjacent to the site, said the company has a purchase agreement with the property owners dependent on Tulane being awarded the needed permits.
According to the report, Red Church residents were supported by other Destrehan residents in opposing the Tulane fleeting. Neighbors say they want to keep the three-mile stretch of river from above the Hale Boggs Bridge to New Sarpy below the Norco-Good Hope industrial strip commercial-free. "We already have trains behind us," said Michael Heath, president of the Red Church Civic Association. "We don't want to be boxed in in the front. There are problems with noise, safety, and we've had runaway barges."
Councilman Curtis Johnson proposed a "dead zone" for the corridor between the bridge and New Sarpy. "This is one of two or three miles of the most densely populated residential areas on both the east and west banks," Johnson said. "There are four nationally recognized landmarks, four schools and day-care centers. I'm not talking against industry. Yes, we're supposed to work together, but let's make this a dead zone for people in that area." "I'd like to call it a river scenic zone to encourage tourism," Ramchandran said. "This would be a great place for tourists to come and visit our plantations. This is valuable riverfront."
PUBLICATION: The Hartford Courant
DATE: December 16, 1997
SECTION: Town News; Pg. B3
BYLINE: Eric Ferreri
DATELINE: South Windsor, Connecticut
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Lewis Miller, resident.
The Hartford Courant reports that the town council in South Windsor, Connecticut unanimously approved a noise ordinance that some Barbara Road residents hope will bring peace and quiet to their neighborhood.
The article says the ordinance allows the town to restrict noise in industrial, commercial and residential zones. The ordinance sets a series of decibel level limits for day and night in various zones. The ordinance defines daytime as the hours between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Violators will be subject to a $99 fine.
According to the article, several council members acknowledged that enforcement would be difficult. Prior to the vote, the council saw just how easy it may be to violate the noise levels. Using a noise meter, Mayor Marianne Lassman Fisher took several readings and found that when one person in council chambers talked, the meter read 65 to 70 decibels. Under the ordinance, decibel levels in a residential zone during the day can't exceed 55 decibels, or 45 decibels at night.
But, the report continues, several Barbara Road residents in attendance told the council that noise from conversation differs greatly from the noise they hear near their homes, namely that of trucks, machines and voices. The ordinance arose from a problem some Barbara Road residents had with Cupid Diaper Co., of nearby South Satellite Road. The residents say the company has been a source of noise pollution for six years. "We need some kind of enforcement," said Lewis Miller of 31 Barbara Road. Miller was among a handful of residents who stood and applauded moments after the council approved the ordinance.
The article describes how under the ordinance, residents cannot operate machinery such as lawn mowers, leaf-blowers, snow blowers, tractors or chain saws from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., except during the 24-hour period following a snowfall or other weather-related emergency.
The report says some council members question whether the ordinance can be enforced, because offenders can quiet the noise before town officials can get an accurate reading. "This is the most unenforceable ordinance to come across the table in several years," said council member Ed Havens. "I don't see how it will give them any relief."
PUBLICATION: The News Tribune
DATE: December 16, 1997
SECTION: Local/State; Pg. B3
BYLINE: Rob Carson
DATELINE: Tacoma, Washington
The News Tribune reports that King County is negotiating with the Muckleshoot Tribe over a 20,000-seat amphitheater the tribe is building on farmland near Auburn.
The article describes how members of the King County Council rejected an ordinance proposed by Councilman Kent Pullen (R-Kent) that would have required all county land-use, health, safety and environmental laws be enforced on reservation land not held in trust by the federal government. The land on which the amphitheater is being built is owned by the tribe but has not been placed in trust status, leading to confusion about who has legal jurisdiction.
According to the article, Republicans on the council advocated trying to get tough with the tribe. But a majority of council members voted to let County Executive Ron Sims proceed with talks under way to reduce noise and traffic expected from the outdoor facility. "This ordinance would set a horrible precedent, not only for this region but for our nation," said Councilman Larry Gossett, the leading opponent of the ordinance. Gossett said the tribe is a sovereign nation by treaty and negotiations must be government to government. Pullen disagreed, saying, "This ordinance simply states ... the power the county already has."
The article explains that if the council had passed the ordinance, it would have set a national precedent and almost certainly would have led to a long legal battle. Several national Indian organizations had promised to support the Muckleshoots in keeping the county out.
The report describes how the council's vote came after hours of emotional testimony by people who live near the reservation and tribal members. Residents say the noise and traffic generated by the facility will destroy their community and present public-safety issues. During concerts, traffic on two-lane Washington 164 will block emergency vehicles, opponents say. Tribal members say treaties ensure their right to the land, upon which the county has no authority. They say the amphitheater will provide jobs and money for the tribe.
The report says construction on the amphitheater continues. Contractors say it will be completed by Labor Day 1998 if the Army Corps of Engineers this week approves a proposal to fill wetlands.
PUBLICATION: The St. Petersburg Times
DATE: December 16, 1997
SECTION: Pasco TIMES; Pg. 3
BYLINE: Richard Verrier
DATELINE: New Port Richey
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Harold and Carla Dunn, residents.
The St. Petersburg Times reports that Sun Toyota wants to build a larger parts and service center and an express lube service in New Port Richey, Florida. Some neighboring residents want to put a roadblock in those plans, saying it will bring more noise, traffic and runoff to their neighborhood.
The article says the development reflects the dealership's growing business, said Sun Toyota co-owner Jeff Cadwell. "We've experienced steady growth since 1989, and the last two years have been tremendous," he said. Sun Toyota will sell about 3,725 cars, trucks and recreational vehicles this year, up 22 percent from the previous year, Cadwell said. He declined to disclose sales or net income figures. Dealerships nationwide are branching into lube services to recoup business lost to oil change chains. "We feel it's an additional service to the consumer," he said.
The report says last week the county's Development Review Committee upheld a permit for the 17,188-square-foot addition, which had been appealed by Jib Sail Court residents Harold and Carla Dunn. County commissioners will have the final say on the permit.
The report describes the Dunns argument that the dealership's expansion will exacerbate noise, traffic and drainage problems for nearby residents. Sun Toyota proposes to expand a retention pond on its site and close off a concrete drainage ditch at the edge of the Dunns' property. The Dunns say Sun Toyota has never obtained an easement for the ditch, and therefore does not have a right to close it off. "Sun Toyota is using my client's property as a door mat for their dealership," said Richard Heiden, a Clearwater lawyer representing the Dunns. "They are using it for drainage purposes without a lawful easement."
According to the report, Cadwell said he has tried to accommodate residents' concerns. The dealership recently adjusted a pager system to reduce noise levels, he said. The larger service center will replace a detached building on the south side of the property, creating more parking space and making traffic on Old Bailey's Bluff Road safer, Cadwell said. "We'll have service bays under one roof which will expedite the flow of business and traffic," he said. Cadwell said the expansion would reduce runoff to nearby properties. "This project will allow us to retain more water on the property than we had before," he said, citing plans for an expanded retention pond on the site. The area has long had a flooding problem, but Sun Toyota's site "has been designed in accordance with Pasco County standards," said Paul Montante, acting development review manager for the county. The Dunns are among two families who have sued the county over a lift station near Sun Toyota. The residents say the lift station, which pumps sewage to a treatment facility, has repeatedly overflowed sewage onto their property.
PUBLICATION: The Tulsa World
DATE: December 16, 1997
SECTION: News; Pg. A14
BYLINE: D.R. Stewart
DATELINE: Tulsa, Oklahoma
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Dwight Harrison, resident.
The Tulsa World reports that more than 300 people living near Tulsa International Airport recently heard bad news from airport noise consultants.
The article describes how many of the residents who have complained for years about excessive aircraft noise and vibrations that rattle windows and crack plaster found that they live in areas that are not noisy enough to qualify for property buyouts. Residents also learned that those who qualify for financial assistance or a sound insulation program probably won't receive that assistance for five to eight years.
The report describes how like many in attendance, Dwight Harrison of 8914 E. Marshall St. was not pleased by the report from the noise consultants. "Our neighborhood has gone from well-kept and stable to a rental neighborhood," Harrison said. "My sister bought my house, the very first brick-model home in Layman Acres, in 1956. They've been having these meetings since 1956, saying they were going to buy it out but it's a pretty good dog-and-pony show.
The article explains that airport noise consultant Ryk Dunkelberg, an associate of Barnard Dunkelberg & Co. in Tulsa, was retained by airport trustees to update the 1990 noise study. He conducted a formal public hearing on the noise issue in July, when residents complained about inability to sleep at night or enjoy outdoor activities and physical damage to homes from aircraft noise and vibration. Dunkelberg recommends that trustees purchase 12 homes: 10 along Sheridan Road west of the airport and two north of the airport along Mingo Road. For about 800 residents who live south and west of the airport -- west of Memorial Drive, east of 89th East Avenue and west of Sheridan Road -- the consultant proposes the purchase from homeowners of a flyover easement, a program to insulate homes and a sales assistance program that would compensate sellers for the difference between the appraised value of the property and the sales price.
The article describes how one woman, who did not identify herself, asked Dunkelberg who would buy her home knowing that it was in the flight path of military jets and commercial airliners. Several property owners complained about being in limbo; not knowing when or if they will receive assistance to sell or insulate, not wanting to invest further in property for which they might not be fully compensated.
According to the article, James Barrow of 8924 E. Marshall St. said the decibel levels measured by the consultant were only averages. Property owners also receive peak decibel levels, which cause the most damage. "Repairs will be necessary, and they will be considerable," Barrow said. "I don't think this program will work. I think the only thing you can do is buy (all) the houses and help people move out." Dunkelberg said he would consider the comments in his recommendations to the trustees.
The report says according to Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, homes experiencing aircraft noise levels of 65 decibels or higher qualify for federal buyout assistance or sound insulation. Noise levels of 70 decibels -- roughly equivalent to the sound experienced by an observer situated 50 feet from a busy freeway -- should be sufficient to begin considering measures to prevent loss of hearing, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
PUBLICATION: The Detroit News
DATE: December 15, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Pg. Pg. C3
BYLINE: Christopher M. Singer
DATELINE: Detroit, Michigan
The Detroit News describes the Neighborhood Compatibility Program at Detroit International Airport. The program offers noise abatement opportunities for people in specific areas around the airport.
The report describes how Colleen Pobur is in charge of noise issues in communities closest to Detroit Metropolitan Airport. "Some people are upset because they live just outside the exposure area," said Pobur, manager of the airport's Neighborhood Compatibility Program. Others want the wheels of government to turn a little faster. Pobur's agency, using money from the federal Aviation Trust Fund and a surcharge on airline tickets sold at Metro Airport, can aid 2,600 homeowners living in Romulus, Taylor, Huron Township and a portion of Dearborn Heights who live inside the approved noise exposure area. Homeowners outside the noise exposure areas don't qualify for aid. Pobur can help homeowners in one of three ways: The county buys their home; the county insulates the home from noise at a cost of about $25,000 a house; or the county ensures homeowners it will pay them the appraised value of a home they planned to sell anyway, if the home doesn't sell for its appraised value within a year. According to the report, Pobur said so far the county has concentrated on acquiring property. Wayne County must apply annually for federal funding, Pobur said. "We've aggressively gone after all the funds we can get," she said.
The article says, she added, the county can't predict what the total cost of the noise program will be until homeowners decide whether to sell or insulate. Many choose not to sell. "People love these communities and don't want to leave," she said. Insulation means "seal up all the holes," Pobur said, with acoustical windows and doors, modifications to walls, exterior insulation and central air conditioning so homeowners don't have to open windows in hot weather.
The report says many area residents are not satisfied with the program. "She tells you what the Wayne County executive (Ed McNamara) wants you to hear," said David Glaab, a lawyer whose home and office are in Huron Township. "It's really affected people's lives in an adverse manner. The county has not moved fast enough." While acknowledging "people in the buyout area are being taken care of," Glaab complained that 250 homes in Huron Township were to have been insulated by now and haven't been. He charged Wayne County's rules are arbitrary. "They tell you a lot of things," he said. "The story keeps changing."
Where to get help
If you are one of the 2,600 homeowners living in Romulus, Taylor, Huron Township and a portion of Dearborn Heights who qualify for airport noise -abatement aid, you can reach Colleen Pobur, manager of Detroit Metropolitan Airport's Neighborhood Compatibility Program, at (313) 753-2206.
PUBLICATION: The Chicago Tribune
DATE: December 15, 1997
SECTION: Metro Lake; Pg. 1; Zone: L
BYLINE: John Flink
DATELINE: Waukegan, Illinois
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Loretta McCarley, resident.
The Chicago Tribune reports that the Illinois Department of Transportation is considering a runway expansion at the Waukegan Airport. Area residents worry about greater noise and traffic and its effects on homes and on wilderness areas.
The article says the Waukegan Port District, which runs the airport and Waukegan Harbor, wants to extend its main runway to 7,500 feet from 6,000 feet. The plan is making its way through state and federal transportation agencies. The extra length, port district officials said, would enhance safety, cut down on noise and help attract more of the local corporate aviation business that is the airport's lifeblood.
The article describes how Beach Park resident Loretta McCarley likes her house on Bayonne Avenue and the surrounding forest just as they are. But a $27 million plan to expand nearby Waukegan Regional Airport could force McCarley, her neighbors and a section of the Lake County Forest Preserve to be uprooted. McCarley said the benefits offered by the expansion may be worthy, but they pale next to predictions that as many as 100 homes and 90 acres of the Lake County Forest Preserve may be directly affected. McCarley is unhappy about the prospect of losing her house but is more upset at the prospect of losing her surrounding woods. She said she was among the petitioners who urged county officials in 1988 to buy a large tract of the property, including the acres surrounding her home.
The report says the proposal to expand the airport stems from a 1993 study that said Waukegan Regional needs to extend its main runway to stay competitive, port district officials said. Local business heavyweights Abbott Laboratories, Baxter Healthcare and Case Corp. of Racine, Wis., among others, maintain hangars at the airport for their corporate jets, they said. "This expansion would retain our corporate base and, hopefully, attract more," said Walter Jones, executive director of the port district. "We think that's our niche in this market." Waukegan Regional is classified as a general-aviation airport and handles about 100,000 flights per year, Jones said. It is the only airport in Lake County that handles large jets, such as the McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 and Boeing 727.
The report explains how several buildings near Green Bay and Yorkhouse Roads, at the southwest end of the airport, interfere with the angle at which large planes approach the runway. Even a large truck, in the wrong place at the wrong time on Green Bay Road, can get too close to approaching aircraft for the comfort of the Federal Aviation Administration. The runway operates under two waivers from the FAA because the end of the runway is too close to Green Bay Road and because the road's elevation is too high. The waivers are only valid as long as the equation does not change, Jones said.
The article says if the Illinois Department of Transportation decides to widen the road, which is likely to happen eventually, pilots would be required to land 1,000 feet farther down the runway, reducing its effective length to 5,000 feet, he said. To complete the extension, Green Bay Road would have to be looped around the end of the runway to the west. Tunneling the road under the runway was studied but dismissed when the project's cost of $12 million was deemed too high, Jones said.
The report says although as many as 100 homes could be affected, it is unclear how many of them would have to be torn down and how many would simply be exposed to more noise, Jones said. "There's a lot of flexibility in this," Jones said. "Not in where the runway goes, but in what would need to be done with nearby properties." The General Assembly is expected to approve a bill next spring to allow IDOT to pursue a more detailed study of the proposal, Jones said.
PUBLICATION: The Dallas Morning News
DATE: December 14, 1997
SECTION: Opinions; Guest Commentary; Pg. 7A
BYLINE: Michael Landauer
DATELINE: Arlington, Texas
The Dallas Morning News published an editorial about how residents surrounding the existing Arlington High School have complained about trash, traffic, and noise resulting from school activities. Many Arlington residents don't want a school in their back yard for the same reasons, though the present school is bursting at the seams.
The editorial describes how residents of Fanin Farms area in southwest Arlington took a similarly dim view of the AISD's proposal to build a sixth high school in their neighborhood. The district has tried to find a compromise with Arlington High neighbors, offering landscaping to shelter residences from the daily impact of hundreds of high school students nearby. Conflicts with state law to trade for the land virtually ended that proposal, but the virulent reaction raises an interesting question.
The editorial says not since after the Civil War has there been such opposition to schools in Texas. Seen as a Yankee idea being pushed down the throats of well-meaning farmers, public schooling was widely opposed in Texas. Not until this century did a Texas government really support public schools other than its land grant colleges. The thinking was that if you educate the young'ns, they will want more than a life of farming can offer. The Farm Bureau last week in Arlington was still expressing concern about a lack of interest in farming among today's youth.
The editorial explains how it's really not that anyone opposes education any longer. Indeed, just the opposite. Fears of high schools are really a sad statement on the growing presence of crime in our schools. Increasingly we read and hear of the need for metal detectors and increased security in schools. One Arlington boy brought a gun to school earlier this month saying that he needed it for protection. But with all the problems related to today's youth - including sex, drugs and icons like singer Marilyn Manson, who bills himself as a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson - accepting a new school for kids is a pretty welcome obstacle to overcome. We're doing a good job of convincing kids to stay in school, now we just need to convince residents to welcome the schools as neighbors.
PUBLICATION: The Ledger
DATE: December 14, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Pg. B1
BYLINE: Bill Bair
DATELINE: Lakeland, Florida
The Ledger reports how noise shatters the peace of natural areas and one's mind.
The article describes how sitting quietly and listening to the sounds of the night, while staring into the glowing coals of a fire on a cold night, is one of the great pleasures of life. To someone seeking peace and solace around a campfire, a noisy generator is the type irritation that can generate irrational behavior.
The writer describes how they were at Fort Christmas, on the eastern edge of Orange County. They were there to participate in "Cracker Christmas" activities in the park, which features a replica of a fort constructed during the Seminole Indian wars of the mid-1800s.
The neighbor, a fellow demonstrator of pioneer crafts, had said at dark he would run the generator "for just a little while." At 8 p.m., it was still running, performing that mysterious function that converts noise into electricity. It was growing louder. The writer describes how he fumed and paced and fumed some more. He moved the van between himself and the generator in an unsuccessful attempt to baffle the noise.
Someplace in the distance there was probably the hoot of an owl. And the campfire probably made popping and crackling sounds. But it wasn't the wonderful clatter of sandhill cranes he heard. It was the clatter of an aging generator, being used to power a VCR in the 1960s travel trailer parked 15 feet away.
The article describes at 9 p.m., he went for a walk, admiring the unusual alignment of planets extending upwards from the west. From 300 yards away, you could still hear the clatter of that danged generator. A little farther away, and the gas-generated racket was replaced by the sounds of nature. But it's the little irritations of life that aren't easy to quell. Now he was cold. Chilled and irritable, he returned to the little room of warmth created by a campfire, and to the din of the now-loathed generator.
The article describes how at 10 p.m., he banged on the neighbor's door and politely asked him if he was "ever going to turn that blankety-blank thing off." Inside the trailer, with the television going, he was oblivious to the noise and the irritations it had created. "I was just watching a movie," he said with a smile. "If it bothered you, you should have said something." At dawn the next morning, as we exchanged friendly greetings, he promised that he'd run the generator only briefly that evening and have it off by 8:30 p.m. After breaking camp and hooking the van to the pop-up camper, he moved to a spot near some woods on the far side of a field, which was located on the far side of the Fort Christmas Park. And in the evening, as he sat before a crackling fire, with the planets aligned overhead and the owls hooting in the distance, he again gained a new appreciation for the value of such a setting to one's mental health.
PUBLICATION: The Toronto Sun
DATE: December 14, 1997
SECTION: News, Pg. 54
BYLINE: John Schmied
DATELINE: Toronto, Ontario
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Lorri Mitoff, resident.
The Toronto Sun reports that the Greater Toronto Airport Authority has recently taken over the Pearson International Airport and is currently planning a major expansion of the facility.
The article describes how Louis Turpen has just celebrated the first anniversary of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority's assuming of control of Pearson Airport from the federal government. The authority holds a 60-year lease on the property which, when it took over Dec. 2 last year, it promised to overhaul at no financial risk to the taxpayer. In the next nine years the Authority will spend $2.9 billion tearing down, building, renovating and moving entire chunks of an operation few engineering projects can match in scope.
Pearson is the world's 31st-busiest airport, and North America's fourth most active for international flights. This year it handled roughly 26 million passengers and 400,000 tons of cargo, 40% of all the nation's air freight. It covers 1,792 hectares (4,428 acres) of land, directly employs about 15, 000 people and directly generates just over $1B in taxes annually. On average, 860 planes take off and land every day of the year, helping generate more than $5.5 billion in direct business revenue, and close to $10 billion when indirect and induced revenues are taken into account.
The report says only "lunacy" could describe the airport's patchwork planning and building, which included a sweetheart deal by private developers to build and run Terminal 3, he says. That deal essentially set up a competition where the federal government insisted on keeping passengers jammed in Terminals 1 and 2 rather than sending them to the under-utilized new facility which paid Ottawa $1 per passenger, rather than the $8 the first two did. As Turpen sees it, his job is to bring more planes to the airport - that's dollars and jobs to the Greater Toronto Area.
Turpen was hired away from San Francisco Airport in late 1995, after turning it into the fifth-largest in the U.S. He sees Pearson as he saw San Francisco 15 years ago: Old and tired, if not completely broken. When opened in 1964, Terminal 1 at Pearson was designed to handle 3.4 million passengers a year. It handled just under 10 million passengers in 1991 when Terminal 3 was opened. Terminal 2, designed to handle 11.7 million a year after an expansion, pushes through just over that and is undergoing yet another addition. Terminal 3, on the other hand, has a capacity of 12 million a year but handles only 7 million.
The report describes the staggering scope of the redevelopment. A temporary departure lounge has to be built on the infield to accommodate passengers for nine months after Terminal 1 is demolished. A massive cargo-terminal building also on the infield, the movement of the de-icing pad, fuel tank facilities and road improvements - including the realignment of Hwy. 409 - are all scheduled to be done by 2006. Beyond that come two more east/west runways (one of which may be started before 2006), the moving of a hangar, as well as the demolition of Terminal 3, and a rapid-transit spur line brought in from the Canadian National Railroad tracks just north of the property. That second round of changes - at a cost of another $2 billion or so - will be dependent upon demand, but current estimates suggest they may be needed by the year 2020 to serve an anticipated 45 million passengers a year.
According to the article, the money for all this work will be self-generated and raised through bond issues. The lease arrangement agrees to pay the federal government $8 for every passenger travelling through the airport. Except for some stipulations on operating costs, money generated by passengers over and above the 26-million mark is the airport authority's alone.
Turpen's quintessentially-American "do-what-needs-to-be-done" approach has won him many allies in the business sector. But he has had some disasters, too, say his critics. Privately, airport employees will tell you bureaucracy has increased under Turpen. The airport authority "wants to have a say in every decision, which slows some things down," says one "ramp rat" whose view seems typical. Turpen makes no apologies for his approach, saying that when he hears of a complaint against anyone - even an airline worker - he gets involved and demands to know from the airline what is being done. Turpen came under fire from about 100 area residents (some from as far as Yonge and Eglinton) at a Sept. 25 meeting to discuss the airport's "secret night-flight testing." He called the meeting after it was revealed in late August that the airport was testing the effects of noise from two arrivals between 5:15 a.m. and 5:55 a.m., six days a week since Dec. 31, 1996.
The report explains how aircraft movements are severely restricted - though not banned - between the hours of 1:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. (and beyond, depending on the type of plane). The tests were seen by some as the beginning of a 24-hour, full-operation facility, and by others as an attempt to sneak something past residents. Turpen told the crowd he and he alone made the decision to keep the flights a secret because, had people known in advance, some would have made it a point to be awake when the flights came overhead and registered a complaint. He hauled out the numbers to prove it: In the 234 days before test flights became public, the airport registered 17 complaints. In the nine days following, eight were phoned in. He was seen by some in the audience as an arrogant dictator. His promises to be a good corporate citizen fell on what some said were ears deafened by an increasingly noisy airport.
Lorri Mitoff moved into his Rockwood home south of the airport in 1982, thinking it would be a comfortable place to live. He knew the house was near the airport, but all the official plans and political promises he checked before buying assured him the operations would not expand. Then plans for a second north-south runway were unveiled by the federal government in 1989. If built, it would take planes directly overhead. Federal MPs made promises to stop it, an environmental hearing recommended against it, municipal politicians made promises to block it. It opened on Nov. 28 this year. Mitoff, 56, a former school teacher, is co-chair of the Council of Concerned Residents and president of the Rockwood Ratepayers Association. "There were promises, over and over, and they were all broken," he says. His house, worth about $280,000 six months ago, may drop to $240,000 six months from now as a result of the runway.
The report describes how despite assurances that the runway will be used only in inclement weather, about 5% of the airport's operating time, Mitoff and his allies, like David setting out to slay Goliath, are determined to close the runway. They have launched a class-action lawsuit, but first have to fight to make themselves heard as federal government lawyers are challenging their standing in court.
The article describes how from the top floor of Mississauga City Hall, Mayor Hazel McCallion can look out and see the airport that employs about 5,000 of her tax-paying citizens. She can also look towards Mitoff's neighborhood, from which she's received innumerable calls of complaints. West of the airport she can see towards Meadowvale Village, a massive tract of farmland directly beneath Pearson's noisiest runway, where 10,000 tax-generating houses are slated to go up.
According to the report, the airport authority went to the Ontario Municipal Board to stop Meadowvale Village because houses mean people and people complain and complaints can curtail an airport's operations. This fall, the airport authority was refused standing at one hearing and construction of 5,000 homes continues, albeit with large road signs warning about noise. That same warning is going on the house deeds. A challenge to the next 5,000 homes will be heard in January. "The federal government blew it" by not opposing the Meadowvale development when it was first proposed years ago, says McCallion, who herself voted for the housing project. "Still, I think it's sad the OMB did not give (the airport authority) standing."
The report says McCallion cannot easily turn her back on the decisions made in her own backyard. Realizing a second north-south runway was necessary, she negotiated with the then-Tory government in Ottawa to minimize noise to residents. "We almost had a deal, and then they were defeated in the election of '93." She began negotiating with the Liberal government, and felt she was well on the way to a deal when the airport was handed over to the airport authority. Whenever she raises the north-south runway issue with Turpen, he always raises Meadowvale Village, wanting to talk about both. She says Meadowvale was approved by city council and is out of her hands. The failure to reach agreement prompted McCallion to boycott the official runway opening Nov. 28. Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish, who had been quoted as saying a second runway would be built over her dead body, did attend.
The article says, despite the problems McCallion likes having Pearson where it is. "It is an asset, not only to Mississauga, but the entire GTA," she says. While she has had her disagreements with Turpen - "only you in the media call them fights" - she applauds what the Indiana native is doing on Mississauga soil. The airport "should have been upgraded six years ago," McCallion says.
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