PUBLICATION: CNN
DATE: October 25, 1997
SECTION: Science; Transcript #97102504V30
BYLINE: Ann Kellan, host; Kathleen Koch, reporter
DATELINE: U.S.
CNN reports that car companies are developing a technology in which electric cars can run on gasoline. The technology would allow vehicle owners to gas up at gas stations, but their cars would emit less pollution, no noise, and would get better mileage. In related news, Honda announced this week that it has developed a new, ultra-clean gas engine that will make electric cars unnecessary.
According to the broadcast, although electric cars are available, buyers haven't been purchasing them, put off mostly by long recharging times and limited driving distances. The report says there are only 3,000 electric cars in the U.S., out of a total of 180 million cars. However, the reporter says, electric cars could become more popular due to a breakthrough in fuel cell technology that allows gasoline to be converted into electricity to power electric cars. According to Federico Pena, the U.S. Energy Secretary, "You simply drive up, use gasoline as the source for the fuel cell, and so you don't have the problem of refilling time. You can do it very quickly. You get double the mileage, and you reduce your greenhouse gases by a half." Peter Teagan of Arthur D. Little said that another advantage of the cars will be that their engines will make no noise.
The broadcast goes on to explain that with the new technology, gasoline enters a fuel processor where it's vaporized, then mixed with air and steam to create hydrogen-rich gas. In the second step, carbon monoxide is burned off, leaving virtually pure hydrogen fuel. The hydrogen fuel then goes into the fuel cell, where it combines with air to make electricity. Designers currently are working to create a smaller and lighter fuel cell and processor, but they say that the cars will equal and in some cases surpass the performance of combustion engine cars.
The broadcast also reports that Chrysler announced in January it wants to build such a car. David Smith of Chrysler Corporation said, "We're glad to hear that another group has come forward and put on the table the same type of technology, looking at the real value of in maintaining today's infrastructure, and being able to give the customer the same kind of convenience and service." But, the reporter points out, such a car today would cost six times the price of an average car. Manufacturers hope to have an affordable gasoline-electric car available by 2005.
The broadcast also notes that this week, Honda introduced a new, ultra-clean engine that uses two catalytic converters to clean up emissions, bringing the levels of pollutants close to zero. However, company officials haven't decided when they will start selling cars with the engines or what the cars will cost.
PUBLICATION: The Guardian (London)
DATE: October 25, 1997
SECTION: The Guardian Home Page; Pg. 8
BYLINE: Alison Daniels
DATELINE: Great Britain
The Guardian reports that a British man was convicted yesterday of damaging his wife's hearing by yelling, causing her bodily harm. Sentencing in the case was deferred, the article says.
According to the article, Christine Pryor, aged 54, brought the lawsuit against her husband, Peter Pryor, aged 58, whom she married in 1961 and began divorce proceedings with in 1993. Christine now wears a hearing aid and a pulsating device at night to mask the ringing noise in her ears as a result of three fights with her husband in 1995 and 1996. She told the court that her husband, who himself suffers from deafness and tinnitus (ringing in the ears), held her arms down, put his mouth over her ears and shouted: "I'm going to make you suffer like I do." Christine said Peter was purposely trying to hurt her. John Riddington-Young, a consultant, confirmed that Christine's symptoms were consistent with exposure to one or more loud noises, and that damage likely would be permanent.
Meanwhile, Peter Pryor of Barnstaple admitted he had raised his voice a number of times, but denied that he had purposefully tried to harm his wife, the article says. He also denied that the incident Christine described had occurred. Peter also added that his wife had had ear problems for most of their marriage.
PUBLICATION: The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)
DATE: October 25, 1997
SECTION: Editorial/Opinion; Pg. A19
BYLINE: John Posthill, Garner resident
DATELINE: Wake County, North Carolina
The News and Observer printed the following letter-to-the-editor from John Posthill, a Garner, North Carolina resident, regarding a meeting for a proposed firing range in Holly Springs:
I attended the Wake County firing range meeting in Holly Springs on Oct. 20 and came away both impressed and saddened (Oct. 21 news article, "Residents slam revised firing range"). I was impressed with the architecture and the attention to the very legitimate citizens' concerns about noise reduction and safety.
The proposed design is nothing short of outstanding and state-of-the-art; exactly what our county-wide law enforcement agencies and the (growing) shooting public need to promote their skills and to learn and practice firearms safety. This design and location should be a source of pride to any county resident. It also puts otherwise scrub county land (landfill property) to both practical and recreational uses.
I was saddened by the refusal of some Holly Springs residents to move beyond the parochial Not-In-My-Back-Yard (NIMBY) syndrome. The facts were laid bare at the meeting by the noise consultant and the architect: people in Holly Springs will be more disturbed by their neighbors' barking dogs than the firing range even when it is in full use! And it is impossible to fire a bullet out of the range from the firing positions because of the engineered roofing areas. All the heated talk about the range being 2 miles from a school was merely fear-mongering and pandering to ignorance of the facts. Children at the school will never, ever hear the range and can never, ever be hit by a bullet fired from the range.
I have two pre-teenage daughters that I would like to take to a safe, affordable shooting facility to expose them to firearms safety and introduce them to the shooting sports. When will I be able to do that in Wake County in a safe and legal manner?
PUBLICATION: AP Worldstream
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: Financial pages
DATELINE: Amsterdam, Netherlands
AP Worldstream reports that officials from the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam announced Friday that more than 23 million passengers passed through the airport in the first nine months of 1997, an increase of 13.6% over the same period last year. Meanwhile, freight traffic increased 8.2% to about 845,000 tons in the same period. According to the article, more flights to North and Latin America, Africa, and Europe fueled the passenger growth, airport officials said. Environmentalists have decried the airport's continued growth, the article notes, saying that the increase in passenger numbers means more noise pollution for residents near the airport. The Dutch government acknowledges the problem, the article says, but doesn't want to harm the airport's growth. Various ideas are being considered to allow growth but control noise, the article concludes.
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 4; Metro Desk
DATELINE: Long Beach, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mike Donelon, City Councilor
The Los Angeles Times reports that SunJet International, which offers chartered jets from Long Beach, California's airport has temporarily stopped operating at the airport in an attempt to find aircraft quiet enough for local noise regulations. The company has 118 noise violations since July of 1995, and had 28 just in September.
According to the article, SunJet voluntary stopped their operation to look for other available aircraft, but can not find any. A city councilman said that the current fine of $300 for each violation is not high enough to encourage airlines to fix the problem; he plans to pursue higher fines.
PUBLICATION: News & Record (Greensboro, NC)
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: Triad/State, Pg. B2A
BYLINE: Ben Feller
DATELINE: Guilford County, North Carolina
The News & Record reports that Guilford County (North Carolina) Board of Commissioners Thursday narrowly rejected a purchase of land proposed by the school board for the Northwest Middle School. The Commissioners voted down the proposal because it the land parcel was too expensive, too large, and too close to the Piedmont Triad International Airport, the article says.
According to the article, the Commissioners voted 6-5 against spending $1.87 million for 89 acres off Horsepen Creek Road for the new middle school and possibly an elementary school. Commissioners who voted against the proposal said they didn't want to pay $21,000 an acre, they didn't want to buy an 89-acre site when only 45 acres are needed for the school, and they didn't like the site's proximity to the airport, which they worried would cause noise disruptions at school and could harm students' learning and health.
The article says the Board's decision leaves the school board uncertain what to do next. The school board's option on the land parcel expires at the end of October, the article notes.
Farrell Hanzaker, an associate superintendent for the school system, said airport noise would not be a problem, the article reports, because the school would be located a quarter-mile outside the airport's flight path. However, Walt Cockerham, the Republican commissioners' vice chair and a member of the airport authority, disagreed with Hanzaker, and pointed out on a map that the school would be directly in the path of the airport's busiest runway.
PUBLICATION: The Press-Enterprise (Riverside, CA)
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: Local; Pg. B03
BYLINE: Joe Strupp
DATELINE: Colton, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Jane and Charles Hazelton, Mike Mercado, Maureen Panarites, residents; Karl Gaytan, Mayor
The Press-Enterprise reports that residents in Colton, California are increasingly complaining about the train whistles from the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads, which pass through the town near Sixth and Eighth streets. The mayor has asked the railroad companies to find ways to quiet the whistles.
According to the article, residents who live near the train tracks say that the noise level and train volume have increased in recent years. Resident Jane Hazelton of Ninth Street, said the constant horn blowing has affected her sleep, disrupted her business, and nearly destroyed her marriage. She said, "It wakes us up and bothers us all day long and it has gotten worse in the last few years. I don't want to leave Colton because I love it, but it is so loud that the house shakes." Hazelton also said that tenants in a house she owns nearby also complain regularly and threaten to move. "It is just driving us crazy, it is getting too loud," she said. Mike Mercado, a 40-year resident of N Street said, "We hear it at night, and in the daytime and they don't seem to care. It is terrible." Maureen Panarites, a 25-year resident, said she has gotten used to the horns, but still wants them toned down, the article says.
The article reports that according to rail company officials, train engineers are required by federal law to blow horns at street crossings in residential neighborhoods for safety reasons. Mike Furtney, a Union Pacific spokesperson, said, "We instruct our crews regularly to be aware of the residential neighborhoods and if people can give us specific times, locations and train numbers, we can alert the crews about some problems."
The article notes that Colton historically was a major railroad crossroads, and city officials are trying to use its rail lines to lure new industrial and shipping development. But in spite of that, city officials also say the loud horn blowing must be made quieter. Mayor Karl Gaytan recently asked the railroad companies not to use the horns during late-night hours, the article says. Gaytan said, "I have heard a lot of complaints from residents and from landlords who have trouble keeping tenants. They have had increasingly more traffic in the past few years and it has really reached a peak in the past year." The mayor said he also wants the railroads to install horns that blow downward instead of straight out in order to reduce noise, and that he would like to see a significant improvement in the situation within a year.
Meanwhile, officials at Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad said they have told their engineers to use the horns as little as possible at night. Robert Brendza, the Burlington Northern Regional Director, said in a letter to Gaytan, "The engineers' discretion should be used to minimize impacts to the communities through which we operate. I have asked our local operating supervisors to monitor our locomotive engineers with respect to their use of professional discretion during late evening and early morning hours."
PUBLICATION: The Providence Journal-Bulletin
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: News, Pg. 5C
BYLINE: Tatiana Pina
DATELINE: Central Falls, Rhode Island
The Providence Journal-Bulletin reports that some of the candidates in the November 4 City Council election in Central Falls, Rhode Island say that reducing neighborhood noise would be a priority if they are elected. The article goes on to discuss each candidate in the three wards in which there are challenges to the incumbents, and the issues each candidate believes is important.
According to the article, in Ward 2, Richard Aubin Jr., 34, is challenging incumbent Robert Ferri, 50. Neither candidate said that noise issues were a top priority if elected.
In Ward 3, incumbent Robert Canavan, the City Council president, is being challenged by Douglas Pendergrass. Canavan said his top priority is curbing noise in the city, the article reports. He said that because there are 17,000 people packed into a city of a little more than one square mile, noise is one of the biggest complaints people have. Canavan added, "All conversation tends to be around the noise issue. In cars and neighborhoods. There is some scum living in this city because the absentee landlords don't care who they rent to. It's a noise issue; it's not a color issue. We are going to somehow address the issue of who we have living in our city." Meanwhile, Pendergrass ran two years ago and got 30% of the vote.
In the Fifth Ward, Sandra Moreau and Manuel Macedo are competing for a seat vacated by Councilor William Aunchman. Moreau formerly held the seat, but left the council in 1995 to run for mayor. Macedo said in his visits to residents, he has found the most frequent complaints to be noise and loose or barking dogs, the article says.
PUBLICATION: The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: Opinion; Pg. L10
DATELINE: Teterboro, New Jersey
The Record printed an editorial which criticizes Phil Engle, the manager of New Jersey's Teterboro Airport near New York City, for abruptly canceling an appearance at a meeting where he was scheduled to talk about possible increased air traffic at the airport. According to the editorial, the Port Authority has proposed to increase corporate jet traffic at the airport by as much as 20% in order to relieve congestion at Newark International Airport. Residents are justifiably concerned about the proposal, the writer says, and deserve to hear from officials.
The editorial reports that Engle canceled his scheduled appearance before the Bergen Freeholder Board less than two hours before the meeting. Engle said he "had scheduling conflicts."
The editorial points off that roughly 500 planes land or take off from Teterboro per day, and nearby residents say the noise problem has increased and caused them to have trouble sleeping. According to Michael DeMarco, a Moonachie Councilor, the number of takeoffs and landings by corporate jets has increased from 10,000 a year a decade ago to roughly 75,000 a year.
The editorial argues that because the Port Authority is considering diverting many private planes to Teterboro from Newark, residents and officials need to know how extensive the Port Authority's plans are.
PUBLICATION: The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: News; 2 Star; Pg. L01
BYLINE: Michele Comandini
DATELINE: Haledon, New Jersey
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Anne Smallheer, Nart Hapatsha, Haledon residents; Alan Shaw, Basking Ridge resident; Josephine Chambers, Paterson resident; Doreen Harrison, Prospect Park resident; Hazel DeBoer, Wayne resident; James Van Sickle, Haledon Mayor
The Record reports that residents living near quarries gathered in Haledon, New Jersey Thursday night to tell elected officials and quarry owners that they are fed up with the noise, dust, and blasting shocks they experience, and that they want stricter state quarry regulations and enforcement.
According to the article, the meeting was a follow-up meeting to a similar one held last year, which residents say was unproductive. A second hearing will be held on December 3 at Haledon Public School, the article notes. In addition, a public hearing will be held today at the Department of Labor in Trenton on a proposal to revise the current blasting regulations. The residents at Thursday's meeting said the proposal is not enough, and it will be useless unless it is enforced. The article says that a review by the newspaper of state records showed that there was a trend of reductions in fines for blasters who took remedial action, only to be followed by repeated violations.
The article reports that Thursday's meeting was attended by local and county officials, and candidates for office. Quarry representatives also were invited, but chairs reserved for them were empty. However, Robert Stewart, an event organizer, said representatives from Millington Quarry and Ringwood Quarry were sitting in the audience.
According to the article, residents tried to pressure the freeholders who attended into voting against renewing a contract with Braen Stone Industries in Haledon. That contract grants fees to the county for every ton of rock extracted from an 8.8-acre parcel the county owns, the article notes. Two freeholders, Peter Eagler and Scott Rumana, said they would vote against renewing the contract unless the quarry addresses residents' concerns. But Haledon Mayor James Van Sickle said the contract should not be renewed no matter what. The article explains that Van Sickle and other Haledon residents have fought with Braen Stone Industries for years, and the borough and quarry are in litigation over an ordinance that was to limit blasting times.
Meanwhile, the article says, many residents from Haledon and elsewhere spoke at Thursday's meeting, expressing a variety of concerns about quarry noise, dust, and blasting vibrations. Anne Smallheer of Haledon, who helped organize the meeting, said, "It's time for us to be heard, and the time for change has come." Many speakers talked about cracked ceilings and walls, dust piled up on their cars, noise that wakes them in the early morning, and repairs to their homes. Nart Hapatsha of Haledon said, "Every time they blow something up, I have to fix it. I got to get another job to pay for the repairs." Josephine Chambers of Paterson said elected officials need to pressure the state to better monitor dust, noise, and blasts. She said, "If you haven't got the guts to do it, I will get in my car and drive to Trenton and start talking." Chambers added that she is most worried about "gray dust" that has piled up in her apartment, which is more than a mile from Braen Stone Industries. Doreen Harrison lives in Prospect Park near Tilcon Quarry, and said her daughter's sheets turn black because of the dust. "I want to have my child play outside on her swing, but I'm afraid of what she's breathing," Harrison said. Another resident, Alan Shaw of Basking Ridge, said in his town, they had hired consultants from Canada to monitor blasting and sent a resident to a class on how to take sound measurements. The article notes that residents stressed they do not want to put the quarries out of business, but want to find a way to co-exist with them. Hazel DeBoer, a Wayne resident, said, "It's time for the old rules and regulations to be changed. I invite anyone to live in my house for one week when the quarry is in operation and see what it is like."
At least one official, the article says, defended the quarries. Prospect Park Mayor Al Marchitto said the quarry will soon be getting new equipment that will decrease dust. He added that the quarry has a management willing to listen to citizens and officials, pointing to quarry officials' offer to create a citizens committee to hear concerns.
PUBLICATION: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: Local, Pg. B1
BYLINE: Paul South
DATELINE: Manteo, Virginia
The Virginian-Pilot reports that Navy officials said at a meeting Thursday night in Manteo, Virginia that if 180 F/A-18 aircraft are moved from Florida to Oceana Naval Air Station near Virginia Beach, there would be only a slight increase in activity at the Dare County Bombing Range, and no impact on the surrounding environment. Navy officials' comments were made at an informational meeting, followed by a public hearing regarding the draft environmental impact statement on the proposal to shift the jets to Virginia. The article notes that only one Dare resident attended the meeting.
According to the article, the Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended in 1993 that Cecil Field, near Jacksonville, Florida, be closed. Five scenarios for moving the jets at Cecil Field are under consideration, but the Navy's preferred alternative is to move the 11 fleet squadrons (132 aircraft) and a fleet replacement squadron (48 aircraft) to Virginia. Other options on the table include moving some jets to Oceana and others to Cherry Point, North Carolina and Beaufort, South Carolina. The final decision is expected in the spring of 1998.
The article reports that if all the jets moved to Virginia, there would an additional 1,500 to 2,000 operations or "sorties" annually at the Dare County Bombing Range. The bombing range, used primarily by the Navy and Air Force, encompasses 46,000 acres and is surrounded by the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, the article notes. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mike McDonald said, "The thing to remember is that the 2,000 operations are spread over an entire year. That's not a big number compared to the number of operations being done at the Dare County Bombing Range now." The article explains that there will be 7,297 sorties flown at the range this year.
The article says that the Navy report said there would be no impact on wildlife species from increased sorties, despite the range's proximity to the Alligator River Refuge. In addition, the report said, there would be no change in noise levels from the range. The report said that wildlife in the area have largely adapted to the noise. Dan Cecchini, an environmental protection specialist for the Navy, said noise levels are calculated on a day-night average, and that additional flights would have no significant impact. He added, "As for its effect on waterfowl, there was a comprehensive study done by North Carolina State University, and it was inconclusive. But the bombs we use are inert, so there won't be anything different to what's now being done at the range."
The article explains that more public hearings will be held on the proposed move. They are scheduled for Monday at the Virginia Beach Pavilion and Tuesday at Butts Road Intermediate School in Chesapeake. The article says Navy personnel will be available from 3:30 to 7 p.m., and a public hearing will be held from 7:30 to 10 p.m. both nights.
PUBLICATION: The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: Extra; Pg. 06H
BYLINE: Marlon Manuel
DATELINE: Cobb County, Georgia
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Eugene Holder, resident
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reports that Eugene Holder, a resident of Cobb County, Georgia, has been lobbying county officials to do something about the noise from a firing range that opened near his home three years ago. Last week, Cobb County commissioners voted to spend $16,503 for experts to analyze how loud the gunfire is when it reaches Holder's neighborhood.
According to the article, the county moved its police firing range in 1994 from Pair Road off Powder Springs Road to off County Farm Road (now County Services Parkway) on land the county has owned for more than 50 years. After resident Holder complained about the noise from the range in 1994, the county commission spent less than $5,000 for a consultant to study the noise level and make recommendations for dampening it. In response to that study, a training building was constructed in 1996 which may deflect some of the noise. Officials want an updated study to find out if that is the case, the article explains. County Commissioner Woody Thompson, whose district includes Holder's land, said, "Obviously, if every complaint cost us that kind of money, we couldn't stay in business. This is somewhat unique. We only have one firing range. There's not a real quick solution to this. We can't stop training our officers." Earlier suggestions for solving the problem included an enclosed range and sound barriers made of mounds of dirt topped by trees or bushes. But, the article says, the suggestions cost up to $500,000, and were rejected. Recently, Commission Chair Bill Byrne asked that rifle and shotgun training be moved to the more remote Pitner Road landfill operated by the county.
The article goes on to explain that Eugene Holder bought his land 45 years ago, when there was no development in the immediate area. Over the decades, people, cars, and commerce have invaded the area, the article notes. But nothing disturbed Holder like the noisy gunfire that started within 1,200 feet of his 3-acre home when the firing range opened. Holder first approached the county commission in 1994, but came back in August to complain of inaction. At the August meeting, Holder played a cassette tape he said was recorded on his back porch of rapid gunfire. Cobb Public Safety Director Bob Hightower said of the tape, "When you're out there (at the range), it sounds more staccato, like firecrackers. What he played sounded more like artillery." Holder plans to play a new tape and present a petition signed by neighbors disturbed by the noise at an upcoming commission meeting. The article says some nearby neighbors are less concerned about the noise, but support Holder. Neighbor Janie Shirley said in August, "I hear it a good bit all the time, but me and my husband stay in the house with the air conditioning going. Sometimes it makes an awful racket." Holder said he is open to a county buyout, but he would rather live on his land. The article notes that the gunfire appears to be funneled into Holder's backyard by the land's topography, which includes a gully that comes up an embankment from the range into the backyard.
PUBLICATION: The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: News Pg.02B
DATELINE: Louisville, Kentucky
The Courier-Journal reports that officials at the Louisville International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky will hold four neighborhood workshops to offer previews of the ways flight patterns and aircraft noise will change when the second new runway opens on December 1. Officials said the workshops will include examples of the ways in which jets will sound in the affected neighborhoods.
According to the article, the new runway is parallel to the north-south runway that went into operation two years ago. The new runway will significantly increase airport capacity by allowing landings and takeoffs to occur at the same time, according to officials. An older north-south runway will be closed when the new one opens, the article explains, which will result in virtually no air traffic over Audubon Park, Tyler Park, Fairdale, and other neighborhoods.
However, the article says, more air traffic will appear over downtown Louisville, Germantown, and Shelby Park. Areas that will experience big increases in noise when the new runway opens include the University of Louisville, Old Louisville, and the California neighborhood, all north of the airport. But the biggest noise impact of all, the article says, will fall on Minor Lane Heights and other areas south of the airport.
Airport officials have pledged to shift as much air traffic as possible to the airspace south of the airport, the article reports, which is more sparsely populated than areas to the north. The shift will occur especially at night, when 75 to 80 United Parcel Service jets fly in and out of Louisville. The article explains that wind direction plays a large role in determining which neighborhoods experience aircraft noise. The article says when the wind is southerly, which occurs about 80% of the time in Louisville, planes will land from the north, carrying them over Southern Indiana, downtown, and Old Louisville. And, planes will take off from the south during such conditions, taking them Minor Lane Heights and Bullitt County.
PUBLICATION: The Dominion (Wellington, New Zealand)
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: News; National; Pg. 11
DATELINE: Palmerston North, New Zealand
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Matthew George Moody, resident
The Dominion reports that a man in Palmerston North, New Zealand who threatened to shoot down a noisy air force jet flying over his home was given a 12-month suspended sentence in Palmerston North District Court.
According to the article, Matthew George Moody admitted that he had made the threat to Garry Goodman, city airport manager, on September 29. Moody told Goodman if the jets did not stop flying over his home near Palmerston North airport he would "shoot the bastards out of the air" and there would be a "dead pilot next day."
Moody's lawyer, Steve Winter, told Judge Patrick Mahoney that Moody had had a long-running fight against the air force and the city council over the noise from the Palmerston North airport. Winter said Moody lost his cool after "continually banging his head against a bureaucratic wall," but had no real intention of carrying out his threats. Winter added that Moody purchased his home near the airport 14 years ago, before the air force flew planes out of the airport. Six years ago, the air force gained permission to fly Aermacchi jet "touch and go" operations out of the airport. Winter said, "The noise of aircraft as they land, and particularly when they take off, is extremely loud, and they fly very low over his house. The effects of this are that normal conversations are difficult, telephone calls are impossible, livestock is frightened and children are disturbed."
PUBLICATION: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Pg. 1
BYLINE: Bryon Okada
DATELINE: Trophy Club, Texas
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Trophy Club, Texas Town Council voted to approve the use of a drive-through window for a proposed Wendy's franchise in the Tetco building on state highway 114. Public opposition to the fast-food restaurant was strong, based mostly on the feeling that a fast food restaurant was not in keeping with the affluent, leisure-class image of the community. Increased noise and traffic problems were also brought up, the article says.
According to the article, many residents were worried about how far away residents will be able to hear the conversations taking place at the drive-through window speakers. But Wendy's representatives pointed out that the restaurant would be closing at 11 p.m. In addition, Councilor Kevin Carr said noise from passing vehicles on Highway 114 is louder than the drive-through speakers. Developers noted that the speakers are not bothersome, and orders usually take 120 seconds, the article concludes.
PUBLICATION: Las Vegas Review-Journal
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: E; Pg. 1E
BYLINE: Lisa Lytle
DATELINE: U.S.
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Sergei Kochkin, director, Better Hearing Institute; John Wheeler, president, Deafness Research Foundation; Ross Roeser, director, Callier Center for Communication Disorders at the University of Texas
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that millions of Americans knowingly or unknowingly expose themselves to sounds loud enough to damage hearing. The article goes on to describe hearing hazards and hearing loss, discuss the latest technologies in hearing aids, and outline President Clinton's recently confirmed hearing loss.
The article reports that there are between 25 and 28 million people in the U.S. with hearing loss, or about one person in ten, according to a report by Sergei Kochkin, director of the Better Hearing Institute. The main causes of hearing loss are noise, aging, and genetic predisposition.
In President Clinton's case, the article reports, doctors have attributed his hearing loss to playing in bands and listening to loud music as a teen-ager. Clinton has presbycusis, which causes him difficulty in hearing high-frequency or high-pitched sounds, especially when there's a lot of background noise. The article notes that the condition often occurs in people in their 60s and 70s, but it hit Clinton at age 51 because of his exposure to noise when he was younger. Dr. Connie Mariano, Clinton's personal physician, said the president's recent physical exam showed that his high-frequency hearing loss was greater than it was during his previous year's exam.
The article goes on to say that if we treat our sense of hearing more carefully, we won't need hearing aids when we get older. John Wheeler, president of the Deafness Research Foundation, said, "We hear because of the marvelous tiny antennae in our ears called hair cells. They're millions of microscopic little filaments inside our cochlea, and they respond to the sound waves or to pressure changes. They're connected to our auditory nerves, which produce signals that our brain converts into hearing. Hair cells are like a field of flowers. When we expose them to sonic insult -- when we're standing next to that chainsaw, 18 feet away from a 3-by-3-foot speaker at a rock concert -- that's like taking a lawnmower through the flowers. And the flowers don't grow back. Depending on which cells we mow down, we're not picking up certain frequencies."
Hearing loss caused by noise exposure has usually occurred when people continually ask others to repeat themselves, ask others to speak louder, strain to hear, or misunderstand conversations, the article says. Ross Roeser, professor and director of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders at the University of Texas in Dallas, said, "What we concern ourselves with most is the ability to hear speech correctly. When we think of high-frequency sounds, we think of the fricatives -- f, s, th, z. The word 'fist' might be heard as 'fish' or 'sin' as 'fin.' This can cause communication problems." The article asks readers to imagine the implications of the world's most powerful leader not hearing clearly.
The article advises people not to destroy hair cells in the first place, since conserving hearing is much easier than restoring it. Wheeler said, "Wear earplugs or earmuffs -- I call them 'ear guards' because that's what they are -- to block out excessive sound when you know you're going to be in that kind of situation. You should cover your ears when there's an unexpected loud noise. It's not being wimpy." According to a report from the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the article says, earplugs and earmuffs can reduce noise to levels that are not dangerous. Earplugs protect best from loud low-frequency noises, which earmuffs work best for high-frequency ones, the article notes. The report advises the use of both earplugs and earmuffs when exposed to noises at high levels, such as going into an indoor gun-firing ranges, or working with a sandblasting machine. Even noise that isn't as loud, such as noise from power tools, lawnmowers, and jet airplanes, can be hazardous when people are exposed to it several hours a day, according to a Better Hearing Institute report. The article says that because noise often destroys hearing a little bit at a time, every time you ride a muffler-less motorcycle or play the radio loud in your car, you could be doing damage. If you have to shout to be heard, or if you are slightly and temporarily deaf after exposure to noise, the sounds are damaging, the article reports.
The article goes on to explain that for people who are diagnosed with noise-induced hearing loss, there are very good hearing aids that can partly restore hearing. Hearing aids today are smaller, less noticeable, and more effective, the article says. For example, Clinton's hearing aids are "completely in canal" (CIC), and are hardly visible. Hearing aids that are surgically implantable may be common soon, said Roeser. Other special assistive listening devices can help people who are seriously hearing-impaired, according to Roeser. He said, "These devices can provide visual signals for things, like when the phone or doorbell rings, or vibrations in the pillow when the alarm goes off in the morning. For people who are profoundly deaf, there are cochlear implants that are surgically placed to allow people to hear at normal conversational levels." Kochkin wrote, "Some hearing aids sample sound 50 times a second and selectively make loud sounds soft and soft sounds loud. In a Northwestern University study, it was shown that some hearing aids can produce fidelity as good as expensive stereo systems. In fact, some of the microphones used in some hearing aids are used by recording and broadcast studios."
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 8; Zones Desk
BYLINE: Chris Chi
DATELINE: Oxnard, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Carla Bard, analyst, Environmental Defense Center; David Fanier, lawyer for Country Club Mobile Estates
The Los Angeles Times reports that a minor league baseball team wants to play on a field at Oxnard College in Oxnard, California. Residents worry that noise and traffic would result from their base there. The team, the Pacific Suns, planned to talk with college officials on Tuesday but the issue was postponed until next month's trustees meeting.
According to the article environmentalists from the Environmental Defense Fund in Ventura, and legal representatives of a mobile home park in the area believe that the environmental study commissioned by the city didn't examine noise and traffic issues carefully enough. Especially, promotions which would encourage patrons to scream as loud as possible are cause for concern.
The article concludes, noting that representatives from the team have gone door to door in the neighborhood to talk to residents about their concerns. City officials maintain that a minimal environmental review is good enough.
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 4; Zones Desk
BYLINE: Regina Hong
DATELINE: Moorpark, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Dixie and Ray Aguirre, Tony Simen, residents
The Los Angeles Times reports that residents in the Virginia Colony neighborhood of Moorpark, California say that a proposed truck storage lot near their homes is intolerable because of existing noisy industries and highways already nearby.
According to the article, the noisy intrusions already in the neighborhood include a rail line, the Moorpark Freeway (four years old), and a company that makes explosive devices for air bags and missiles. Also, an auto parts maker has blocked a once-pleasant view with a mound of dirt.
The article says that the request to use the lot is temporary, and could include 22 trucks. The lot would have to be razed of its bamboo and shrubs. November 5th is the date for consideration by the city council, and residents have vowed to fight it furiously.
The article goes on to explain that the truck-storage business is using the lot temporarily as part of a relocation. It is relocating from a residential area that complained at least 100 times over the last two years about noise and lights. It was told not to move to the new location, but it did anyway and then asked for the area to be rezoned industrial. Residents there complained as well, but the city council decided to let them stay against the code as long as they didn't construct anything. They agreed, but built anyway, causing the council to take back their approval. At that point, the company needed a temporary place to operate while they push for the rezoning of the second permanent site.
The article explains that while council members were upset at the business' violations, they didn't want the business to have no place to go. "Our job isn't to kick them out of Moorpark," said one council member.
The article concludes, noting that Virginia Colony residents feel dumped on by any development that the city council doesn't want in their immediate area. One resident noted that one recently graded hillside "was beautiful with live oak trees -- 200, 300 years old -- and they just ripped it out."
PUBLICATION: The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: News; 4 Star, also in 3 Star Late, 3 Star, 2 Star, 1 Star; Pg. L07
BYLINE: Tina Traster
DATELINE: Rutherford, New Jersey
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Arline Bronzaft, noise consultant; Alliance of Municipalities Concerning Air Traffic; Gary Evans and Lorraine Maxwell, Cornell University researchers; Kenneth Feith, senior environmental scientist, Environmental Protection Agency
The Record reports that Arline Bronzaft, an author, researcher, and noise consultant, will speak to the public about aircraft noise in south Bergen County, New Jersey. Bronzaft was asked to speak by a citizens group, the Alliance of Municipalities Concerning Air Traffic, which is fighting possible plans to re-route corporate jets to the Teterboro Airport. Bronzaft will discuss a recent study that found that children living or going to school in areas that experience aircraft noise have poorer reading skills and slower cognitive development, on average.
According to the article, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is considering re-routing corporate jets from Newark Airport to Teterboro Airport, which has focused increased resident concern on the issue of aircraft noise. The article notes that the re-routing would result in a 20% increase in corporate jet traffic at Teterboro Airport.
At her presentation, Bronzaft will discuss the results of a recent study by two Cornell University researchers, Gary Evans and Lorraine Maxwell, and published in Environment and Behavior, an academic journal. The study found that children exposed to frequent aircraft noise at home and in school have lower reading skills than kids in quiet environments, because their language skills are impaired when parents' or teachers' speech is frequently masked by other noise. Bronzaft said, "Learning skills are directly linked to good language ability. Children are being robbed of quiet, and a quiet environment makes learning easier. It's important for parents to advocate for a quieter, healthier environment."
The article notes that in south Bergen County, many homes and about a dozen schools are affected by frequent aircraft noise. According to officials, schools in Wood-Ridge, Hasbrouck Heights, Moonachie, South Hackensack, Carlstadt, Hackensack, Bogota, and Little Ferry are affected by noise from Teterboro.
Peter Yerkes, a spokesperson for the Port Authority, which owns the Teterboro Airport and operates the Newark Airport, said the Port Authority has not conducted any studies of the connection between noise and learning. Les Dorr, a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration, said, "We have done plenty of noise studies, but those have been aimed at the annoyance factor or sleep disturbance. The public health aspect is the responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency."
However, the article reports, the EPA's Office of Noise Abatement was closed in the early 1980s, and Kenneth Feith, a senior environmental scientist at the agency, said the EPA "is not currently studying noise issues because the office does not have the authorization or funding." But, Feith said, the EPA studied the connection between noise and behavior and speech disturbances in the late 1970s, and that "clearly when levels of noise mask speech or cause disturbance, people's behavior is adversely affected." Feith added that intermittent noise, such as aircraft noise, is more disturbing than continuous sounds because the ear does not have time to adjust to it.
PUBLICATION: The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: News; 4 Star, also in 3 Star Late, 3 Star, 2 Star, 1 Star; Pg. L01
BYLINE: Hugh Morley
DATELINE: Bergen County, New Jersey
The Record reports that Phil Engle, manager of New Jersey's Teterboro Airport, abruptly canceled a presentation before the Bergen County freeholders where he was scheduled to answer questions about the possible 20% expansion of corporate jet traffic at the airport. The move has angered freeholders and others, and has intensified concerns over the airport's plans, the article says.
According to the article, Engle canceled his appearance at the 3 p.m. Wednesday meeting by calling the board offices at 1:15 the same day. Engle later told the newspaper that he "had some scheduling conflicts," and would not comment further.
Meanwhile, Engle's action angered many. Bergen County Executive William "Pat" Schuber said, "It was a slap in the face for the freeholders." Freeholder James Sheehan added, "It's insulting. We had invited area officials and mayors. We just wanted to gather information." Moonachie Councilor Michael De Marco, who came to the meeting to hear Engle speak, said he was not surprised at Engle's cancellation. "It's typical of the responses that we've had from Teterboro Airport," he said. "In general, they're not very forthcoming with information." George Fosdick, the Ridgefield Park Mayor who also came to the meeting to hear Engle, said, "I'm offended. This is an issue in the broadest sense that affects the safety, health, and well-being of our residents."
The article explains that the incident came just a day after a public meeting in Little Ferry on the same issue drew 250 angry residents. Residents at that meeting vowed to oppose the re-routing of the corporate jets to Teterboro. After the meeting, Freeholder Sheehan said he called Governor Whitman's office, and was told that the Port Authority will soon organize a meeting between Authority officials and the county to clarify the plans, the article concludes.
PUBLICATION: The Buffalo News
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Local, Pg. 5B
DATELINE: Sloan, New York
The Buffalo News reports that the Sloan, New York Village Board recently adopted a nighttime noise ordinance that targets "unreasonable" noise. The ordinance carries fines of up to $250.
According to the article, the ordinance states that any person who creates or permits an "unreasonable noise" between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. is in violation of the bylaw. "Unreasonable" is defined as any disturbing, excessive, or offending sound that disturbs a reasonable person of normal sensitivities. Some of the specifically prohibited noises include:
Noise from a dog or other pet that exceeds 15 minutes.
Noise from a burglar alarm, motor vehicle or boat that exceeds 15 minutes.
Noise from a radio, tape player, television, or similar device that could be heard 60 feet from its source.
Building or demolition work done between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Operating power equipment in residential zones between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. weekdays and 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekends.
Sounding a horn or signaling device of an automobile or other vehicle for an unreasonable period of time.
Offering anything for sale by shouting on public streets and sidewalks.
PUBLICATION: The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Neighborhoods Pg.01N
BYLINE: Linda Stahl
DATELINE: Okolona, Kentucky
The Courier-Journal reports that about 70 people went to the Okolona, Kentucky fire station last week to examine the final design plan for the road extension to Jefferson Boulevard. Although there was widespread opposition to the extension earlier, many residents seem to have accepted the plan, the article says. However, some residents still oppose the extension. Meanwhile, officials from the Jefferson County Public Works Department said hearings will be held to explore the types of noise barriers that could be erected between the road extension and the residential areas.
According to the article, Jefferson Boulevard runs about a quarter-mile from Outer Loop to McCawley Road, just west of Jefferson Mall. The 1.4-mile extension would take the road from McCawley to Poplar Level Road, providing an alternate north-south corridor which it is hoped will improve traffic flow and reduce air pollution in the Outer Loop-Preston Highway area.
The article also says that Steve Tucker, assistant director of engineering for the Jefferson County Public Works Department, said a noise barrier from 12 to 14 feet high is planned along the extension. A hearing will be held soon to show videos of various kinds of noise barriers that could be erected and to gather input from residents, he said. Even with a noise barrier, however, some residents believe the extension will mean more noise, pollution, crime, and dumping, the article says.
PUBLICATION: The Daily News of Los Angeles
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: News, Pg. N3
BYLINE: Sharline Chiang and Eric Wahlgren
DATELINE: Van Nuys, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Margie Gee, former airport commissioner from Burbank; Gerald Silver, president, Homeowners of Encino
The Daily News of Los Angeles reports that the Los Angeles Airport Commission Tuesday approved a plan to impose restrictions on jets at Van Nuys Airport to cut down on aircraft noise. The restrictions would ban flights by noisy jets starting at 10 p.m., instead of the current 11 p.m. curfew, and prohibit any more of the older, noisier, Stage 2 jets from joining the Van Nuys fleet. The article notes that the proposal still needs approval from the Los Angeles City Council, but that approval seems likely.
According to the article, five Los Angeles City Councilors -- Laura Chick, Cindy Miscikowski, Hal Bernson, Joel Wachs, and Mike Feuer -- initiated the proposed restrictions. In addition, their staff members testified in favor of it Tuesday, according to Niki Tennant, a spokesperson for a City Council committee overseeing airports.
Meanwhile, officials from aviation companies say the proposed ordinance would kill the booming aviation industry in town and cause moves to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport. Clay Lacy, whose company Clay Lacy Aviation manages five Stage 2 jets, said, "If you can't bring in additional business here, then you'll have to go elsewhere. I would have to say I'd continue in Van Nuys, but any expansion I do, I'd have to look to Burbank."
But, the article points out, Burbank may not want the increased air traffic either. Currently, Burbank airport officials are proposing to build a new commercial passenger terminal, but that bid is being opposed by Burbank city officials and residents who don't want the extra noise and traffic. Commercial airlines at Burbank's airport have agreed to fly quieter, Stage 3 jets, but general aviation operators can use Stage 2 planes if they comply with a mandatory 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew. According to Victor Gill, a spokesperson for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, more business jets would not impact the number of commercial flights that can use the airport. But opponents of Burbank's airport expansion don't want to see any more noisy jets of any kind at the airport. Margie Gee, a former airport commissioner from Burbank who was recently removed partly because of her outspoken views against air terminal expansion, said, "The reason (Stage 2 planes) are being outlawed across the nation is that they are such an offense to humanity. They are not compatible with human life. The Van Nuys people recognize this. One would hope that the Burbank Airport officials recognize this."
In Van Nuys, residents say the proposed restrictions are necessary to protect their quality of life, the article reports. And some residents, including Gerald Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino and a vocal activist, say there should be even more restrictions, including a mandatory phaseout of all noisy jets using Van Nuys over five years. Silver said, "All this does is lock in the existing noise problems. What the residents have been asking for is a phaseout of all the noisy jets." Silver also is critical about the fact that the restrictions affect only jets housed on a long-term basis at the airport, and not the jets that stop to pick up passengers or make fuel stops.
PUBLICATION: The Dallas Morning News
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Park Cities; Pg. 2J
BYLINE: Lee Zethraus
DATELINE: Highland Park, Texas
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Love Field Citizens Action Committee
The Dallas Morning News reports that officials in Highland Park, Texas are opposed to possible changes in the Wright Amendment, which they say would increase air traffic at Dallas Love Field. Congress recently approved changes to the Wright Amendment, and the changes are awaiting presidential approval. Meanwhile, Highland Park has been acting as an information clearinghouse, providing information to residents about the proposed changes.
According to the article, George Patterson, town administrator, said the action by Congress to change the Wright Amendment and ease air flight restrictions at Love Field has happened quickly and without much warning. The changes could be approved by President Clinton any day, he said. "Highland Park doesn't have jurisdiction over any of this," Patterson said. "But we are trying to be responsive to citizens and provide information." He added that about a dozen people have called with questions during the last 30 days. The town has established a Love Field 24-hour Noise Complaint Hot Line, (214-670-6610), and is running information on its local cable channel.
The article explains that Highland Park passed a resolution in 1989 in opposition to changes to the Wright Amendment, contending it would increase air traffic out of Love Field and result in greater noise problems and a deteriorated air safety situation. In addition to being opposed by the town, changes to the Amendment also are opposed by the Love Field Citizens Action Committee, which recently started running radio ads in opposition to the proposed changes. The town undertook a noise study in 1990 that showed about one-quarter of its land area in is affected by the airport's activities. Patterson said the city of Dallas has a noise study scheduled in November, and he would be interested to know if they can expand the study to include Highland Park. The use of quieter jets in recent years, Patterson said, may have changed the data from the town's previous study.
The article also explains that if the proposed changes to the Wright Amendment are made, Southwest Airlines would be able to fly non-stop to Kansas, Alabama, and Mississippi, and Legend Airlines would be able to fly to any U.S. airport using modified jets seating 56 or fewer passengers. Patterson said he believes the changes will be approved. "Right now our Congress is a deregulated-minded Congress," he said. "This has all been painted to Congress as a restriction to commerce and economy because of a federal law. We see it from another perspective."
PUBLICATION: The Legal Intelligencer
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Suburban Edition; Bucks County; Pg. 7
BYLINE: Tracy Blitz Newman
DATELINE: Florence Township, New Jersey
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Norman Shabel, Philip Fusco, attorneys; Daniel and Rita Carnival, Gary Carugno, residents and plaintiffs
The Legal Intelligencer reports that residents in New Jersey's Florence Township are suing Waste Management Inc. of Bensalem, claiming the company's landfill in Tulleytown, Pennsylvania is causing noise, odor, and other problems that are damaging the enjoyment of their property.
The article reports that the plaintiffs are Daniel and Rita Carnival, Gary Carugno, and others. The suit was filed in federal court by attorneys Norman Shabel and Philip Fusco. The defendants are Bensalem's Waste Management Inc., its sister company in Morrisville, Waste Management of Pennsylvania Inc., and their parent corporation, WMX Technologies of Illinois. In addition, ten "John Doe" corporations are named as defendants, which are "intended to identify such corporate identities responsible for or liable for the construction, operations, ownership and management of the site."
The article explains that the landfill in Tulleytown is located close to the banks of the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania side, and has received trash from Pennsylvania and other states since 1988, according to the plaintiffs. The lawsuit also alleges that the trash piles reach heights of 181 feet. The plaintiffs argue that although Waste Management has taken strong steps to protect Pennsylvania residents from "excessive noise, odor, dust, intrusive lighting, and bird infestations caused by the landfill's operation," the company has not protected New Jersey residents from the same problems. The landfill has interfered with the plaintiff's enjoyment of their homes and has caused property values to diminish, the lawsuit claims.
According to the article, the plaintiffs are asking for injunctive and monetary relief, including punitive damages. The lawsuit alleges the defendants caused a private and public nuisance, trespass, negligence, and strict liability. According to attorney Norman Shabel, the plaintiffs are not seeking to have permits issued by the Pennsylvania state department of environmental protection revoked, which Florence Township tried to do in the past but failed. Shabel said, "The township of Florence hired an attorney who attempted to have the permits of Waste Management revoked or modified in the administrative process in Pennsylvania, and it was my understanding that the administrative law judge ruled that the township of Florence had no standing to sue." he said. Shabel said the township also tried to resolve the problem with litigation, but that attempt also failed.
Meanwhile, Michael Brennan, attorney for Waste Management, said the residents' claims are "grossly exaggerated." He added, "We've been working with the township of Florence, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and we have a very sound environmental compliance program at the Tulleytown site." Company officials will meet with the plaintiffs to attempt to negotiate a resolution, but Brennan said litigation still may be required.
PUBLICATION: The New York Times
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Section A; Page 26; Column 5; Editorial Desk
BYLINE: Arun Malhotra, New York City resident
DATELINE: New York, New York
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Arun Malhotra, New York City resident
The New York Times printed the following letter-to-the-editor from Arun Malhotra, a New York City resident, asking the City Council to add fines for noisy helicopters to the city's recently passed noise ordinance:
While I applaud the move by the New York City Council to sharply increase fines for excessive noise (news article, Oct. 15), I was disappointed to see no mention of helicopter noise. For me, and the thousands of others who live close to one of the several heliports in the city, this is a major source of numbing noise.
Helicopters sometimes idle their engines for as long as 15 to 45 minutes while refueling or waiting for passengers. Cutting down on the idling will provide some noise relief. I urge the Council to include helicopter idling of more than five minutes to the list of noise violations.
PUBLICATION: The Orlando Sentinel
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Local & State; Pg. D1
BYLINE: Sherri Owens
DATELINE: Orlando, Florida
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Daisy Lynum, member, Orlando Municipal Planning Board; Barbara English, resident
The Orlando Sentinel reports that a group of residents in south Orlando, Florida opposed a project by Universal studies to build a hotel and golf course near their homes and won Tuesday when the city's planning board denied the request. The residents opposed the project based on the increased traffic and noise they believed would result.
The article reports that in 1993, Universal purchased the land at Turkey Lake and Wallace roads, a few miles south of the theme park. At that time, the property had been approved for 600 homes. One year later, Universal requested a change to allow a 300-room time-share development and an 18-hole golf course. The request was approved with few complaints, the article notes. But then on Tuesday, the article says, Universal representatives came back with a change in plans, asking for permission to build instead a 600-room hotel and a nine-hole golf course. A standing-room only crowd was present Tuesday night, and the board unanimously denied the request. Now, the article says, Universal officials have till Monday to appeal the decision. Otherwise the planning board's decision will be reviewed November 3 by the City Council, which usually upholds board rulings. Daisy Lynum, a member of the city's Municipal Planning Board, defended the board's decision, saying, "We ought to have growth in the city, but it ought to be managed, it ought to be considerate, and it ought to be responsible. I don't think Universal has been a good neighbor in this application."
Residents who attended the meeting said the project had become too intrusive, the article reports. Affected neighborhoods include Spring Lake Villas, Orange Tree, Summerset Shores, and Greenleaf. Barbara English, a resident of Spring Lake Villas, said, "We don't mind having them as neighbors, but we don't want them to run over us." English and other residents say they support the time-share development because it would bring in families with an interest in maintaining property values. By contrast, a hotel would bring in short-term visitors, along with more traffic, noise, and disruption.
Residents also expressed concern about the number of employees that would be necessary for a hotel, saying they would add to the congestion on Wallace Road. However, Jim Lee, president of the Transportation Consulting Group, said the traffic impact on Wallace Road would be minimal.
Meanwhile, Allen Eberly, vice president of real estate and governmental affairs at Universal, said the company hasn't decided what to do next, the article says. He said the plans were changed from a time-share to a hotel because more hotel rooms are needed in Orlando. The golf course, he said, would have served as a buffer between the homes and the hotel. In addition, he said the hotel would have been under 45 feet tall to minimize the effect on the neighborhood. "This is a very responsible plan," Eberly said.
The article also notes that developing this site is part of a $2.6 million expansion Universal announced earlier this year. The proposed expansion includes plans for more than 5,000 additional hotel rooms, several nightclubs, and a new theme park, Islands of Adventure.
PUBLICATION: The Providence Journal-Bulletin
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: News, Pg. 1B
BYLINE: Tony DePaul
DATELINE: Warwick, Rhode Island
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: U.S. Representative Joseph McNamara; Peg Magill, Cowesett resident and anti-noise activist
The Providence Journal-Bulletin reports that a meeting was held last night in Warwick, Rhode Island by the Airport Corporation to explain plans for noise mitigation efforts at the T.F. Green Airport. Many officials and politicians attended, as well as about 100 residents. Public turnout was down, the article says, compared to two earlier anti-airport-noise meetings: one held last month by U.S. Representative Joseph McNamara, and one held in August by Peg Magill, an anti-noise activist from Cowesett, which drew about 400 people.
According to the article, Rep. McNamara said the low turnout last night was a result of "a credibility problem" with the Airport Corporation. McNamara added that he believes people distrust the Corporation. The article notes that the residents' comments were often exasperated and angry, and while Elaine Roberts, executive director of the Corporation, tried to respond patiently to comments, it became clear that the residents' patience had run out a long time ago. Frequently, the article says, Roberts was trying to reply to one comment, while a resident was insistently going on to additional comments.
The article goes on to say that the homeowners comments were essentially the same as those expressed at the two earlier meetings held this year -- people wanted assurances that their homes would be soundproofed or purchased at public expense.
The article reports that officials attending the meeting included representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Air Transport Association, the airlines' lobbying group, and the airport noise consultants Jones Payne; Wayne Schuster, the Airport Corporation's director of planning and development; Republican Mayor Lincoln Chafee; and his likely Democratic rival next year, George Zainyeh.
There will be two additional meetings this week, held by the Airport Corporation, to brief residents on the plan to commission a $200,000 study that would measure the average levels of noise in the city, decide which houses are eligible for soundproofing at taxpayer expense, and adopt flight rules that pilots could employ to minimize noise, the article says. According to Roberts, when the noise study gets underway early next year, officials will start meeting informally with neighbors in a "workshop" setting, rather than in the public hearing setting. The article notes that the second meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. tomorrow at Veterans Memorial High School, and the third for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Winman Junior High School.
PUBLICATION: The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: News; 4 Star, also in 3 Star Late, 3 Star; Pg. L01
BYLINE: Tina Traster
DATELINE: Little Ferry, New Jersey
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: State Senator Louis Kosco (R-Paramus); Louis Tedesco, Little Ferry Mayor; William "Pat" Schuber, Bergen County Executive
The Record reports that officials who represent south Bergen County, New Jersey at the local, county, and state level asked residents Tuesday to continue their fight against a proposed increase in corporate jet traffic at the Teterboro Airport. The article says that a crowd of more than 250 attended the meeting in Little Ferry and heard mayors from Moonachie, Teterboro, and Little Ferry, Bergen County freeholders, and state legislators urge them to sign petitions, write letters, and make phone calls protesting the proposed air traffic increase.
According to the article, the officials stressed that fighting the proposed re-routing of corporate jets from Newark International Airport to Teterboro Airport, which could result in a 20% increase in corporate jet traffic, would not be easy. The proposal to re-route the jets began last week, when managers at Teterboro Airport suggested the option. Little Ferry Mayor Louis Tedesco said, "We have to show big business and our legislators that we will stick together. Little Ferry can't do this alone. This is a south Bergen problem. We need to join together and use our resources." State Senator Louis Kosco (R-Paramus) said state legislators sent a resolution to the federal government opposing any expanded use of Teterboro Airport. Kosco added that he was worried that the current aircraft noise is already too distracting to the area's students, the article reports. Another official, Bergen County Executive William "Pat" Schuber, also promised to fight increased jet traffic, saying, "I don't believe Bergen County should be victimized by the Port Authority, the FAA, or the Environmental Protection Agency."
PUBLICATION: Roanoke Times & World News
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Current, Pg. NRV1
BYLINE: Robert Freis
DATELINE: Montgomery County, Virginia
The Roanoke Times & World News reports that a public hearing will be held tonight to draw comments on Montgomery County, Virginia's proposed new zoning ordinance. The changes to the ordinance have been proposed in an attempt to reduce potential conflicts between agricultural uses and suburban residential uses of land. Suburbanites in the past have complained of certain agricultural uses which they say cause noise and odor problems. Meanwhile, farmers are find it increasingly difficult to use their land for agricultural uses as suburban sprawl surrounds them.
The article reports that a quarrel that happened near Childress illustrates the problem. Two years ago, the Styne family wanted to expand its sawmill and move it about three-quarters of a mile from the Lucas Estates subdivision. But residents complained about the sawmill's potential noise and traffic, and the Board of Supervisors voted it down. In response to the action, an attorney for the Stynes said the family might put a feedlot or a pig farm on the land instead. The current zoning laws would allow the Stynes to do so without the county's permission, the article notes. Nothing has currently changed on the Stynes' land, but each side is vulnerable, according to county Planning Director Joe Powers.
Powers went on to say that suburban growth in previously rural areas like Childress is one of the county's major challenges, the article reports. The situation is creating landowner conflicts, taking some of the county's best farmland out of production, and straining public resources such as roads, utilities, schools, and public safety, he added.
The article reports that the county's current zoning ordinance was created in 1969. It allows developers to build large-lot subdivisions in agricultural areas without obtaining a rezoning. But the proposed new zoning ordinance requires sliding scale zoning, which is intended to produce fewer houses and more open space in agricultural areas. The proposed ordinance also would impose restrictions on some "intensive" agricultural operations that neighbors might find offensive, such as a large pig farm. In addition, some uses now permitted in agricultural zones would require a special-use permit under the new rules, the article says. Finally, new housing developments would have to link more closely to existing public water and sewer lines.
According to Powers, the proposed new ordinance has drawn "light" interest from the public so far. In fact, the article says, at a forum last week, none of the eight candidates for three seats on the Board of Supervisors had read the entire ordinance. Two candidates said they had scanned the ordinance.
The article notes that after tonight's meeting, the Planning Commission will hold another meeting on Thursday to discuss the comments. The proposed ordinance is expected to be sent to the Board of Supervisors before the end of the year. Tonight's public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. in courtroom B on the county courthouse's third floor, the article concludes.
PUBLICATION: Sarasota Herald-Tribune
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Local/State, Pg. 1B
DATELINE: Sarasota, Florida
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that the City of Sarasota, Florida started its hearing with the Lemon Coast Grill Monday, in the first stage of a lawsuit filed by the nightclub. The nightclub owners argue that the city's noise ordinance was enacted improperly, and that the city did not give the public proper notice, according to city prosecutor Michael Perry.
According to the article, Lemon Coast Grill representatives previously had said they would challenge the noise ordinance on constitutional grounds, but attorneys did not do so at Monday's hearing, Perry said. Lemon Coast's attorney Bob Lyons declined to comment until a decision is reached.
The article also explains that the Sarasota City Commission passed the noise ordinance in May, in response to complaints about live outdoor music from nearby residents. Lemon Coast was cited several times since May for violating the ordinance, which limits noise levels for downtown businesses to 70 decibels, the article says.
PUBLICATION: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: Local, Pg. B1
BYLINE: John Murphy
DATELINE: Havelock, North Carolina
The Virginian-Pilot reports that residents and officials of Havelock, North Carolina are lobbying Navy officials to send 180 Hornets to the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station in Havelock. The comments came at a hearing Tuesday held by the Navy to gather public input on where to transfer the jets when they are removed from the soon-to-close Cecil Field Naval Air Station in Florida. The Navy has recommended sending the jets to Virginia Beach, Virginia, but Havelock is an alternative location still under consideration. The article notes that about 75 people turned up for the hearing, and about 25 spoke, none of them opposing bringing the jets to North Carolina.
The article reports that the Navy released a draft Environmental Impact Statement last month that recommended sending the jets to Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The article says that if the jets are moved to Virginia, the Navy will bring an additional 5,600 military and civilian employees, injecting about $226 million more into the area's economy. There also would be $94 million in new construction projects, adding 1,190 private sector jobs to the area. On the downside, however, the Navy's activities would place nearly 39,000 more residents and 23 schools in high noise or potential accident zones, the article says.
At Tuesday's meeting, residents and city officials in Havelock argued that their city could accommodate the jets better than Virginia Beach for several reasons. In Havelock, people pointed out, just three schools would be placed in high-noise zones, while in Virginia Beach, 23 would be placed in such zones. Deborah Marm, an aide to U.S. Representative Walter Jones, read a letter written by the congressman that said, "One can only wonder at how significantly these jets will impact their land, air quality and traffic use. The increase in noise alone is a seemingly insurmountable problem." David Jones, a military liaison sent by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt's office, said, "Oceana is in a built-up urban area. Cherry Point is in a rural area. The jets should be shared . . . It just makes common sense." State Representative John Nichols (R-Havelock) said the jets would be welcome in Havelock. "You won't have people who will complain about noise here," said Nichols. Fred Jerett, a local developer who purchased 150 home-building lots in the hopes that the Navy would move to Havelock, said, "They [Virginia Beach residents] can't handle it [jet noise]. You are going to have a lot of resentment up there."
Meanwhile, plans are continuing in Havelock in case the Navy does decided to locate there, the article says. Bonnie Whiting, executive director of the Havelock Chamber of Commerce, said an aeronautical institute and a tourism center are planned for the town.
The article explains that Havelock, which has grown from 3,500 to more than 23,000 residents in the past 30 years, has a lot to gain if the Navy decides to send some of its jets to Cherry Point. If the Navy sent 60 jets and 1,300 employees, a best-case scenario for the city, the operation would add $1 million in tax revenues and $67 million in construction contracts, according to Navy figures.
The article notes that in 1993, the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended that some of the jets be sent to Cherry Point. In response, Havelock officials spent millions of dollars to prepare for the arrival of the Navy, including spending $5.8 million to upgrade a wastewater treatment plant and floating a bond for a new middle school. But, the article reports, two years later, a different base closure panel recommended that all the planes be sent to Oceana. Since then, North Carolina officials have been fighting to bring back the original decision.
The article also explains that the public hearing on Tuesday was one of six to be held on the topic in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The next hearing will be held tonight in Bayboro, North Carolina. Two other hearings will be held in the Virginia Beach area: on Monday, Oct. 27, at Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center, and Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Butts Road Intermediate School in Chesapeake. The hearings will begin with an open information period from 3:30 to 7 p.m., followed by the formal hearing from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
PUBLICATION: The Arizona Republic
DATE: October 21, 1997
SECTION: Mesa/Apache Junction Community; Pg. EV1
BYLINE: Monty Phan
DATELINE: Gilbert, Arizona
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Doug Hoschiet, member, Southeast Valley Community Alliance
The Arizona Republic reports that the Arizona State Fair, currently located in Phoenix, intends to relocate in a few years, and residents living near a possible new site in Gilbert are in an uproar over the possible relocation to their neighborhood. They oppose the move because they believe the fair would drive down property values, increase crime and vandalism, clog up streets, and cause too much noise, the article says. As a result of resident sentiment, the Gilbert Town Council unanimously passed a resolution last month opposing the fair's move to the area. Meanwhile, residents living near the fair's current location don't want it to leave, saying the fair has mostly been a good neighbor, and they are worried about what might locate on the land parcel if the fair isn't there.
According to the article, the proposed 640-acre site in Gilbert is located near Power and Elliot roads. However, the State Fair Board still is considering four possible sites. Meanwhile, the article says, a citizens group, the Southeast Valley Community Alliance, is continuing efforts to oppose the fair's possible move to Gilbert. Doug Hoschiet, a member of the group, said they have gathered at least 5,000 signatures against the fair locating in Gilbert.
PUBLICATION: The Daily News of Los Angeles
DATE: October 21, 1997
SECTION: News, Pg. N1
BYLINE: Rick Orlov
DATELINE: Hollywood, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: L. Gail Gordon, attorney for the Rampart Rangers-East Hollywood Neighborhood Watch Group; Geoff Saldivar, president of group
The Daily News of Los Angeles reports that residents in a Hollywood, California neighborhood are seeking to shut down a gay sex club that is operating without a permit because of problems with noise and parking. However, the article reports, Los Angeles Councilor Jackie Goldberg is working to keep the club open. The operators of the club are seeking a conditional use permit that would allow the club to stay open, even though it is next to a residential neighborhood and near an elementary school. The City Council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee is to consider the proposal today, the article says.
According to the article, residents living near the club complain that they are awakened at night by noise and annoyed by parking problems due to the fact that the club stays open until 4 a.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. on weekends. L. Gail Gordon, an attorney hired by the Rampart Rangers-East Hollywood Neighborhood Watch Group, said, "This is an older neighborhood, a working-class neighborhood and people need their sleep. They are very worried about the impact of parking. Many of the club patrons park on residential streets and the cars are there all night long." Geoff Saldivar, president of the residents group, said the group did not want to make an issue about what goes on inside the club, but wants to focus on eliminating the problems they've had in the area resulting from the club. Saldivar said he doesn't understand why the city has allowed the club to operate without permits, and he noted that the club is near Lockwood Elementary School and within 500 feet of a residential area, even though a city ordinance prohibits adult entertainment establishments from operating so close to homes.
The article goes on to describe the fight in more detail, including the fact that the club has a strong ally in Jackie Goldberg, the Los Angeles City Councilor who represents the area. Goldberg maintains the sexual encounter club should stay open because it serves an important function and reduces public sex in the community. She also says the club offers an avenue for safe sex education and HIV prevention. Because of Goldberg's support of the club, Saldivar has appealed for help to other homeowner groups around the city, asking them to get their council members to oppose the club. The article reports that the Homeowners of Encino and the Van Nuys Homeowners Association have joined the fight.
PUBLICATION: The Idaho Statesman
DATE: October 21, 1997
SECTION: Local ; Pg. 2b
BYLINE: Kendra Martinez
DATELINE: Boise, Idaho
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Victoria McFadden, resident
The Idaho Statesman reports that the Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission approved a request for a conditional-use permit for a commercial reception center in a residential neighborhood in Northwest Boise. But the prospective buyer who requested the permit said she will not go forward with plans for the facility because nearby residents are opposed to it. Residents have said they are worried that the center would create noise, congested traffic, and parking problems.
According to the article, the prospective buyer, Marvel Jensen was going to purchase the home on Ustick Road if the city would grant her a conditional permit, which they did. Jensen said she was interested in creating a reception center on the site because it had a pool and a homey atmosphere. She said she was interested in getting some of the elderly people in the neighborhood to help run the center. But now, she said, "Since they [the neighbors] are so against the idea, it wouldn't be the right thing to do."
The article reports that the neighbors appealed the zoning decision twice. They were concerned about the increased noise and traffic a reception center would generate, especially because of the two retirement parks in the area. In addition, residents believed the allotted 65 to 70 parking spaces would not accommodate the estimated 250 guests expected some nights. A petition collected 67 signatures in opposition to the permit, the article explains. Victoria McFadden, a resident who lives next door to the site, said, "We were not opposed to someone opening a business. But we were concerned about hearing parties and music five nights a week. This area is classified as residential. We like to spend time in our yards and this is the only yard we have." Residents maintained that they do not object to all businesses that might locate in the area, but they would like to see businesses that don't generate a lot of noise and traffic.
The article also notes that neighbors said when the property was put up for sale, it was advertised as a good site for wedding receptions, which caught Jensen's interest.
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: October 21, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 1; Zones Desk
BYLINE: Richard Warchol
DATELINE: Camarillo, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Carla Bard, analyst, Environmental Defense Center; John Buse, staff attorney, Environmental Defense Center; California Native Plant Society
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Environmental Defense Center and the California Native Plant Society have filed a lawsuit against the Ventura County, California to stop a golf course and a 16,000-seat amphitheater from being built at the 320-acre Camarillo Regional Park. Members of the group believe the environmental study of the project's impacts is inadequate and doesn't fully address the problems the project would cause related to air quality, noise, traffic, wetlands, and biological habitat.
According to the article, representatives of the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) said Monday that their aim was not to thwart efforts to build the first major concert venue in the county, but to protect the open spaces and the wide array of plant and animal species in the park for future generations. John Buse, staff attorney for the (EDC) said, "It is not a question of whether Ventura County should get a venue like this. This isn't the right use of this place." The EDC also maintains that the traffic, noise, and air quality impacts of the project on Camarillo residents would be severe. Carla Bard, an analyst with the EDC, said, "The citizens of Camarillo get no financial benefits from this, but they get all the impacts." Meanwhile, David Magney, the conservation chair of the California Native Plant Society, says the environmental study performed for the proposed project contained incomplete surveys of the park's plant habitat, and did not adequately address the impact of car exhaust fumes on a federally threatened plant found in the park, the dudleya veritye. Magney said car exhaust could make the plant unable to reproduce. The park is one of just three places in the world where the plant is found, according to Magney.
But, the article goes on to say, county officials say the project is perfect for the site, and that they are not worried about the lawsuit. The said Monday that they plan to go forward with design and construction plans for the project. Groundbreaking could begin in December, and the amphitheater could be open for the summer season. Robert Amore, the county's lease development manager, said, "We haven't seen the lawsuit yet, but we're confident that it's not going to be a problem. These lawsuits happen all the time. It's part of the development process. What they're saying just doesn't hold water. That's why we're not worried."
The environmental groups maintain that county officials have refused to consider downsizing the project or finding another location because they are trying to generate income for the parks system. The project is expected to generate up to $750,000 for the county each year and help create one of the only self-sufficient parks systems in the nation, the article reports. Last year, county supervisors cut the annual subsidy to the parks system, which forced park officials to find ways to make money off the parks. Last month, the project and its environmental report was approved by county supervisors after a lengthy public hearing, the article notes.
However, the article says, the project must still obtain a federal permit through the Army Corps of Engineers, which still is concerned over the project's impact to environmentally sensitive wetlands. County officials have re-designed the layout of the project to reduce the impact on wetlands from about 50 acres to less than three acres, a move which could qualify the project for a fast-track permit through the Army Corps. But, the article says, the re-designed plans were released in August, three months after the environmental impact report was released for public review. The environmental groups contend in the lawsuit that under the California Environmental Quality Act, the re-designed amphitheater and golf course was a new project, which requires a re-circulation of the environmental document. But instead, county supervisors approved the document a month later, the article explains. According to the EDC attorney, no one had a chance to comment on the re-designed project, the article concludes.
PUBLICATION: The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)
DATE: October 21, 1997
SECTION: News; Pg. B4
BYLINE: Kevin Potter and Lynn Bonner
DATELINE: Holly Springs, North Carolina
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Leslie Kapel, Tim Sack, residents; Gerald Holleman, Holly Springs Mayor
The News and Observer reports that a revised, smaller proposal for a firing range near Holly Springs, North Carolina, owned by Wake County, was presented to county commissioners Monday. However, the article reports, many residents continue to oppose the firing range, saying the site is inappropriate.
According to the article, county commissioners asked an architect to revise the firing range plan in July after residents and elected leaders opposed the previous plan. The revised plan, presented by architect Mark Williard at Monday's meeting, was re-oriented so the shooting was aimed toward a landfill. Instead of an earthen berm at the end of the range, the revised plan contained a wall which would absorb bullets and save the lead for recycling. In addition, the revised plan cut the number of firing positions from 62 to 45, and provided for a roof to cover both ends of the range. According to Phil Stout, director of facilities design and construction for Wake County, the design makes the noise "as low as we could possibly make the sound in a semi-enclosed range. If this range is built the way it's currently proposed, it will be in compliance with the county noise ordinance."
However, the article reports, residents packed the meeting Monday to protest the new proposal. The range, first proposed ten years ago, is in the wrong place according to residents. The location is two miles from Holly Springs Elementary, and subdivisions have been approved nearby that could have up to 2,870 homes. Resident Leslie Kapel said, "We implore you to re-examine your choice of site. It is no dishonor to change your plans, even after 10 years of hard work. But it would be a sin to place this range in an inappropriate location." Another resident, Tim Sack, said, "We are talking about affecting the quality of life for your constituents." And Gerald Holleman, mayor of Holly Springs, said the town has hired a law firm to "take whatever action necessary to oppose the firing range."
Some in the crowd supported the firing range, the article notes, saying police officers and others need somewhere to train.
The article concludes that the board is expected to discuss the new proposal, and possibly vote on it, at a November 3 meeting. One county commissioner, Yevonne Brannon, has suggested over the past several months that the county build a firing range on land near the Shearon Harris nuclear power plant in southern Wake County.
PUBLICATION: The Orlando Sentinel
DATE: October 21, 1997
SECTION: Local & State; Pg. C1
BYLINE: Maria Perotin
DATELINE: Deltona, Florida
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mike Clark, resident
The Orlando Sentinel reports that officials from the Deltona, Florida City Commission met with officials from the Orlando Sanford Airport Monday to discuss problems with jet noise over Deltona. Residents turned out to complain about increased jet traffic over the city.
According to the article, several city commissioners and residents said they are upset about the noise and potential safety hazards of the aircraft. Resident Mike Clark lives in southeast Deltona, said he purchased his property because it was so quiet he couldn't even hear traffic noise. But that changed a year ago when airplanes started flying over several times a day, he said. "I never would have bought that lot three years ago if I knew these planes would be going over my head," Clark said. Commissioner Wayne Gardner said that although aircraft are supposed to fly close to Lake Monroe, they frequently fly over densely populated residential areas instead. He added, "I live two miles north of the lake, and I can hear them over my home. They're flying right down Normandy (Boulevard) heading for I-4."
The article notes that Deltona is one of many communities in the area disturbed by jet noise resulting from thousands of tourists flying to Central Florida each year. Jack Dow, an official from the airport, said the airport formed a noise abatement committee about eight months ago, which is working on solutions. He added that he would research the possibility of adding a southwest Volusia representative to the committee. Residents should call the airport's hotline (407-323-2604), he suggested, to make complaints about noise.
PUBLICATION: Rocky Mountain News (Denver, CO)
DATE: October 21, 1997
SECTION: Local; Ed. F; Pg. 16A
BYLINE: Marlys Duran
DATELINE: Greenwood Village, Colorado
The Rocky Mountain News reports that a City Councilor in Greenwood Village, Colorado challenged a proposed 80-acre annexation Monday, saying it makes no sense to build 499 homes beneath a flight path for Centennial Airport. The issue was raised during a public hearing on the proposed annexation, which would annex South Peoria Street, Cherry Creek Drive, and parts of Peoria Street and East Belleview Avenue. The developer, Cherry Creek Holdings Partnership, sought annexation to Greenwood Village after the Arapahoe County commissioners rejected the housing plan, based largely on concerns about aircraft noise. Meanwhile, the article reports, three studies have reached different conclusions about the impact of aircraft noise on the site.
According to the article, Councilor Tim McManus said, "I have a real problem with putting residential communities directly in the flight path." McManus also said the density of the proposed development was "contrary to the nature of our village." The article notes that McManus will be off the board when it votes on the annexation issue. The decision will take place after the November 4 election, and McManus isn't seeking re-election.
The article also explains that three studies reached different conclusions about the impact of jet noise on the site. The developer's study said the impact would be minimal. According to Councilor Clark Upton, the flight noise would be significantly reduced if loud Lear jets don't fly over the area at night. Another report, prepared by city planners, concluded that serving the 499 homes would cost Greenwood Village nearly four times what it would receive in tax revenue, the article reports.
PUBLICATION: The Canberra Times
DATE: October 20, 1997
SECTION: Part A; Page 8
BYLINE: Dr. Colin Doy, Kaleen resident
DATELINE: Canberra, Australia
The Canberra Times printed the following letter-to-the-editor from Dr. Colin Doy, a Kaleen resident, regarding a proposal to build an airport between Sydney and Canberra to solve the problem of noise and development at the Canberra Airport:
Discussion of Canberra Airport development and noise is following the well-worn path from Sydney, where happiness is to divert aircraft over someone else's roof. Adding a minor Sydney airport is part of this tactic and a diversion from the reality that existing airports reflect times when air travel was not the norm and aircraft were but toys compared with the giants of today and tomorrow.
The proper answer for development, and surely of prime national significance, is a new Sydney/Canberra airport in rural NSW. MagLev to Canberra removes the tyranny of both route and remoteness. Even incorporating Wollongong and otherwise impossible grades, the mid-point is only 30 minutes to Sydney Central. For Canberra the terminus is the airport (has Canberra Central ever been considered?). This provides Commonwealth, NSW and ACT politicians and planners with a cheap-skate option for spill-over of international traffic and noise pollution (in time for the Olympics?). Charges could be set to attract charter and cut-price regular flights. Canberra automatically becomes a gateway and a potential tourist stopover in or out. This plan also loads the economics in favor of MagLev, itself an outstanding tourist attraction.
To begin with, MagLev transforms Canberra into an outer suburb for Sydney, but later, with MagLev sweeping on to Melbourne, Canberra becomes a maturing capital city fully incorporated into Australian life. Share the Beauty ($50,000 consultation fee, Kate) but Feel the Power (what nonsense inviting retaliation). We share the pain to make the gain but the pain should not be necessary.
PUBLICATION: Bangkok Post
DATE: October 20, 1997
SECTION: Pg. 04
DATELINE: Bangkok, Thailand
The Bangkok Post reports that residents in the Klongside area of Bangkok, Thailand will get some relief from the noise generated by boats on the city's canals when authorities begin strong action against them in December. Boats which violate the noise standard of 100 decibels, as specified in the 1992 Environment Act, will face a fine of 1,000 baht, according to Sirithan Boriboon, director general of Pollution Control Department. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the Pollution Control Department, the Harbour Department, and the police will combine efforts to instigate the crackdown, the article says.
According to the article, the Pollution Control Department has tried but failed to control the noise levels of boats in the past. Sirithan said that department officials had attempted to force boat-owners to install engines in the middle of the boats, and to equip buoys under the boats to reduce the noise level, but boat owners said the measures would be inconvenient. Sirithan also noted that during the upcoming crackdown, noise will be measured 50 cm from boats instead of from Klongside as the department used to do. However, the article explains, if boat owners repeatedly violate the law, authorities have not yet decided what measures to impose.
PUBLICATION: New Straits Times
DATE: October 20, 1997
BYLINE: Luke Teoh Ipoh, resident
DATELINE: Malaysia
The New Straits Times printed the following letter-to-the-editor from Luke Teoh Ipoh, a Malaysian resident, who discusses why Asians often fail to enforce noise and other types of regulations, and complains about the inaction on solving a noise problem resulting from a supermarket air conditioner near his home:
Susan Moffat in her report, "Asia Stinks" (Fortune magazine, Dec. 9, 1996) said, "In their race for growth, Asian societies haven't had time until recently to consider what they've been doing to destroy the misty green landscapes so celebrated in paintings and the great sacred rivers adored in their poetry." She further said, "For now, enforcement of new regulations too often remains spotty at best. But that's where the new demanding middle class comes in. Because Asian countries tend to be less legalistic, less willing to enforce laws unless a consensus has been reached that they should be, public opinion is critical. In that sense building public awareness that it's immoral to pollute is essential."
Thus, I would like to thank the director of the Perak Department of Environment and his staff for taking Tasek Cement Bhd to court for polluting the Kinta River on Feb. 11. The Fire Services and Rescue Department, the police and the public should also be commended for reporting the incident.
The National Society of Clean Air And Environmental Protection (United Kingdom) in its leaflet on noise pollution says: "Sound is essential to our daily lives, but noise is not -- noise can be defined as unwanted sound. It is a source of irritation and stress for many people and can even damage our hearing if it is loud enough." Noise nuisance in the UK is covered by Part III of the Environment Protection Act (1990). This law empowers local authorities to deal with noise from fixed premises if they consider that the noise amounts to statutory nuisance. I wonder whether we have such a law here.
We, the residents of Housing Trust, were very happy when The Store supermarket started operating in Jalan Kampar early this year. We found to our distress though that we were bombarded with a continual and irritating drone from the tall cooling units of the air conditioning system of the supermarket. I saw an executive of The Store and he promised to rectify it within a fortnight. When I met him again, he said that the other residents had not complained. So I guess he took it that we should bear with the noise. I then reported this to the DOE and an officer (Encik Azahar) told me they would look into the complaint. I was very surprised and thankful when he informed me two weeks later that the supermarket had been advised to conceal the cooling towers to reduce the noise. It is already more than half a year but nothing seems to have been done. I hope the DOE will look into the matter.
PUBLICATION: The New York Times
DATE: October 20, 1997
SECTION: Section A; Page 18; Column 4; Editorial Desk
BYLINE: Adrienne Leban, New York City resident
DATELINE: New York, New York
The New York Times printed the following letter-to-the-editor from Adrienne Leban, a New York City resident, who says that the city's recently passed ordinance that raises the fines for noise violators will not work for several reasons:
In regard to the destruction of New York City residents' quality of life by loud bars and clubs, the City Council's tripling of the fines for noise code violators is meaningless as long as the violations are issued by the Department of Environmental Protection (news article, Oct. 15).
There are only four nighttime inspectors to cover all five boroughs. In my experience, it takes months to get an inspection of a complaint, and if the inspectors arrive on a quiet night, too bad for the long-suffering resident.
Further, the decibel level that by law must be breached for a violation to be issued is not only too high (45 decibels), but the department will not write a summons unless it gets a reading of at least an additional 3 decibels above the legal limit, or 48. Many clubs have sound meters and take their own readings, setting the volume of their sound systems at 47. Further, the pounding bass that invades people's homes escapes the normal meter, and a more elaborate procedure is required, necessitating inspectors to encamp in your bedroom for many hours.
The tripled fines could only begin to work if the noise control decibel levels are reduced and larger fines are applied to police summonses now issued in response to noise complaints. Even better, the city should apply the same penalty for clubs as for blaring boom boxes on the street: confiscate the equipment.
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: October 20, 1997
SECTION: City; Pg. C1 / Front
BYLINE: Carla Brown
DATELINE: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The Ottawa Citizen reports that a west-end neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada has developed a neighborhood experiment in which residents place all their garbage on one side of the street and all their recycling on the other side of the street in an attempt to reduce the number of truck trips through their neighborhood. The citizens say their project will save money and reduce noise and truck exhaust.
According to the article, the effort is being spearheaded by Roz Mathews, who got the idea when her women's church group discussed practical ideas to help the earth. Another woman, Margaret Linton, had heard about a similar pilot project in North Bay. The article reports that in North Bay, the project ran during July and August, and recycling collection was reduced by 13%, while garbage collection costs fell by 7%.
The article says that the community tried out the idea for the first time last Friday. Mathews said, "Most people participated. But even if they don't, sometimes a neighbour will move it for them, or at least the trucks have to make fewer stops." Mathews added that many residents aren't really doing this for the environment. She said, "People don't always care about wasting energy, but they definitely care about all the noise from the trucks."
PUBLICATION: Sacramento Bee
DATE: October 20, 1997
SECTION: Main News; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Yvonne Chiu and Peter Hecht
DATELINE: Roseville, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Bruce Brown, Byron Gums, Patty Tinney, Jessie Chasko, residents
The Sacramento Bee reports that eight military bombs were detonated Sunday at the rail yard in Roseville, California, damaging homes and disturbing hundreds of residents. The Vietnam War-era bombs were discovered in the rail yard by workers of the Union Pacific Transportation Co.
According to the article, the eight intact bombs were found Saturday at the western end of the rail yard near the community of Antelope. The discovery followed an earlier discovery of one bomb on Oct. 7 that was subsequently detonated, requiring the evacuation of 300 to 400 residents. As a result of that incident, Union Pacific hired a private company to search the area for bombs. That company claimed the area was clear of bombs just four days before the new ones were discovered. The bombs are believed to be left over from a freight train explosion in 1973, in which the train was carrying about 7,000 bombs headed for Vietnam. The article says it was never determined how many of those bombs were driven into the ground by the blast.
The article goes on to describe the way the discovery of the bombs was handled by Union Pacific. Officials at the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department are upset because the bombs were moved before sheriffs were notified, endangering the public and the workers.
The article goes on to report that the eight bombs were detonated in the early hours of Sunday. Sheriff's deputies encouraged residents in Antelope to voluntarily evacuate, but unlike the earlier detonation, many residents stayed home, the article says. The first four bombs were detonated at 1:30 a.m., and the second four at about 2:45 a.m.
Residents reported fallout ranging from shattered windows to homes hit by shrapnel. Resident Bruce Brown said he and his wife and two children hid in the bathroom during the detonation, and his home was hit by a two-inch piece of shrapnel. He said, "It shook the house really bad. It was a crackling noise, and the first thing I thought was the roof tile slid off." Another resident, Byron Gums, discovered that the stucco walls of his new home had cracked from the explosions.
The article also reports that residents said the first batch of four bombs made only faint popping noises, but the last four were extremely intense. One was especially scary, they said. A flash lit up the nighttime sky, and their houses trembled with extreme force, they said. Residents as far away as Fair Oaks felt the explosions.
The article notes that the Sheriff's Department received at least 12 complaints of fallout damage to homes, and more than 100 emergency calls after the detonations began.
PUBLICATION: Singapore Straits Times
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: News
BYLINE: Selina Lum
DATELINE: Singapore
The Singapore Straits Times reports that newspaper reporters visited construction sites in Singapore to test noise levels, and found a variety of noise levels, but found no workers wearing ear protection.
The article reports that a construction site on Kim Tian Road was visited at 9.30 am on Friday. Housing Board flats were being constructed, and workers were putting up metal forms, casting concrete, and fixing up steel bars. The article says that the sound level measured 70.8 dBA (decibels). B. S. Khoo, the project manager at the site, said, "We're not doing anything noisy, so we don't have to wear ear plugs." But, the article points out, when noisier work was being done later, construction workers also didn't wear ear protection.
The reporters visited another site at Whitley Road, where piling projects for the construction of the Raffles Town Club and a condominium were going on. Sound levels there measured 82.3 dBA when two piling machines were in operation. Workers there were not seen wearing ear protection either, although the project manager said workers would wear ear plugs if the noise levels were high.
PUBLICATION: Sunday Times
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: Features
BYLINE: Lisa Freedman
DATELINE: England
The Sunday Times reports that due to poorly regulated residential property conversions in England in the 1960s, many people find themselves in the situation of being disturbed by the relatively quiet activities of their neighbors. The article goes on to interview several residents with problems, and to suggest measures that can dampen noise.
The article says that most people thing of neighbor noise problems as coming from wild parties or blaring stereos, but because of the many properties that were poorly converted into residences, neighbors can be disturbing for many milder offenses. The article notes that large Victorian and Edwardian houses that have been converted to apartments originally were intended for large numbers of people, but were not intended for individual apartments where all residents have their own stereo systems.
Hamish McManus, who moved two years ago to a shoddy flat conversion in a suburb, said his life has been at the mercy of his neighbors' footsteps ever since he moved in. He said, "If someone's playing loud rock music at 3 am, it's easy to march up and say 'Shut up!' But try saying it to someone weeping about their dying mother at six in the evening." He adds "In this house today there are nine bathrooms alone. Living here is like living in a family, but you weren't related to the people. It was very embarrassing. No one likes to be overheard but no one dared say anything. It took us about nine months before we could pluck up the courage to mention it." McManus worked out an agreement with the residents in the four flats in his house to help mitigate the noise. A sound insulation specialist put sound insulation under the floorboards, which McManus said helped the problem considerably. In addition, the flat-mates now have a set of informal rules about how they live to cut down on noise for others. "No one starts exercising at 7 am on a Sunday morning," McManus said. But, he added, "Luckily, I'm living next to sane people. If they move out, I would probably move, too. I couldn't bear to start negotiating again."
The article reports that another resident, Jenny Knight, used to work night shifts, and would try to be quiet when she came in late at night. But her neighbors weren't so considerate of her. Knight said, "Then in the morning the woman next door would do a sort of shriek to entertain her baby. It would be like an alarm call and I'd wake up in a panic. The baby hated it, too, and would always burst into tears. At first, I just moved into another room, but then they let the kids out into the garden at 7 am and let their eldest child jump from the top of a flight of steps over and over again. Then they gave him a hammer to bang."
According to Richard Galbraith, an acoustic specialist at the London architects Sandy Brown Associates, said, "Most people can tolerate noise if they think their neighbor is sensitive and cares about them. Tension arises when people feel their neighbor doesn't care." In addition, the article says, even a small noise can be extremely disturbing if it happens at the wrong time. The article notes that the most complaints to the Association of Noise Consultants comes from people "driven positively demented by their neighbors operating their washing machines on Economy 7."
The article goes on to recommend architectural measures that can reduce the impact of noise from neighbors. There are two different types of noise, according to acoustic experts: airborne noise, such as talking; and impact noise, such as people walking on the floor. The article says that airborne noise most frequently penetrates walls or ceilings which were originally built of lathe and plaster, but have been replaced by single sheets of plasterboard. To reduce the noise, walls must be thickened, and floors or ceilings must carry increased weight. To reduce impact noise, which is often the result of bare floorboards, it may be necessary reduce or eliminate the structural connection between the relevant rooms.
There are several methods for reducing both types of noise, the article explains. Two sheets of plasterboard can be applied to ceilings; sand can be inserted into joists; and a floating floor (a timber platform on batons, separated from the joists by a resilient fiberglass blanket) of false ceiling can be built. However, the article notes, all of these solutions may have complications depending on the design of the building. For example, sand must be kept completely dry or it can rot the joists; and altering ceiling or floor heights can involve elaborate carpentry or plasterwork to realign skirting boards, cornices, and window frames. The article says almost all measures involve ripping up and re-laying carpets. According to Galbraith, "You have to be very careful or you can spend a lot of money and cause a lot of disruption and not get what you want. And even if you get it right you won't be able to do much for under 1,000 pounds."
PUBLICATION: The Gazette (Montreal)
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: Editorial / Op-Ed; Pg. A10
BYLINE: John MacLeod, Beaconsfield resident
DATELINE: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
The Gazette printed a letter-to-the-editor from John MacLeod, a Beaconsfield, Canada resident, regarding a recent newspaper article about the increasing noise at the Montreal area's Dorval Airport:
Hats off to The Gazette for running that Oct. 1 piece on Dorval Airport noise.
What can be done about this abomination thrust upon the tax-paying citizens of Montreal and suburbs? With the growth projections cited in the article indicating a doubling of the number of air passengers by 2005, there will almost certainly be a stampede to sell and get out while the going is good. Real estate, already depressed, could take a nosedive, and many pleasant, thriving suburban areas could descend into the pit.
Aeroports de Montreal and Dorval Mayor Peter Yeomans can be sure of one thing: the malcontents will not disappear but will become more strident in their demand that this abuse of the citizenry be corrected. As the noise and air pollution intensifies, as it surely will, so also will the indignation of affected citizens. It is a serious problem begging an immediate solution.
PUBLICATION: The Independent (London)
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: News; Page 14
BYLINE: Jeff Howell
DATELINE: England
The Independent reports that according to the World Health Organization, noise is probably the most widespread of pollutants in Great Britain, and noise from neighbors seems to be the most common environmental complaint. The article notes that there were 164,000 noise complaints to local authorities during 1995-96, an increase of 24% over the previous year, according to figures released by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. The article goes on to discuss technical solutions to mitigating noise from neighbors.
The most effective way of dealing with neighbor noise, according to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, is to communicate with neighbors about the problem. However, the article notes, this is difficult in some cases, and some neighbors may react with anger when confronted. Sometimes, the article says, soundproofing the home may be easier than dealing with the noise.
The article explains that in general, dense materials absorb sound, while lightweight materials work better for insulating against cold. This explains why many modern homes, which are designed to use less energy, work less well at keeping noise out. Noise enters the home in two ways, the article reports: through the air and through impacts. Impact sound, such as footsteps from the floor above, sets up vibrations in the floor which emanate from the ceiling below. To solve this noise problem, the floor and ceiling must be separated, a technique known in the construction industry as discontinuous construction. To achieve this, a false ceiling or new, "floating" floor can be constructed. If these measures aren't possible, the article says that some noise reduction still can be achieved by putting sound insulation boards, or a layer of sand "pugging," in the floor/ceiling void, between the joists. The article explains that older homes converted into flats in the past ten years are probably somewhat soundproofed, but those that were converted earlier may have very little soundproofing.
The article goes on to discuss solutions for airborne sound. The article notes that airborne sound can make walls and windows vibrate also, but usually it enters through gaps in walls, ceilings, and floors. For example, in terraced houses, a common route for noise to travel is through the cracks that open up between front walls and party walls; if these gaps are located and sealed with a flexible filler, some improvement can result, the article says. Similarly, chimney breasts in party walls also offer a path for traveling sounds when the internal brick lining of the flues has broken down. The article says that the only solution is to locate the gaps or leaks and repair them. A party wall can be soundproofed by constructing a new timber stud wall close to, but not touching, the original wall, and filling the space with sound insulation quilt. The new wall can then be finished with high-density plasterboard or plaster on metal lathing. Another alternative, the article says, is to put up proprietary plasterboard sheets with sound-proofing quilt already attached on to the existing wall with dabs of adhesive. Outside noise can be reduced, the article advises, by sealing exterior doors and installing secondary glazing to windows (which is different from double glazing used for thermal insulation).
The article's concluding recommendation is to shop around for the best prices, because small, local firms often offer a better deal than the big names.
PUBLICATION: The Jupiter Courier (Jupiter, FL)
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: Letters to the Editor; Pg. A6
BYLINE: Alexander Cameron, Tequesta Village Councilor
DATELINE: Tequesta, Florida
The Jupiter Courier printed the following letter-to-the-editor from Alexander Cameron, a Tequesta, Florida Village Councilor, who criticizes a proposed plan for a high-speed train between Orlando and Miami:
The two public meetings of the Florida Overland eXpress (FOXX), also known as the 200 mph bullet train, that I have attended were full of "feel-goods" and reassurances and short on facts.
They haven't picked out a route from Miami to Orlando from the four or five possibles they've shown the public. They haven't finished their ridership studies. Yet they "know" it'll cost $5.3 billion. Yes, billions! Some of this money, nearly a billion, is supposed to come eventually from the State of Florida, the contractors will provide some and the bulk is to be provided by federally backed bonds, which may or may not be available, and that would be necessary to make the bonds investment-grade securities.
They claim that the trains will be non-polluting because of the electronic propulsion, but the electricity has to come from a power plant somewhere. Power generated in a power plant causes much of the same kinds as that generated by a diesel-electric locomotive like we have here on the FEC railroad. The air pollution just appears in a different place.
Questions about noise levels asked at the last meeting were answered by giving out an average noise figure of 58 dB. This sort of sounds okay until you realize that this is similar to the average noise level at the end of one of the runways at PBIA. Obviously, in each case, the peak dB levels are what cause problems. And no one had any peak numbers available at the last meeting, despite the fact that virtually identical trains are presently running in Europe.
Further, from the beginning, the enabling legislation by the Florida Legislature gives all the zoning and environmental authority to the governor and the Cabinet. All local regulations are to be considered, and the act provides that all localities have a right to be heard. But the folks in Tallahassee have all the power, they can override any and all local concerns if they choose.
And the object of all this, as was admitted by the proponents at the last meeting, is basically to transport tourists to and from the Orlando complexes (and presumably to keep them there until they are ready to fly back to Europe or wherever).
I find it hard to support any project that costs this much, that may have disastrous local consequences, and is designated mostly to serve the already extremely wealthy Disney enterprises and their like. If this project is so important to them, let them pay for it!
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 8; Metro Desk
DATELINE: Orange County, California
The Los Angeles Times printed the following letters-to-the-editor from several residents in Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Newport Beach, and Santa Ana, California regarding the proposed conversion of the El Toro Marine Corps Base into an international airport:
To the editor:
I read with interest that a Newport-based group is diligently working on plans to make El Toro an aviation hub of county-based activities ("Planners Push 'Community' Airport Idea," Oct. 13).
I'm sure that people look forward to playing golf, sitting around hotel swimming pools and dining in restaurants -- while enjoying the deafening noise of jets taking off every one to three minutes and inhaling the pollution, after having driven through airport traffic to arrive at this destination site.
We live about 10 miles from El Toro (seven air miles), and in recent months some of the jets have been so loud it seems as though they are about to land in our yard. So, if they build an international airport at El Toro, we will not need to undertake the drive to the new hub. We can just stay home and experience the same pleasures.
Cynthia Weitz, Laguna Niguel resident
To the editor:
With respect to the article "Another Pilots Union Warns of El Toro Risk" (Oct. 9), why is it that the reader doesn't learn until the 10th paragraph that the pilots' unions have also expressed safety concerns regarding John Wayne Airport, LAX, San Francisco International and Lindbergh Field in San Diego? Your headline deceives the reader and is not even-handed.
Susan Hauck, Newport Beach resident
To the editor:
At last a voice of reason is being heard in the wilderness of Orange County ("Judge Blasts Report on El Toro as 'Unrealistic,' " Oct. 11).
Judge Judith McConnell was not swayed by the glossed-over environmental impact report for an international airport at El Toro that had been prepared by the county. Finally, someone is willing to listen. Hopefully, we are emerging from this time warp. Today we are more knowledgeable and better able to scientifically calculate the impact of an airport, yet we were being forced to accept an inaccurate EIR. Any time it was refuted or challenged, the claims were simply dismissed as NIMBY charges.
Let's now see if our county supervisors can open their minds and hearts as easily as they opened our pocketbooks for airport studies and set up an equal playing field for other uses. After all, they did agree last December by vote to study alternate uses for El Toro as well as an airport.
Mary Schwartz, Santa Ana resident
To the editor:
Re: Christina Shea's Op-Ed piece ("Irvine Offers the NFL a Place to Call Home," Oct. 12). If you are going to develop a piece of property, you must first own it. Unfortunately, Ms. Shea neglects to tell her readers that Irvine does not own the 440 acres she's offering to the NFL. Rather, the federal government owns the property. Moreover, Ms. Shea conveniently forgets that Orange County already has a stadium and an arena in Anaheim.
There are other facts that Ms. Shea has failed to mention. 1. Stadiums are built at taxpayers' expense: Recent stadiums have cost taxpayers $200 million or more to build. They are funded with taxes and offer little in economic development. 2. El Toro MCAS is 4,700 acres; a stadium is 90-plus acres: If Anaheim Stadium is any indication, a stadium with parking is approximately 90-plus acres (you could put 52 such stadiums on the base). Moreover, under the current planning process favored as recently as Oct. 7 by 78% of the residents of Orange County, 2,663 acres or 56% of the 4,700-acre base would be composed of non-aviation uses. 3. The economic and environmental case for an airport is compelling: An airport would generate at least 153,000 jobs and more than $12 billion in annual economic activity. Irvine's proposal generates nothing close. Moreover, their proposal will generate much greater environmental impacts than an airport. Irvine plans to put 2 million to 3.5 million square feet of retail and R&D on the 440 acres, and admits in their own environmental documents that the average daily auto trips will be 180,000. 4. What about good neighbor policy? This is 52,000 more daily trips than is generated by an airport on 2,000 acres. In conjunction with 100-million-plus square feet of office and R&D (larger than downtown Los Angeles and Century City combined) that Irvine has already entitled in its master plan, you can see the impacts are far greater -- and not only in Irvine but also on neighboring cities.
The vote on Measure A and Measure S proved that the people of Orange County know the benefits and want an airport.
Thomas Edwards, Mayor Pro Tem, Newport Beach
To the editor:
Again we see the arrogance of the county officials in reference to the conversion of the USMC base at El Toro.
Cases in point: a) A letter was received from a union official stating, "It is the unanimous decision of" two unions representing all the pilots of all the major airlines "that it is unsafe to fly the departure and landing routes under the airport plan." County officials dismissed the letter as an attempt to derail the airport project by South County residents. b) A judge accuses planners of minimizing an airport's impact on noise, traffic and pollution in surrounding South County communities. County officials and airport supporters downplayed the judge's decision as little more than a minor setback.
Apparently the majority of the members of the Board of Supervisors have forgotten they should be concerned with the health and welfare of, and answer to, all the citizens of Orange County. We pay taxes, thus their wages, to do their job for all of us.
It appears that all good solutions for the land use, other than an airport, are being passed over by the board. What are we to do about this? Perhaps the time has come for us to start thinking about withdrawing from Orange County and claiming we are the new "South County" California. After all, are we not already known by that name?
H.H. Minick, Laguna Hills resident
PUBLICATION: Newsday (New York, NY)
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: Queens Life; Page G01
BYLINE: Eda Galeno
DATELINE: New York, New York
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: John Fazio, resident
Newsday reports that the Queens neighborhood of West Hamilton Beach in New York City is a veritable paradise to those who live there, except for a major drawback: its proximity to JFK Airport. The neighborhood is considered part of Howard Beach, and residents have been able to retain their independence and anonymity, the article says. But the nearby airport is considered by many of the residents to be an environmental and safety hazard, subjecting them to unhealthy levels of noise, air, and water pollution.
According to the article, West Hamilton Beach is home to 800 or 1,000 people, and is fairly isolated from the bustle of big city life. The community is located in the confines of Jamaica Bay, and is connected to Howard Beach by two bridges, one a footbridge. There is one stop sign, one public pay phone, and one grocery in the neighborhood. Small homes sit on narrow streets that dead-end into canals.
But according to John Fazio, a lifetime resident of the community, the airport has grown to be the area's one problem. He said, "The only fly in the ointment is that Kennedy Airport grew to be a monster. One day the SST Concorde came so low it knocked a branch off my tree." Other times, Fazio said, he has seen planes fly so low they blow boats out of their slips while creating wakes in Jamaica Bay. Al Stabile, a City Councilor (R-Ozone Park), said he receives many noise complaints from residents. Stabile said, "I would like to have a hearing on the FAA Federal Aviation Administration and their responsibility to the communities around the airports. I'm a city councilman and cannot change things that the federal government oversees." Fazio also believes who gets the jet noise is a matter of politics. He said, "At the other end of this airport is Woodmere, where there's a lot of money and politics. So if somebody is going to get the noise and the unburnt fuel, who do you think is going to get it?"
The article explains that according to Jim Peters, an FAA spokesperson in New York, "Sometimes people's expectation of what to expect when they live near an airport might not meet their expectations when they begin to experience airport operations.... Our first consideration is the safe movement of planes. We work with airport operations such as the Port Authority as well as the communities and the users -- the airlines -- and we try to make adjustments when it's operationally permissible to alternate runways."
The article also discusses the community's flooding problems.
PUBLICATION: The San Diego Union-Tribune
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: News; Ed. 1,2; Pg. A-3
BYLINE: Norma Meyer
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California area
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Miriam Palacio, Rick Dees, Rick Gombar, Paul Haje, Markie Post, Leonard Maltin, Morgan Fairchild, residents
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that neighbors of Universal Studios in the Los Angeles, California area are mounting an opposition over the studio's plans for a multi-billion-dollar expansion. Residents already have been disturbed for years by the lights, noise, and continuous action from the studios, and now they say the expansion plans are too much.
The article reports that residents in the upscale, celebrity neighborhoods around Universal have quietly complained about the nuisances as the studio continued to add more tourist attractions such as CityWalk and Jurassic Park -- The Ride. But now there is a standoff beginning between neighbors and the studio over the studio's expansion plans.
Residents insist that the noise and nuisance from the studio is virtually non-stop, the article reports. Resident and radio disc jockey Rick Dees, who lives in Toluca Estates less than a half-mile from Universal, said, "It's consistent -- constant explosions and earth-rumbling dinosaurs. It's a nightmare." Dees said daily he experiences the boom of grenades, fake gunfire, and towering smoke plumes from the WaterWorld stunt show. Amplified music from the hilltop CityWalk attraction is pushed by wind down to his home, he added. Miriam Palacio, whose hilltop home shares a property line with Universal, said, "I hear this 'Help! Help! Help!' At first I thought, 'Is that a neighbor?' Then you realize what it is." It's a "fisherman" about to be eaten by "Jaws" on the theme park's tram tour, which can run every 15 minutes, the article says. Another time, Palacio said, boats and jet-skiers were tearing across a lake by a giant sky backdrop until 5 a.m. Palacio and her neighbors who have homes along a ridge abutting Universal's property now overlook scenes from the tram tour such as the compound used in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," the cabin from "Volcano," and the dwellings from "Beethoven." Resident Paul Haje said he sometimes gets the full effect of the tram tour's collapsing bridge or Moses parting the Red Sea. "You hear this explosion. Then you hear all the people on the tram scream," he said. Another resident, Rick Gombar, whose home overlooks the set for cable TV's "Home & Family" show and who runs an insurance business out of his home, said he's experienced the program's "gong show" outdoor games, its loud bands, and its segments with revving race cars and SWAT team assaults. He said recently when the TV show "Airwolf" was being filmed, he looked outside and saw "a turbo-powered helicopter making attack runs. It pulled up right in front of our house and made a dive-bomb run." Residents also say that there are horns honking and car alarms going off at all hours in the parking areas. The article notes that outdoor filming can be done 24 hours a day, but residents must be notified in advance.
Neighbors of the studio also include famous actors and directors, the article explains, but none have spoken out publicly about the issue. Still, Markie Post has hosted two low-key fund-raisers for opponents at her home, film critic Leonard Maltin has voiced concerns, and Morgan Fairchild is said to have signed a petition denouncing the plan. According to resident Dees, "I've had several celebrities say, I can't say anything. They won't hire me.' " Dees also claimed that Universal threatened to pull advertising off his radio show if he continues to speak out against the studio. Universal denies the change, the article says.
The article goes on to explain that Universal draws about 5 million tourists annually in a tradition of opening up filmmaking that goes back to 1915. Helen McCann, who is overseeing the master plan at Universal, said, "Los Angeles needs to grow from its oldest roots." But, "It is our obligation as a good neighbor to work with every neighbor." According to the article, Universal "is working on" the current noise problems, and will have strict safeguards in place to ensure there won't be more disturbances if the expansion occurs.
The studio currently has 5.4 million square feet of development on its 415 acres, the article reports. Studio officials originally wanted to build an additional 5.8 million square feet of theme park attractions, resort hotels, and film production and office space, but at a series of angry public hearings, hundreds of residents opposed the project, citing concerns about noise, traffic, crime, and inappropriate development. Last summer, at the urging of county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and City Council President John Ferraro, Universal revised the proposal to include 3.2 million square feet of development to be constructed over 15 years. The article notes that the project will go before the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission on Nov. 19 and will then work its way to the Board of Supervisors and City Council for final consideration.
The article explains that the project also has many supporters, who say the project will create 8,000 more jobs and an additional $15 million in local annual tax revenues. Many of the supporters are members of a group called Universal City Tomorrow, the article says. Opponents claim the group is a studio shill, but members of the group disagree. They say Universal has transformed the neighborhood in positive ways and that its presence ensures the area will thrive in the future. Brent Seltzer, a resident of Studio City, said he bought a sound-measuring meter to test the noise levels around the studio. He said, "The noise is not that extreme." Opponents' fears, he said, "are predicated on feeding each other about all the horrible things that are going to occur."
Meanwhile, the article says, politicians are caught between wanting to make residents happy wanting to boost the economy. County supervisor Yaroslavsky, whose district includes 70% of Universal's property, said, "I don't believe we want to cut off our nose to spite our face. This is our mother's milk."
PUBLICATION: The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: Portsmouth Currents, Pg. 02, Ida Kay's Portsmouth
BYLINE: Ida Kay Jordan
DATELINE: Portsmouth, Virginia
The Virginian-Pilot printed an editorial regarding a recent "Vision 2005" meeting in Portsmouth, Virginia Thursday to discuss Portside, the downtown waterfront gathering place. The columnist said a standing-room-only crowd showed up to give both positive and negative comments on the area. While some nearby residents spoke against the gathering place on the grounds of noise, many residents gave positive comments. The columnist argues that the area provides a needed community space, and that the noise impact on the surrounding area can be mitigated.
According to the editorial, the comments generated at the meeting will be passed to planning consultant Ray Gindroz, who later come up with recommendations. Doug Smith, the city's plans and policy director, said, "We need to decide how we can take the things that are good about Portside and replicate them."
The article explains that several citizens at the meeting complained about noise and crowds in Olde Towne during festivals and other special events. But many people who live near Portside also spoke in favor of the area. Olde Towne resident Elizabeth Smith said, "We need it as a meeting place." A merchant, Bob Lee, said Portside is a gathering place for people of all ages and races, and the city will regret it if they get rid of it. Lee added that if noise from entertainment is the only problem, "we can take care of that." He pointed to the fact that the city already was requiring music to be kept to an acceptable decibel level.
The columnist goes on to argue that whether or not a proposed hotel is built in the area, something should remain on the Portside site for residents and visitors. Maybe the answer, the writer says, is an upgraded area at the present site and a festival area on top of the Downtown Tunnel entrance, which is something the consultant suggested years ago. At the present site, a year-round facility could be built that could be opened to the outdoors on nice days. Porches or patios could be included to overlook the river. Meanwhile, bands that require loud amplification could be prohibited from that area, the columnist suggests, while a festival area could be built on property over the tunnel that cannot be used for buildings. Loud bands, street dances, and festivals could be moved to that location because noise there would not be a problem. The columnist says that although some see Portside as a place where merchants make money, she sees it as a community gathering place and urban park. The city spends only $100,000 to keep Portside open, she points out, which seems like a small amount for an area that attracts so many people. The writer says that replicating Portside might be possible, but it should be at an area that is downtown, on the water, and accessible to a range of people.
PUBLICATION: The Washington Post
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: Loudoun Extra; Pg. V03
BYLINE: Peter Pae
DATELINE: Loudoun County, Virginia
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Bruce Tulloch, resident
The Washington Post reports that 950 residents in Countryside, Virginia have signed petitions opposing a proposed 1.2 million-square-foot mall at the intersection of Routes 7 and 28. Residents say they are not opposed to a mall in principle, but are alarmed at the proposed changes in the mall's plans that would cause it to be more intrusive in their rural area, bringing noise, pollution, and glaring lights. Due to resident opposition, the County Board of Supervisors has postponed a decision on the requested changes and have agreed to hold a town hall meeting on the issue early next month.
According to the article, the plans are for a mall similar in size to Fair Oaks Mall, with 150 shops, four large department stores, a food court, and a multi-screen movie theater. The mall developer received approval last month from the County Board of Supervisors to create an authority to help finance construction of water and sewer lines and roads, the article reports. But after 16 residents spoke against the mall at a supervisory meeting on Wednesday, the supervisors unanimously decided to postpone a decision on the mall developer's requested changes and to hold a town hall meeting early next month. Supervisor David McWatters (R-Broad Run) said, "What I want to do is negotiate a compromise that the citizens will be comfortable with. I won't be satisfied with what the developers are asking for until the residents in Countryside are satisfied."
The article goes on to explain that the way in which the mall is designed has been an important issue for the county since the mall was first proposed in 1985. The mall was initially approved, the article says, because it was designed to bring minimum harm to the area's semi-rural landscape. The developer was required to keep the mall at least half a mile from major roads and provide extensive tree buffers, unlike other malls in the area. But now, the article says, the developer has proposed planting fewer trees and building the complex closer to the access roads -- 20 feet away instead of 75 feet. In addition, the gap between trees in parking lots would be 50 feet instead of 25 feet. The total project also includes plans for 1,200 homes and 3.4 million square feet of office space. Antonia Calabrese, an attorney for the developer Lerner Enterprise, said a company survey of U.S. malls found that only 2%-4% of the facilities are covered with trees. He added that the wider gaps between trees are necessary to give better exposure to the shops. However, County Board Chair Dale Polen Myers (R-At Large), who proposed holding the town hall meeting, said the comparison wasn't valid. "I understand what you are saying about Tysons Corner and the other malls, but this isn't an urban area," she said.
Meanwhile, residents are worried about the impacts from a new mall, the article says. One resident, Bruce Tulloch, used to live in a neighborhood that saw the development of Tysons Corner Center, Northern Virginia's largest regional shopping mall. Overnight, Tulloch said, the semi-rural neighborhood changed to an urban nightmare, with traffic, noise and glaring lights. Tulloch and his family moved to Countryside to escape. Now, he fears that he may have to move again. Tulloch said, "The experience with Tysons Corner was largely what prompted us to move out to the Countryside area. Now, as I'm enjoying my home, I'm facing another encroachment that's like deja vu all over again." He continued, "The type of changes requested . . . would turn our area into little more than another Tysons Corner or Fair Oaks with a mall that has little tree canopy, lots of asphalt, noise, pollution and glaring lights."
PUBLICATION: Chicago Tribune
DATE: October 19, 1997
SECTION: Real Estate; Pg. 6C; Zone: C
BYLINE: Bob Goldsborough
DATELINE: Wheaton and Glen Ellyn, Illinois
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Ross Bruno, resident
The Chicago Tribune reports that idling freight trains in Wheaton and Glen Ellyn, Illinois have been disturbing nearby residents, who are annoyed at the fumes and noise from the trains. After meeting with administrators from the two suburbs, Union Pacific Railroad officials said they will consider moving the idling trains away from residential areas.
The article reports that Union Pacific officials agreed to look into moving the trains several blocks west in Wheaton and east on the Glen Ellyn-Lombard border. The article notes that according to Wheaton City Manager Donald Rose, the Wheaton proposal is complicated by the fact that there is a rail crossing at County Farm Road. Parked trains are required to be at least 500 feet from the signal gates at crossings, the article says.
The article goes on to say that residents said they are plagued and fumes from the trains that idle on the triple-track mainline, sometimes for as long as 10 hours. The trains are parked in the Wheaton area because there is a stretch of train track that extends west from the downtown train station for nearly two miles with no grade crossings. This makes it perfect for storing the railroad's freight trains, the article explains, some of which are 1 1/2 miles long. But, the article says, this is turning the railroad's mainline into a rail yard.
The article goes on to say that the issue is becoming a public-relations problem for Union Pacific, which took over the railroad in 1995 from Chicago & North Western Transportation Co. According to Union Pacific rules, stopped trains must always leave their engines idling, the article reports. The railroad recently has been experiencing more traffic and congestion, which has caused trains to be parked longer than normal, said Union Pacific spokesperson John Bromley. He said, "The trains are lengthy, and they're not easy to park just anywhere. We are aware of the problems in that area, and there are no easy solutions. But there is no way we can promise to remove those trains unless we felt we could honor it."
The article explains that a group of Wheaton residents headed by resident Ross Bruno asked the City Council for help in pressuring the railroad to move the trains. According to Bruno, said if the trains are moved just two blocks west, they no longer would bother residents in the Wheaton Center high-rises and the newly built Waterford Place development. Wheaton Mayor James Carr said, "If everybody jumps up, screams and contacts federal and state regulators, perhaps the UP will get the message and park these long trains west of here where they won't bother anybody."
This is the second time in the past two years that there has been major complaints against the railroad, the article notes. After the company purchased the railroad, complaints from commuters went up drastically, mostly because the railroad had no experience handling commuter trains, the article says. Then last month, after a Glen Ellyn woman, Ewa Stefanski, complained to an engineer about an idling train between Glen Ellyn and Lombard, she was struck by a train and killed, the article reports.
PUBLICATION: The Daily News of Los Angeles
DATE: October 25, 1997
SECTION: News, Pg. N4
BYLINE: Patrick McGreevy and Ben Sullivan
DATELINE: Woodland Hills, California
The Daily News of Los Angeles reports that California's Second District Court of Appeal invalidated a plan Friday that would allow the Warner Center in Woodland Hills, California to double its commercial and office space. The court found that the city failed to adequately address noise and air pollution impacts on nearby schools.
According to the article, the lawsuit was filed by the Los Angeles Unified School District, which argued that the master plan would have allowed development harmful to students at Canoga Park High School and Parkman Junior High School. Bradley Hogin, an attorney for the school district, said, "This will send the city back to the drawing board, and they will be forced to do it right." Valerie Fields, a Los Angeles Board of Education member, said school district officials are willing to enter into settlement talks with the intent of preserving the Warner Center Specific Plan, but protecting the children. "I don't really feel it was the district's intent to upend the whole Warner Center Specific Plan and set back land-use planning a quarter of a century," Fields said. "We are willing to talk to the city to take care of our schools so they can proceed with the plan." The article notes that the Warner Center Specific Plan would have allowed 35.7 million square feet of new development over the next 20 years on the 926-acre area bounded by the Ventura Freeway, De Soto Avenue, Vanowen Street, and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.
Meanwhile, city attorneys and planners expressed confusion about what the ruling would mean, the article reports. They said they were not yet sure whether the ruling bars future development at Warner Center, or delays or derails any pending projects. Laura Chick, a Los Angeles City Councilor, said owners of the Topanga Plaza shopping mall had been considering expanding into Warner Center, and the court decision could delay those plans. The article says it is also unclear whether the court's decision to throw out certain zoning rules allows Warner Center to return to previous zoning rules that would permit even more extensive development.
However, the article reports, the ruling leaves the city with three options: settling the lawsuit that prompted the court ruling, appealing the case to the state Supreme Court, or redoing the environmental impact report, which could take several months. Chick said, "My initial impression, without talking to the City Attorney's Office, is that everyone is a loser here. This is idiocy. They threw out a land-use document that took eight years to develop and that impacts economic development."
The school district had offered to settle the case in 1994 for $5 million, which would have included $3 million to pay for air conditioning at the two schools. The city rejected the offer, the article says, and now the school has a massive air-conditioning project underway using Proposition BB bond money.
Councilor Chick expressed anger at the school district's lawsuit and the court's decision. She said, "There is a funding mechanism in place to use public dollars to install air conditioning, something I've always wanted to see for my schools, and yet they continue this lawsuit against the city, the very government entity they should be partnering with." The decision, she said, jeopardizes the economy of the west San Fernando Valley by invalidating a plan for the orderly development of Warner Center. The plan required fees to be paid to the schools to deal with any adverse impacts of development, she pointed out. Chick went on to say that she will meet Monday with city officials to determine the next step.
The article also explains that the court's three judges, Mildred Lillie, Earl Johnson and Fred Woods, found flaws in the legally required environmental-impact report. The decision read, "We conclude the evidence in the record does not support the EIR's finding the plan will have no significant impact on traffic noise at Canoga Park High School and Parkman Junior High School." The judges also decided the environmental-impact report was inadequate "for failing to discuss whether air conditioning and filtration are feasible measures for mitigating increased air pollution under the plan." The decision overturns an earlier decision by Superior Court Judge Diane Wayne, the article notes, who ruled that the environmental study was adequate and correct in its findings.
PUBLICATION: U.S. Newswire
DATE: October 24, 1997
SECTION: National Desk, Environment Writer
DATELINE: Biscayne and Everglades National Parks, Florida
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA); Don Barger, NPCA Southeast Regional Director
The following wire report was released by US Newswire of Washington, DC, about the National Parks and Conversation Association's recent action regarding a permit for the re-development of Homestead Air Force Base in southern Florida.
In an effort to protect Biscayne and Everglades National Parks from water, air and noise pollution, the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) has moved to join an appeal of the South Florida Water Management District's issuance of a permit for construction of an airport near both parks. This appeal was brought to force the county to recognize all of the impacts of redeveloping Homestead Air Force Base into an international, commercial airport 10 times the size of the former base.
"The environmental impact of an airport rivaling Miami International in size and operations on the south Florida ecosystem would be devastating," said NPCA Southeast Regional Director Don Barger. "What the county is not considering is that these are areas of national significance and should be protected for all Americans." In addition to the noise pollution, water and air quality would be adversely affected by an airport that could include up to 25,000 passenger operations where none previously existed. One side of the former base is directly connected to Biscayne National Park via the 2,500-foot Military Canal. The storm-water from the base flows into this already polluted canal and discharges into Biscayne Bay. Little thought has been put into whether or not the storm-water management system is adequate for a facility of this size and the possibility that run-off could include jet fuel and other substances harmful to the surrounding wetlands and their resident wildlife.
Beyond the potential environmental impacts on the parks, the appeal maintains that the county failed to obtain a conceptual approval permit for all phases of the project under state regulation. This permit process would provide for an in-depth analysis of overall project environmental impacts and assures that the county has been forthcoming about the magnitude of the project. "The county hopes that by working in small steps and not releasing all of the information up front, the public will not understand the magnitude of the project until it is too late," added Barger. "We plan to expose that deception."
In 1931, NPCA sent a special study team to evaluate the south Florida ecosystem's importance as a potential national park. From this study and subsequent struggle, both the Everglades and eventually Biscayne National Parks were established. Since then, NPCA has continually worked to protect these two unique areas from destruction and will continue to do so on behalf of all Americans. The National Parks and Conservation Association is America's only private nonprofit citizen organization dedicated solely to protecting, preserving and enhancing the U.S. National Park System. An association of "Citizens Protecting America's Parks," NPCA was founded in 1919 and today has nearly 500,000 members. For more information, contact: Vicki Paris of the National Parks and Conservation Association, 202-223-6722, ext. 120, WASHINGTON, DC.
PUBLICATION: Solid Waste Report
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: No. 42, Vol. 28; ISSN: 0038-1128
DATELINE: Florence Township, New Jersey
The Solid Waste Report tells about a class-action suit brought against a Waste Management Inc. (WMI) landfill in Tullytown, Pennsylvania. According to papers filed, bird droppings, dust and noise that have made miserable the lives of New Jersey residents who live downwind from the company.
According to the newsletter, the suit, filed by the Mt. Laurel, N.J., law firm Shabel & Shabel, alleges the 156-acre landfill causes environmental distress to citizens in Florence Township, who live on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River. It also names WMX Technologies Inc. and Waste Management of Pennsylvania Inc. as defendants. WMI should take responsibility for transforming "a naturally tranquil scene into a noisy, industrial and garbage-laden environment," according to the complaint. "The once tranquil life on the river enjoyed by the plaintiffs and the class has been transformed into a noisy, smelly and intrusive experience." The plaintiffs contend that if necessary, WMI should shut down the site. The plaintiffs also will seek monetary damages for alleged declining property values in Florence Township. Damages could involve between $65,000 and $ 100,000 per property, said Norman Shabel of the Mt. Laurel law firm.
The Sold Waste Report says the suit charges the landfill has produced an onslaught of seagulls and crows that drop dung in the area as well as harmful smells, dust and loud truck noises. The dust could be mitigated if not eliminated by adequate cover precautions, the suit alleges. It also charged that New Jersey residents have been denied protections given to residents in Pennsylvania. "While defendants have gone to great lengths to protect the residents of Pennsylvania from the excessive noise, odor, dust, intrusive lighting and bird infestations caused by the landfill's operations, they have not protected plaintiffs and the class who are situated directly across the river from the landfill," according to the complaint.
The newsletter says the plaintiffs allege that in spite of being located in New Jersey, the plaintiffs' property is really much closer to the landfill than the better-protected Pennsylvania residents. But Judy Archibald, regional director of public affairs for WMI-Mid-Atlantic, defended the company's actions. The goal of the facility's operators is to work in concert with all their neighbors, and checks and balances are in place to respond to complaints, she said, noting that WMI offers a 24-hour hotline for complaints. "We respond right away to those calls," she said. In addition, the facility gives tours to promote in residents an understanding of the landfill's operations, she said. "We're disappointed they the plaintiffs have taken that litigation direction. It's a professionally managed, highly regulated facility. We're committed to 100 percent compliance with those regulations," Archibald told SWR. For more information contact: Norman Shabel, Shabel & Shabel, (609) 866-0330; Judy Archibald, WMI-Mid-Atlantic, (215) 269-2000. Copies of the complaint (13 pp.) are available from BPI DocuDial's Service as #63- 2526.
PUBLICATION: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
DATE: October 23, 1997
SECTION: News; Pg. 1B
BYLINE: Steve Brandt
DATELINE: Minneapolis, Minnesota
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Sierra Club; Jeff Paulson, city council candidate; Barbara Carlson, mayoral candidate; Bob Odden, city council candidate
The Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Minnesota, reports that in the renewed debate over the impact of routing Highway 55 at Minnehaha Park, the potential casualties are many, city politicians as well as alleged quality of life issues including noise
The Star Tribunes says opponents of rerouting Hwy. 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) along and over the west edge of Minnehaha Park have targeted some candidates who oppose their views. Park Commissioner Ed Solomon was recently booed and hissed at a candidate forum for sticking by the Minnesota Department of Transportation's long-planned route. Sandra Colvin Roy, the top vote winner in the 12th Ward City Council primary last month, has been carefully choosing her position on the issue; Jeff Paulson, her rival in the general election, opposes the route. Mayoral candidate Barbara Carlson has sided with opponents of the rerouting plan. Those opponents charge that current mayor Ms. Sayles Belton failed to respond to a Sierra Club survey on the route issue, passed up a candidate forum and hasn't met directly with project opponents.
The article reports that all this political positioning is over an issue that was supposed to have been settled in the early 1980s, when a citizen committee recommended a route for a 35-mile-per-hour four-lane divided boulevard with space for rail transit. Opponents concerned about the impact on the park say that committee was manipulated by highway officials. Supporters say such criticism demeans committee participants. "I live by respect for those processes," said Ninth Ward City Council Member Kathy Thurber, a former Park Board member. Her opponent, Bob Odden, opposes the planned route.
According to the article, the basic issue raised by route opponents is the impact of a redesigned road on Minnehaha Park. Between the north end of the park and E. 52nd Street, the new route will go over what has been parkland where several dozen large oaks will be removed. The Park Board agreed to a land swap that gives up this land and gets from the state an adjacent former rail line that bisects the park and served the Princess Depot. South of 52nd St., the route will swing more to the east, along state-acquired railroad land adjoining the park, and over a state-acquired residential portion of Riverview Road. It will stay mostly west of mature oaks until it nears E. 54th Street, where it will run through an oak grove. The park ends at 54th St., but opponents raise concerns about trees and other features in the federal land between 54th St. and Crosstown Hwy. 62. The Park Board and the state negotiated a "land bridge" in which a slightly depressed segment of the road will run under a new manmade hill just north of Minnehaha Creek. Highway officials say the park will be protected with noise walls. Opponents say that noise still will infringe on the park and that noise walls will restrict neighborhood access to only three points.
PUBLICATION: Knoxville News-Sentinel (Knoxville, Tennessee)
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: North Zone; Pg. N1
BYLINE: Ed Marcum
DATELINE: Lonsdale, Tennessee
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Bill McClain, president of Lonsdale Community Service neighborhood organization; Junior Martin, resident; Carson and Wanda Wood, residents
The Knoxville News-Sentinel of Knoxville, Tennessee, reports that some Lonsdale residents are seeking help from the city to force owners of a slag-processing operation to follow previously made agreements that would give residents some relief from noise and dust.
According to the article, 15 people attended a meeting last Monday of the Lonsdale Community Service neighborhood organization to register complaints with Ellen Adcock, city director of administration. "If they'd just move that hopper back from the houses and go down there with 10 trucks and haul off the slag there wouldn't be any problem," said Bill McClain, president of the group. Adcock spoke to Mayor Victor Ashe after meeting with the group. The mayor will meet with Lonsdale residents on October 29.
The article goes on to report that McClain and others said they have to deal with the slag-processing operation run by Olympic Mill Service behind homes on Louisiana Avenue for two years. Workers have been scooping up slag with loaders, dumping it into hoppers and grinding it up in a process that residents say has been going on weekends as well as weekdays. In February, representatives of Olympic Mills and Ameristeel met with the group and assured them measures would be taken to help the situation. Roger Marynak, of Olympic Mills' main office in Glassport, Pa., told them there would be no more weekend work, and water would be used to help keep down dust. Olympic is under contract to Ameristeel to process slag produced during the steel making operation but has not been able to keep pace because of having to work through mounds of slag left over when a previous contractor got behind. Marynak told Lonsdale residents in February that Olympic should be able to work through this backlog by summer. Then slag would just have to be processed a few days each week.
The article goes on to say residents are telling city officials that Olympic has not kept its bargain. At the meeting with Adcock, they showed a video with dates on the screen of Saturday, Oct. 11, and Sunday, Oct. 12, showing the hopper in operation. In addition, McClain said, residents were told the slag operation would be caught up by summer, yet it's now fall and work continues full pace. The noise and dust make life miserable for people living on his street, said Junior Martin, Louisiana Avenue resident. "You have to shut your house up during the day. You can't even use your yard either," he said. Carson and Wanda Wood, also Louisiana Avenue residents, said dust tends to coat cars, houses and everything in people's yards. "We used to wash our house down two or three times a year because of the dust, then we decided to spend $ 10,000 on vinyl siding. It gets just as brown as our floor," said Carson Wood.
According to the article, the supervisor of the slag-processing operation says the agreements are being kept. Steve Fritch, site manager for the Olympic slag-processing operation, said that, despitewhat the videos show, work has not been taking place on weekends. Hours of operation now are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, Fritch said. The processing operation is behind schedule because weekend work and longer hours are not permitted, he said. Fritch said he couldn't estimate how long it would take to work off the excess slag. "They have to realize that when the operation was set back 20 hours a week, that threw us behind schedule," Fritch said.
PUBLICATION: The Patriot Ledger (Quincy, Massachusetts)
DATE: October 22, 1997
SECTION: News; Pg. 01
BYLINE: Ray McEachern
DATELINE: Quincy, Massachusetts
According to The Patriot Ledger of Quincy, Massachusetts, some Brookline residents are in favor of opening an indoor gun club in Quincy Center for the training of law officers and for recreational shooters. But Sgt. Robert Perchard, chief of firearms inspections for the police department, questioned the appropriateness of the downtown location, citing safety and noise concerns.
The article goes on to say the applicants -- businessman Samuel Mulyanto and lawyer Gary M. Arber --, are seeking city permits to build the gun range in the basement of 20 Maple St., the former Patriot Ledger annex building behind the main Quincy Post Office. Joseph Shea, chairman of Quincy's License Board, said a public hearing on the proposal would be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday. "This is obviously a major public safety issue, so we'll be leaning heavily on our new chief for expert counsel," said Shea, referring to Police Chief Thomas Frane.
The article goes on to provide details of the permit application which proposes 10 stalls for pistol shooting and five for rifle shooting. Club members would have to be at least 18 years old, but junior members at least 15 years old would be permitted to shoot if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Range users would be required to complete a National Rifle Association basic safety course. Only police officers and persons licensed to carry a gun could carry weapons and ammunition into and out of the club. But Sgt. Perchard said patrons would not need to be licensed gun users in order to rent weapons at the club and shoot on the premises. Although Mulyanto and Arber plan to soundproof the range, he doubts it would be completely silent, noting that "the ping" of bullets might well be heard by nearby businesses and cause them concern. Perchard also said while the gun range would provide firearms and ammunition, many gun range patrons prefer to shoot with their own weapon, creating an increase in the number of people in Quincy Square carrying guns. Perchard did admit the range would help police because local officers must travel to Raynham for "low light" training simulating nighttime conditions.
The article reports Shea said the license board will invite comments from Ward 5 Councilor Stephen Durkin, whose district includes Maple Street, and from the Quincy Center Business and Professional Association. Durkin said he had not yet seen the proposal and would "reserve judgment" until he reviews it and talks with Chief Frane and Shea, who is also city clerk. Maralin Manning, executive director of the association, also said he needs to study the idea before taking a position.
PUBLICATION: Airports
DATE: October 21, 1997
SECTION: Companies and contracts; Vol. 14, No. 42; Pg. 424
DATELINE: Costa Mesa, California
The publication Airports reports that BCS International of Costa Mesa, California has upgraded its Bridge Reports decision support software for managing noise abatement programs to allow airports to provide access to noise abatement programs over the Internet. The article says that according to the company, reports, data, and graphics can be displayed on an airport's website or e-mailed in response to an individual request.
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