Noise News for Week of February 15, 1998


Connecticut Community Proposes Noise Ordinance

PUBLICATION: The Hartford CourantT
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: Town News; Pg. B5
BYLINE: Brenda Sullivan
DATELINE: Mansfield, Connecticut

The Hartford Courant reports that Mansfield, Connecticut has proposed a noise ordinance to allow police stronger enforcement powers to reduce neighborhood noise.

According to the article, the proposed noise control ordinance would allow police to issue an $88 ticket to violators. The ordinance would address noisy cars, blaring radios, stereos, amplifiers and "any musical instrument [played] in such a manner or with such volume so as to annoy persons in the vicinity." Exemptions to these regulations would include day-time construction and demolition, garbage collection, farm equipment, church bells, idling trucks, burglar alarms and lawn and garden tools such as leaf blowers, mowers, snowblowers and power saws. The ordinance specifies acceptable noise levels, which would be measured with special equipment by trained personnel, including police. Acceptable levels of noise are based on standards set by the state statutes.

The article describes how those who violate the ordinance during the day would receive a verbal warning. If the noise continues, or occurs again within 30 days, the person responsible could receive a fine "not to exceed $88," the ordinance states. In the evening -- defined as 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekdays, and 9 p.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and federal and state holidays -- police could issue a ticket without a verbal warning. Should the town's zoning regulations call for even more stringent restrictions on an activity or location in town, those guidelines would supercede the ordinance.

The report says the ordinance was discussed by the council earlier this month, with some council members saying it should be very specific about the types of noise that could result in fines for the guilty party. Council members debated, for example, whether to specify such things as shouting and singing. Others felt broader definitions are sufficient for reasonable enforcement. "It gets almost ridiculous, if you specify too much," Councilman Ed Passmore said at the Feb. 9 meeting. If adopted, the ordinance must also be approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection. An informal review by the DEP has found it to be in line with state standards, according to a letter from Joseph B. Pulaski, administrator of the DEP's Emergency Response Commission. The town council will hold a public hearing on the ordinance at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the council chambers of the Audrey P. Beck municipal building.

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California Legislature Threatens Local Leaf Blower Bans

PUBLICATION: The Los Angeles Times
DATE: February 21, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 1; Metro Desk
BYLINE: Jill Leovy
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Jack Allen, member, Zero Air Pollution.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a state law is poised to overrule city-based laws on leaf blowers in the state of California. Los Angeles plans to rally other cities, and the state League of Cities, to maintain their gas-fueled leafblower bans and restrictions.

According to the article, the state bill would ban leafblowers starting in 2000 only if they were noisier than 65 decibels at 50 feet away. Also, a certification standard will be established for the state, and gardeners may trade in old leaf blowers for a tax credit. State lawmakers said that usually restrictions are phased-in, but city bans have been unacceptably quick and inconsiderate of gardeners. He said "If the government wanted to regulate oil refineries, they would probably give them five years to comply with the new rules. But when you are talking about a poor gardener, they just ban their tools." Supporters of the state bill include gardeners, blower manufacturers, and retailers.

The article notes that Los Angeles officials believe that the leafblower ban is important for "the health and safety of residents [and] is a strong, municipal affair," that should not be subject to state overruling. The state can only overrule municipal laws if the issue is "of statewide significance." This would involve showing that municipal attempts to solve the problem hadn't worked. The League of Cities will likely oppose the ban, but hasn't decided.

The article goes on to say that a group called Zero Air Pollution is opposed to the bill, and says that the state's decibel levels mean nothing because noise measurements -- including the complaint, transit time for enforcement personnel, calibration of equipment, and measurement -- would take too long to catch a gardener 'in the act.'

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Animal Rights Activists Make Noise At Circus

PUBLICATION: The Richmond Times Dispatch
DATE: February 21, 1998
SECTION: Area/State, Pg. B-10
BYLINE: Jim Mason
DATELINE: Richmond, Virginia

The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that animal rights activists in Richmond, Virginia protested the Barnum and Bailey Circus using megaphones in violation of the local noise ordinance.

The article describes how members of the Richmond Animal Rights Network have been demonstrating on the sidewalk in front of the parking deck, across from the Seventh Street entrance to the Richmond Coliseum. Last night, 11 protesters were holding banners and chanting slogans such as "One struggle, one fight, human freedom, animal rights" and "Animal abuse, no excuse." Hundreds of children and adults streamed past them and into the coliseum. Officers patrolling on bicycles stopped momentarily to watch the protesters but took no action against their use of the amplified megaphone.

The report says Richmond police spokeswoman Cynthia Price, said police will continue to maintain crowd control at the circus performances. "Whatever is within the law we are allowing," Price said. American Civil Liberties Union executive director Kent Willis said, "These protesters have a right to be where they are, and so long as they abide by the noise ordinance set out by the city, the police must leave them alone. I hope we don't have to litigate this one." Allanna Wiggins, an Animal Rights coordinator, said her group turned to the ACLU after they felt they were harassed by police Wednesday and Thursday nights for using the megaphone. "The police stopped us and told us we were in violation of the city noise ordinance, but we were not," Wiggins said. "We support the rights of those going to the circus," said Price, "but we also support those who want to peacefully assemble and exercise their right of free speech. As long as everyone is obeying the law, we are not going to interfere."

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Proposed Ampitheater In New Mexico On Hold

PUBLICATION: The Albuquerque Journal
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: Metro & New Mexico; Pg. B1
BYLINE: Tania Soussan
DATELINE: Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Albuquerque Journal reports that a regional ampitheater in Bernalillo County, New Mexico

The article explains how plans for an amphitheater and regional recreation complex at Mesa del Sol were delayed Thursday by the city's Environmental Planning Commission. Bernalillo County and amphitheater operator Nederlander of New Mexico had the project on a fast track and hoped to have concerts going by this summer. But the commissioners had so many concerns about traffic, noise and other issues that they continued the hearing on the developers' plans until March 19.

The report describes how the recreation center and amphitheater would be part of a regional park planned by the county on 600 acres it leases from the State Land Office. A master plan for the entire 13,000-acre Mesa del Sol community south of the airport also is before the planning commission. The first phase of the park would include 12 playing fields for youth soccer and football. A 645-space parking lot and a three-lane access road from Bobby Foster SE would serve the fields and the initial phase of the amphitheater with seating for 8,400 people.

According to the article the commissioners' concerns ran the gamut from major issues of traffic congestion to whether the developer would be required to paint fences and metal rooftops green. Traffic in the complex and on nearby roads was one of the biggest issues. "I've got a lot of concerns about parking and access," said Commissioner Chuck Gara. "I see a lot of congestion whether it's an amphitheater thing or a regional soccer tournament." The report says the city's Public Works Department has said the street system can handle the traffic that will be generated by the project. The entrance road will include a reversible center lane and people will be on hand to direct traffic during events.

The report says permanent monitors to track noise levels should be required, said Dan Warren of the Environmental Health Department. "We're looking to avoid a lot of coomplaints coming in," he said. Strozier said the amphitheater's location in the sloping escarpment that overlooks Tijeras Arroyo will buffer houses and buildings on the mesa above from any noise.

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Arizona Courts Proposal To Launch Satellites From Air Base

PUBLICATION: The Arizona Republic
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: Front; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Kerry Fehr-Snyder
DATELINE: Mesa, Arizona

The Arizona Republic reports that a California company says it has an agreement with Williams Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona to launch replacement satellites from the former Air Force base.

The article says Kelly Space & Technology Inc. stopped short of saying it will launch its Astroliner Aerospace Plane into orbit from Williams Gateway, which already receives complaints from nearby residents angry about noise from commercial jetliners used to train pilots. Kelly Space plans to use the Astroliner in a contract with Motorola Inc. to launch up to 20 replacement satellites for its global wireless-communications system, Iridium. The satellites are assembled at Motorola's Space and Systems Technology Group in Chandler, about 20 miles from Williams Gateway.

The article explains that the contract calls for launches to begin sometime after 2001. Kelly said the $89 million doesn't specify where the replacement satellites will be launched. He added that he wouldn't ask the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to use Williams until he can determine how much noise would be created and how residents might be affected.

According to the article, Mike Evans, a Gilbert councilman, encouraged Kelly to consider Williams for the actual satellite launches, saying he'd work with the FAA on approval. But Kelly was less committed, indicating he doesn't want to sully the welcome mat rolled out by officials from Mesa, Gilbert, Williams Gateway and other entities. "You wouldn't want to do more than necessary if it's going to make people mad," he said. Besides, the company has yet to sign a lease agreement for office space or a hangar at the former base. Kelly said he hopes to get both by the end of the year. He added that any approval from the FAA to launch from Williams would take at least three years.

The report says Kelly Space expects to employ about 15 workers at Williams Gateway. They, in turn, would work with Motorola engineers in preparing Iridium satellites for launch. "It's really a money-saving move for Motorola because they won't have to send whole launch teams to California," Kelly said. Iridium has launched 49 of the system's 66 satellites. Most have been launched from Vandenberg after being sent in climate-controlled trucks from Chandler, where they are assembled. The satellites also have been launched from Russia and China. Kelly Space wants to fly replacement satellites from Arizona to California instead. It is trying to compete in an emerging low-cost satellite launch market. Several other companies, including Kistler Aerospace Corp. in Kirkland, Wash., are developing reusable space vehicles, which can cut the cost of a rocket launch by as much as 75 percent. The reusable Astroliner is about the same size as an MD-80 jetliner, which weighs about 140,000 pounds, but is bigger in diameter by about half as much. Once at Vandenberg, the Astroliner would be towed, glider-style, behind a 747 or other jetliner via a 1,000-foot cable. At 20,000 feet, the cable would be released, allowing the Astroliner to activate its own jets to rocket into higher orbit, release its payload and land back at an airport. The entire process, from launch to landing, would take 30 minutes.

The article says even without using Williams Gateway to launch the Astroliner, Kelly Space may face opposition from nearby residents. As more houses have sprung up around the former base, so too have noise complaints from neighbors. Last year, 70 complaints were lodged against the base, according to Williams marketing director Mary Baldwin. Most of the complaints stem from touch-and-gos - practice landing and takeoff maneuvers by pilots for Southwest, America West and other airlines. Baldwin said the jetliners are quieter than the T-38 and other Air Force jets that flew over the area before 1994. She also said that the nearest resident lives five miles from the airport.

The article explains that the addition of Kelly Space to the airport is part of a longer range plan to find new uses for the decommissioned air base. Five years ago, the Arizona Space Commission began floating the idea of turning the base into a commercial launch facility. Members of the governor-appointed commission remain keen on the idea. "We absolutely believe that's the right thing to do," said Bob Walkup, the commission's chairman and a retired engineer for Hughes Aircraft, of the space port idea. "We're still very confident that the concept is viable and that Arizona has a role in that."

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California Survey Shows Residents Demand More Quiet From Airports

PUBLICATION: The Daily News of Los Angeles
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: News, Pg. N7
BYLINE: Deborah Sullivan
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Gerald Silver, president, Homeowners of Encino.

The Daily News of Los Angeles reports two-thirds of residents near Van Nuys and Burbank airports in California said they can't tolerate any more noise, and more than a third favor extending flight curfews for noisy jets, according to a survey by Rep. Brad Sherman.

According to the article, Sherman, D-Woodland Hills, said the survey bolsters his resolve to seek tougher noise controls at the San Fernando Valley airports. Of 42,000 surveys Sherman's office mailed, 2,000 residents responded. "I had heard complaints before, but the survey lets me know with a greater feel for what people are concerned about," said Sherman, who is up for re-election this year. "The survey impresses me, and it will impress the other officials I am dealing with." Homeowners of Encino President Gerald Silver applauded the results. "According to this study, two-thirds of the people have had it. They're filled up with jet noise, " he said. "This survey confirms what we've been saying all along that this problem's out of control."

The article says Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport spokesman Victor Gill said the survey was unscientific and its questions self-serving. "I appreciate that he's interested in this," Gill said. "I don't think he's designed a truly objective measurement instrument in his study. I think it was designed to produce the result he desired. All he's doing is being able to say to his constituents, I'm working for you."

The article says according to Sherman's office, 66.3 percent of respondents said they could tolerate no additional airport noise, while 20.9 percent said they could stand a little more if it meant improved service. Only 12.8 percent said unconditionally they wouldn't mind more noise. Nearly half of respondents, or 48 percent, agreed with the current morning curfew of 7 a.m. for noisy jets, while almost as many, 46.1 percent, said they agree with a nighttime curfew of 10 p.m., which at Van Nuys Airport was recently rolled back from 11 p.m. Almost 36 percent favored moving up the morning curfew to 8 a.m., while just under 40 percent said they would like the evening curfew dropped to 9 p.m.

According to the report, Sherman said the survey results encourage him to try to extend the curfew by another hour at each end, and to seek federal funds for noise -control devices to bring older planes up to the standards of newer, quieter ones. Gill argued however, that the 1990 Airport Noise and Capacity Act holds that no new noise -control measures can be enacted unless special studies determine they are necessary. The recent rollback at Van Nuys Airport was achieved because it had been approved in concept before the 1990 law passed.

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Struggle Continues Over California Airport In Burbank

PUBLICATION: The Los Angeles Times
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 8; Editorial Writers Desk
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles Times published an editorial that addresses a recent court case in California that will aid proponents of Burbank Airport expansion, although opponents plan to appeal the ruling.

The author notes that Burbank Airport gives Burbank many noise and traffic problems, while Glendale and Pasadena -- who together with Burbank co-administrate the airport -- get off without any of the problems but with many benefits. Airport administrators say they don't have the power to implement the flight curfew and other measures that Burbank requested. Burbank didn't like that answer, and the issue has been in courts for many years.

The editorial criticizes both sides for resorting to court battles, when it is only noise issues that prevent the deal from reaching agreement. The editorial claims -- I believe erroneously -- that the airport and city have agreed to setting the number of gates for the terminal and where it should be built.

According to the editorial, the airport and city could work with the Federal Aviation Administration to create "reasonable, enforceable restrictions on late-night and early-morning flights." The editorial writer is not optimistic, however.

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Dutch Anti-Noise Activists Protest Jet Noise

PUBLICATION: The Orlando Sentinel Tribune
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: A Section; Pg. A14
DATELINE: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Milieu Defence.

The Orlando Sentinel Tribune reports that a Royal Dutch airliner bound for Atlanta was stranded at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Thursday after anti- noise protesters climbed on to the fuselage and formed a human chain.

The report says the protest by Milieu Defence, the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth, began shortly before flight KL621 was due to take off at 11:05 a.m. for the United States. The passengers already were on board. Police said 13 protesters were sitting tight on the roof of the aircraft.

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California Ranches Protest Noisy Ostriches At Neighboring Ranch

PUBLICATION: The Press-Enterprise
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: Local; Pg. B01
BYLINE: Jeff Mcdonald
DATELINE: Murrietta, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Ilene Itzkovics, resident.

The Press-Enterprise reports that a herd of ostriches is creating a noise problem in Murrieta California.

The article describes how an ostrich farmer and his neighboring horse ranchers are in conflict over the effects of the birds. It all started late last year, when Fred Crowe began moving dozens of ostriches onto his seven acres along Adams Avenue, just down the road from the Hawkrest Ranch. Neighbors are fuming over being told this week that as far as city zoning regulations are concerned, an ostrich is no different than a chicken. That means Crowe can have up to 210 birds. "I consider them poultry too, but do you consider them chickens? " asked Ilene Itzkovics, who runs the Blue Ribbon Ranch just across Adams Avenue. "They're 300 pounds. "

According to the report, Itzkovics is challenging the nearby bird farm on the grounds that the animals violate Murrieta's noise ordinance. Day and night, Itzkovics says, the birds make a sort of heavy "woo-woo" sound she thinks has something to do with their breeding practices. She insisted city officials conducted a noise study in and around the ostrich farm. Last week, with equipment in hand, they did. "There is no violation as far as we can tell," senior planner Ed McCoy said.

The report says to run afoul of the law, daytime noise levels at the bird farm would have to exceed 50 decibels or 45 decibels after dark. Taking into account the ceaseless traffic from nearby Interstate 15, McCoy said, the average daytime reading with the birds wooing was 50 decibels. "There were readings of 54 and 60, but one lasted six seconds and the other about 10 seconds. " he said. "So they were very short periods. We're talking 16 seconds over two hours. "As far as the city is concerned, there is no violation," said McCoy.

According to the article, Crowe said he raises the animals strictly for their nutritious red meat and a hedge against his upcoming retirement. No ostrich farmer he knows has had so much trouble with the neighbors. "It's not so much an issue of horses vs. ostriches," said Crowe, who was not above pointing out to city staffers that his ranching neighbors may be operating without the proper permits. "It's really a neighbor problem. " Nonetheless, Crowe said he bought the material for two collars that go around the birds' necks, limiting their ability to screech loudly. "I believe I have two birds that make 95 percent of the noise, " Crowe said. "It's a territorial and protection thing.

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Another California Community Restricts Leaf Blowers

PUBLICATION: The Ventura County Star
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. A03
BYLINE: Kate Poss
DATELINE: Calabasas, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Michael Harrison, chair, Calabasas' environmental commission; James Bozajian, Councilman.

The Ventura County Star reports that Calabasas California has joined hosts of other California communities in restricting the use of gas powered leaf blowers.

The article says Calabasas City Council opted Wednesday to restrict the use of leaf blowers between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The council also wants gardeners to use alternatives to gas or electric leaf blowers. "We've been hearing complaints since the passage of the Los Angeles ordinance last year," said Michael Harrison, chair of Calabasas' environmental commission. "But the biggest problem is enforcement. The police arrive, the gardener turns off the machine." "My preference would be to ban their use in residential areas," Councilman James Bozajian said.

According to the article Westlake Village has a similar restriction that limits use of the equipment between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. "Several years back the council set up loose guidelines," said Scott Wolfe, an assistant planner for Westlake Village. "We don't like to see their use on Sundays." Other local cities are mixed on whether to restrict the devices. Agoura Hills has no restrictions; Malibu bans them in residential areas. In Ventura County, Camarillo has an ordinance that limits leaf blowers' use from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday, while Thousand Oaks has a standard noise ordinance that bans noise from equipment like leaf blowers from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. The city of Ventura does not limit leaf blowers. Neither does Oxnard, where the council voted down a proposed ordinance last summer.

The report says Calabasas Councilman Robert Sibelia was the sole councilman who voted against the proposal. "A complete ban is too drastic," Sibelia said. "To take away this useful tool is unfair. While I have one, there's nothing more annoying than to be woken up by a neighbor's gardener."

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New York City Works To Decrease Noise Pollution

PUBLICATION: The Boston Globe
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: National/Foreign; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Fred Kaplan
DATELINE: New York, New York
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Maurice Miller, professor of audiology, New York University; Peter Pringle, resident and writer; John Dallas, Bronx Campaign for Peace and Quiet; Arline Bronzart, chair, Noise Committee, Mayor's Council on the Environment.

The Boston Globe reports that noise pollution continues to grow in New York City. The City is trying stronger measures to lower noise levels.

The article says last year, according to the a report that Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani released recently, complaints about noise increased 70 percent compared with the year before. "New York is probably the noisiest city in America - among the noisiest in the world," said Maurice Miller, professor of audiology at New York University and a top consultant to the city's board of health. Honking horns, blasting boom boxes, thumping jukeboxes, whooping car alarms, screeching subway trains, unmuffled motorcycles, earth-rattling jackhammers - such is the daily soundtrack of New York City living. Add to that a growing rate of construction and street repairs, which both cause increased car and truck traffic; throw in the more vibrant nightlife, which has come with the city's economic resurgence - and the cacophony reaches thundering levels, for more and more hours, day and night.

According to the report, Miller has taken readings from inside apartments - not just in Manhattan but in parts of Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx - where the combination of horn-honking and ambulance sirens has reached 109 decibels, louder than standing over a chainsaw. Peter Pringle, a writer who works in his Manhattan apartment, said: "The guys in the parking lot next door - their job is so boring, they love to turn all the car alarms on and off. Each time they do, I can't write again for half an hour." John Dallas, head of an organization called the Bronx Campaign for Peace and Quiet, said noisy neighbors are the main problem in his borough. "They don't just bring radios out on their stoop," he said. "They bring out whole stereo systems." Since most New Yorkers live in apartments, one loud stereo can bother hundreds of people. And since many apartment buildings are made of stone and face one another along narrow streets, soundwaves bounce back and forth, growing louder and harsher in the reverberations.

The article says Arline Bronzart, who has conducted many studies on the effects of noise and who chairs the noise committee of the Mayor's Council on the Environment, said: "People get very aggressive about noise. I talk to people who are ready to kill." Noise is the leading source of complaint calls by New Yorkers to the 24-hour "Quality of Life Hotline" that the mayor set up last September.

According to the report, New York City passed a law in 1972 that banned "unreasonable noise, " defined as noise that offends "a reasonable person of normal sensitivities." "It was the first noise code in the country and it's still the strictest," said Alan Gurson, chairman of Community Board No. 2, which encompasses the area of lower Manhattan from Greenwich Village to Chinatown. "The problem is, it's not enforced." Last October, the City Council passed an ordinance that triples the penalty for repeat offenders of the noise code. Drivers ticketed three times for unreasonable horn-honking can now be fined up to $2,100. Owners of loud pets can receive a $525 ticket. Operators of noisy nightclubs can be socked with a fine of $24,000. The new measure went into effect at the end of last month, so it is not yet clear whether the police are issuing summonses with any greater vigor than before.

The report says Robert Bookman, a lawyer for the New York Nightlife Association, a consortium of bar and nightclub owners, finds the whole campaign a bit un-New Yorkerish. "You want quiet?" Bookman said. "I'm not saying go live in North Dakota. But, yes, go live in a residential area. What's happening is, there's this trend. These wealthy people, who control their community boards and their politicians, are moving into areas that did not used to be residential areas - TriBeCa, SoHo, the Flatiron district. These people want the benefits of living in Manhattan - being in the center of entertainment, restaurants, theaters, clubs - but none of the down sides." Still, the growing confrontation between nightclubs and the nouveau trendies who seek urban vitality without the volume is far from the city's most serious clash over noise.

The report explains how in the Bronx, subway trains travel above ground and, where they pass near a school, the effects are calamitous. Miller, the NYU audiologist, said that academic scores at these schools "plummet because children cannot concentrate, especially in learning new materials." According to one study, the reading scores of students in a classroom facing the rails were a full year behind those of students in a room on the other side of the building. Bronzart conducted an experiment in one classroom, installing special acoustical tile, which lowered the noise considerably. But, she said, her efforts were not followed up elsewhere. Noise from jet planes is a much worse problem - and beyond local authority. At a school near LaGuardia Airport in Queens, pupils as young as six were found to have deficiencies in cognitive and language skills, according to a study in the journal Environment and Behavior. Bronzart, in a study commissioned by the borough president of Staten Island, found numerous health problems among residents who live close to Newark International Airport. "People who call me from Queens and Staten Island are going crazy," she said. "They have to go into a closet to hear themselves talk, it's so loud."

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California Judge Affirms Airport Expansion Plans

PUBLICATION: The Los Angeles Times
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: Part A; Page 1; Zones Desk
BYLINE: Andrew Blankstein
DATELINE: Burbank, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: David Golonski, Burbank Councilman

The Los Angeles Times reports that a judge in California decided that Burbank Airport can not veto the airport authorities plans for expansion.

According to the article, the judge said the city had given expansion powers to the airport authority "expressly and unequivocally." The airport authority now expects to move on plans to construct a 19-gate terminal. The airport had faced an attempt by Burbank to block the purchase of land for the terminal, but this decision affirms their right to the purchase. In 1977, the agreement was made by Burbank, Glendale, and Pasadena to create a jointly-run airport authority, and at that point Burbank gave up its rights to block the land acquisition or any other act necessary to the functioning of the authority.

The report says Burbank officials plan to appeal the decision, and continue fighting the plans for the large terminal which it says will worsen traffic and noise problems in Burbank. They said their determination is not weakened.

The article notes that disputes began in 1973 when Burbank lost a case in the Supreme Court over whether they could "interfere in airport safety and operations." Disputes have continued over the years, and at one point a Burbank organization even started a boycott of businesses in Glendale and Pasadena: their airport authority partners.

The report says that the airport authority hopes to have the terminal built in three years. They hope that Burbank will decide to work with them on the plans.

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California Community Debates Little League Fields

PUBLICATION: The Orange County Register
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: Community; Pg. 08
BYLINE: Julie Laing
DATELINE: Newport Beach, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Karen Kopicki, resident.

The Orange County Register reports that little league baseball fields are the center of controversy in Newport Beach, California. Area residents say fields will bring greater traffic and noise.

The article describes how when Newport-East Little League officials decided to spend $40,000 on improvements to the athletic fields of Lincoln Elementary, they thought they had hit a home run. The city would have better fields free of charge. The league would have a safer place to play. But homeowners across from the fields on Pacific View Drive say the league has struck out. They fear improvements will increase traffic and noise, decreasing their property values and quality of life. "I would not buy a house across the street from that. I did not buy a house across the street from that," said Karen Kopicki, who has lived in the Canyon Crest Condominiums for 16 years. "There's never any break from what's going on over there. "

According to the report, John Della Grotta, president of Newport-East Little League, said the plan is to increase safety, not noise or traffic. "Last year we had 400 kids in the program without practice fields," Della Grotta said. "We had masses of kids playing baseball in an unsafe way. " Improvements are planned for two fields. The first, a game field, will include new batting cages, bullpens, concrete walkways, security lights and a donor wall. A practice field will also get a facelift with a removable backstop and fence. Della Grotta said that while changes at the Lincoln fields are necessary, the shortage of fields in Newport Beach is the main concern for the league. "It's a really serious problem," he said. "You have too many kids playing on too few fields. If the field situation doesn't improve in the next few years, in baseball at least, you'll be turning kids away. " "It's very difficult to get practice fields in the city, let alone playing fields," said city recreation manager Marilyn Fisher. "We struggle to accommodate all these different leagues. " She added that the Bonita Canyon annexation could increase the number of fields.

The article explains that while league and city officials are excited by the additions to the Lincoln field, Kopicki and other residents feel they are not being heard. Homeowners were not consulted the last time improvements were made, when the field was outfitted with stadium lights in 1989. But they have been forced to live with the lights. "They were shining right through our windows," Kopicki said. "They still are now. I'm standing in my kitchen and they're shining in." While the current improvements do not include stadium lights, neighbors fear that changes are once again being forced upon them. Kopicki was the only homeowner in the complex notified of a Parks, Beach and Recreation Commission meeting earlier this month, when the commission supported the improvements. "I feel like I'm just banging my head against the wall," she said. "The people who are supposed to represent us weren't listening to us."

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National Audubon Society Fights South Carolina Racetrack Proposal

PUBLICATION: The Post and Courier
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: B, Pg. 5
BYLINE: Terry Joyce
DATELINE: Charlestown, South Carolina
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: The National Audubon Society.

The Post and Courier reports that residents of Charlestown, South Carolina are engaged in a lawsuit over whether to build a racetrack near the Francis Beidler Forest.

According to the report, administrative Law Judge Ralph K. Anderson III asked lawyers on both sides of the racetrack issue to draft orders describing how they would like him to rule. Anderson issued no orders Wednesday during the hearing in North Charleston, but a lawyer acting for several residents who live near the forest said his clients still oppose what they believe would be a noisy nuisance. "We're looking forward to our day in court," said Robert Guild, a Columbia lawyer who represents residents and the National Audubon Society. Guild said his clients hope to prove "what the noise level at the track will do to the pristine nature of the Beidler Forest and the nearby Four Holes Swamp." The National Audubon Society owns the 10,300-acre forest.

The article says the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control already issued a stormwater permit to Moncks Corner developers Mike Brown and Howard Tharp, apparently before a study was conducted on the impact noise from the racetrack would have. "We think DHEC would agree that they have the authority to change their permit" after hearing new evidence, Guild said. When the permit was issued, the agency considered the impact stormwater runoff from the track would have on the environment, not noise.

According to the article, Beidler Forest has been nominated for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places, forest manger Norman L. Brunswig said. The proposed track is near I-26 and S.C. Highway 27, roughly two miles from the forest at the closest point.

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California Senator Introduces Bill To Strengthen Controls On Airport Noise

PUBLICATION: The San Francisco Chronicle
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. A14
BYLINE: Benjamin Pimentel
DATELINE: San Francisco, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Quentin Kopp, California State Senator; Jan Dolan, Menlo Park City Manager.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that State Senator Quentin Kopp plans to introduce a new bill to help communities fight airport noise.

The article says the proposed law would make it easier for cities near airports statewide to hold public hearings on airport noise and would give cities the right to ask county district attorneys to investigate alleged violations of noise regulations. It also would require airports to inform neighboring cities of planned changes in flight patterns. "The (current) law omits adequate protection for any airport's neighbors and the bill attempts, within the constraints of federal jurisdiction, to supply protections for nearby residents and businesses," said Kopp (Independent-San Francisco)

The report describes how under current law, a city seeking a public hearing on airport issues needs to ask the state to appoint a judge and line up witnesses. Kopp's proposal would shorten this process. "It used to be a tedious process," said Jackie Landsman, chief of staff of Kopp's Daly City office. "It's a much more formal proceeding, which is not conducive for a hearing on the issues." Kopp's bill was based mainly on issues raised by Peninsula cities that have long complained of increasing noise from San Francisco International Airport.

According to the article, Senator Kopp criticized the Airport Community Roundtable, the local group of San Francisco and nine other cities that meets regularly with SFO on noise issues. Kopp said the group has been ineffective. The roundtable serves as a forum on noise issues and does not have executive powers. SFO Director John Martin said he has yet to study the bill. But he defended the roundtable which he said has addressed many key noise concerns. "The roundtable has been a very action-oriented group and has proved to be a very effective forum for understanding noise issues," he said. "The roundtable has made enormous progress over the years."

The article says Martin cited the $120 million program for insulating homes affected by airport noise. Last year, the FAA also required planes arriving from Hawaii to fly at a higher altitude over Woodside in the early morning hours. This change was based on the recommendation of SFO and the roundtable. Burlingame Mayor Mike Spinelli, who sits on the roundtable, said the airport is also constrained by Federal Aviation Administration rules. "When you're dealing with the federal government that's a different animal," he said. "You are talking about safety issues and federal regulations. Menlo Park City Manager Jan Dolan said she has yet to study Kopp's proposal but said she also was not impressed with the roundtable's ability to fight noise. Menlo Park residents also have increasingly complained recently about noise from planes approaching the airport. "Everyone here wants to work with the roundtable, but there is concern that lacking any authority that may not be sufficient," she said. "There is a clear sense that something has to be done. If Kopp's bill helps that, I'm sure it will get support."

The article explains how at present, counties, not cities, can ask their district attorneys to investigate alleged violations of noise control measures. But no county in the state has ever done so in 20 years, Landsman said. "The cities so far have been much more attuned to their constituencies and have indicated an interest in doing this," she added. "This gives them the opportunity." Details of the bill have yet to be worked out, including establishing possible penalties for airports where noise regulations have been violated, Landsman said.

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Seattle Area Faces Two Airport Expansions

PUBLICATION: The Seattle Times
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: Local News; Pg. B1
BYLINE: David Schaefer
DATELINE: Seattle, Washington
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Glenn Weiss, North Highline Unincorporated Area Council; Dwight Pelz, Councilman.

The Seattle Times reports that a second Seattle-area airport has announced plans to expand, and neighbors of King County Airport - better known as Boeing Field - aren't happy about the idea.

According to the report, planners for the county-owned airport have been involved in a yearlong study of how to accommodate the growth in aircraft operations there. But only in recent weeks have they announced plans to extend the main airport runway 800 feet to the north. At a public hearing on the proposal, more than 200 airport users and residents of nearby neighborhoods crowded the airport terminal. "There is no flight-path information, no study of an alternative site," said Glenn Weiss of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, which includes the Boulevard Park and White Center areas. Weiss said the county airport planners weren't even proposing a noise -mitigation program.

The article says Cynthia Stewart, the airport manager, said the county's plan so far is just a concept. It still must go before County Executive Ron Sims and be approved by the Metropolitan King County Council. Stewart said noise and air-quality studies are still to be conducted. The current schedule calls for a master plan to be ready in the fall, and construction to extend the runway could not take place before next year or 2000.

The article explains how Boeing Field has been operating since 1928 but has not been the area's main passenger airport since Seattle-Tacoma International Airport opened in 1947. Sea-Tac currently is planning its own $1.7 billion expansion, including development of a controversial third runway. There are no passenger flights scheduled into Boeing Field currently, although it can be used in emergencies. About 85 percent of the airport's 420,000 annual landings and takeoffs involve small private aircraft or helicopters. The remaining 15 percent are jet operations, from corporate jets, air-cargo carriers and Boeing test flights. There are two runways: a 10,000-foot main runway for jets and a 3,700-foot runway for smaller planes.

The article says airport planner Clare Impett said the proposed master plan is to accommodate growth over the next 20 years without changing the basic function of the airport. But she said that as part of the planning, the Federal Aviation Administration has required a new safety zone at the south end of the main runway. She said FAA rules call for an 800-foot safety area at the south end of the field, which effectively would reduce the runway capacity to 9,200 feet. Impett said that while United Parcel Service and other air-cargo companies said they could live with 9,200 feet of runway space, Boeing said it needs all 10,000 feet for its testing program. Already, she noted, the runway cannot handle the largest planes, such as a fully loaded Boeing 747.

According to the article, Frank Figg, a Boeing spokesman, said shortening the runway to 9,200 feet would mean shutting down the test program. Impett said the idea of expanding the runway only recently became public when the FAA requirement was discovered by a new consultant hired by the county. Metro council member Dwight Pelz, whose district surrounds Boeing Field, said this has bred distrust in nearby Georgetown and other areas. "It is a huge insult to the neighborhood," he said. Pelz said he expects the council to hold hearings on the proposal in about three weeks. David Schaefer's phone message number is 206-464-3141. His e-mail address is: dsch-new@seatimes.com

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Snowmobiles Plague Yellowstone

PUBLICATION: USA Today
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. 14A
DATELINE: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

USA Today published an editorial about the effects of snowmobiles on Yellowstone National Park and advocates banning their use in National Parks.

The editorial describes how throughout winter, there are days when the Yellowstone plateau looks and sounds more like Daytona than a national park. Thousands of snowmobiles cover its trails like swarms of two-stroke hornets, producing a chain-saw howl and leaving a pall of blue-white haze in the air. Air pollution along the park's snowmobile trails is sometimes worse than in downtown Denver.

The writer suggests although snowmobiles are fun they should be banned from the nation's parks. The noise and air pollution are unacceptable, and the trails may affect the migration of park bison. Last year, about half the 1,100 bison slaughtered for leaving the ice-bound park followed snowmobile trails. This year the toll is 11, but it's been a mild winter and, after the last bloody season, there are fewer animals to start with. Between all the dead bison and all the howling snowmobiles, it sometimes seems the park has been deeded over to narrow local interests. Lawmakers from nearby towns and surrounding states have so bullied the National Park Service that Yellowstone's original mission -- to preserve the natural beauty -- is being compromised by local interests. For example, Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., a state that earns millions from the park's proximity, has introduced legislation that actually schedules Yellowstone's winter season, as if Washington politicians know better than park rangers.

The editorial says communities around Yellowstone rely on it to attract visitors. But local economic development is not a primary park objective and, besides, the nearby Targhee and Gallant national forests offer more recreation. The park is a key attraction. But Viki Eggers of the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce says snowmobilers, who stay an average seven to 14 days, spend fewer than two in the park.

The author says other parks increasingly are suffering similar noise and pollution. In winter, it is snowmobiles, each of which can produce up to 1,000 times more pollution than a car. In the summer, it is personal watercraft, which can leave 30% or more of their oil-gas fuel mixture in the water. The noxious fumes and obnoxious noise quickly can destroy the contemplative park experience sought by millions of others. Yellowstone's winter season will close in weeks. But the harm will continue as long as the Park Service fails to curtail inappropriate activities. As with private cars in Yosemite Valley, the parks cannot sustain the increase in snowmobiles and other two-stroke machines. Ban them now, and save the parks for years.

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Vancouver To Build Sound Barrier For New Development

PUBLICATION: The Vancouver Sun
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: News; North Shore Digest; Pg. B1 / Front
DATELINE: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The Vancouver Sun reports that planners will make use of a "sound wall" to shelter neighbors of a proposed sports center from noise.

The article describes how a "sound wall" like the concrete fence that lines the Upper Levels Highway is one of the district of North Vancouver's proposed design changes to a new sports court in Lynn Valley. A district report says the $250,000 sports court will be built immediately west of the Karen Magnussen recreation centre to replace an old lacrosse box at Ross Road school that the district has already torn down. The new sports court -- a lighted, open air facility -- is to be used for inline skating and lacrosse. Some neighbours have also predicted the sports court will become a magnet for noisy youths. But Dan Ellis, president of the Lynn Valley Residents Association, said Wednesday the sound barrier should allay those concerns. Ellis said the construction of a new sports court will provide constructive alternatives for youths. "A tiny minority of youths make a nuisance of themselves," Ellis said, and the new sports court won't change that.

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Chicago Community Rejects Third Airport

PUBLICATION: The Chicago Tribune
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: Metro Northwest; Pg. 1; Zone: Nw
BYLINE: Phat X. Chiem, and Ian Ritter
DATELINE: Arlington Heights, Illinois

The Chicago Tribune reports that Arlington Heights, Illinois has chosen to reject the idea of a third Chicago area airport in a recent vote.

The article explains how in recent months, Park Ridge, Elk Grove Village, Bensenville and Des Plaines have joined the Partnership for Metropolitan Chicago's Airport Future, a coalition created by U.S. Reps. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) and Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.). By a 4-3 vote, the Arlington Heights panel rejected a motion to join the Partnership. Had the motion carried, Arlington Heights would have become the first northwest suburb not belonging to the anti-noise Suburban O'Hare Commission to push for a third airport. It also would have been a clear signal that the airport project enjoyed widespread support. The vote does not preclude the Arlington Heights Village Board from throwing its considerable weight behind a push for a new airport because the committee's decision was only advisory. Village trustees may take up the issue during their regularly scheduled March 2 board meeting.

According to the report, supporters of a third regional airport said Wednesday that enough momentum already exists to keep the airport project moving forward. "There is broad support for it throughout the Chicago area, with the exception of a couple of airlines and the (Chicago) mayor's office," said Thomas Hardy, a spokesman for Gov. Jim Edgar, a key proponent of building a third airport near Peotone, in Will County. Peotone supporters insist that their project still enjoys widespread support from many south suburbs and those municipalities upset about noise from O'Hare International Airport. Third-airport backers also note that virtually all of the candidates for U.S. Senate and governor agree about the need for a Peotone airport, though they might differ about certain details. Secretary of State George Ryan, the leading Republican gubernatorial hopeful, has vowed that, if elected, he would jump-start the project by spending $20 million to buy land for a starter airport near Peotone. On Wednesday, Ryan spokesman John Torre downplayed the significance of the advisory committee's vote.

The article describes how a third airport "has been talked about for a long time," Torre said. "The secretary is still committed to this project, and we will pursue it if elected." Arlington Heights Trustee Virginia Z. Kucera, who brought up the original motion to join the Hyde-Jackson partnership, offered similar sentiments. "I don't think Arlington Heights is as critical to the partnership as it once was," said Kucera, a member of the advisory committee. But some Peotone opponents say the committee's decision is an indication that a third airport is not wanted or needed. "This should absolutely send a message to those pro-Peotone people that a third airport is not something that the people want," said Lisa Ziegler, vice president of the Greater O'Hare Association of Industry and Commerce.

MORE ON THE INTERNET: Do you think Arlington Heights should support an airport near Peotone? Tell us what you think about plans for a third regional airport at http://chicago.tribune.com/go/arlingtonheights

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Chicago Community Opts Against Third Airport Because Of Noise Pollution

PUBLICATION: The Chicago Daily Herald
SECTION: News; Pg. 4
BYLINE: Chris Fusco
DATELINE: Arlington Heights, Illinois
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Larry Niemann, member, Arlington Heights Advisory Committee

The Chicago Daily Herald reports that Arlington Heights, Illinois recently voted not to join a Chicago area coalition in support of a third airport due to concerns over noise pollution.

According to the article, an Arlington Heights panel voted against joining a coalition that supports building a third regional airport in South suburban Will County. The 4-3 vote came after three hours of discussion between residents, anti-O'Hare groups, state transportation experts and members of the airline industry. Members of the village's Advisory Committee on O'Hare Noise, however, broke down all the facts, figures and opinions to a single issue - airplane noise. "I don't think I've heard anything about this coalition that's going to reduce the noise in Arlington Heights," committee member Larry Niemann said. "I don't see how we think joining this group is going to help us."

The article says the Committee members John McNamara, Bert Rosenberg and Village Trustee Stephen Daday agreed with Niemann in voting against joining The Partnership for Metropolitan Chicago's Airport Future. The group was founded by U.S. Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr., a Chicago Democrat, and Henry Hyde, a Wood Dale Republican. Committee members Margaret Cahill, Glenn Lehner and Trustee Virginia Kucera advocated joining the coalition, saying it made sense to back a group that agrees with the village's longtime stance against building new runways at O'Hare.

According to the article, the debate about the number of new flights expected at O'Hare - and noise those flights might create - was the issue with which panel members grappled Tuesday. A Federal Aviation Administration's 1996 Airport Capacity Enhancement Plan predicts a 30 percent increase in flights at O'Hare - to 1.2 million - by 2010. The FAA's prediction, however, runs contrary to recent flight trends at the airport. The number of flights at O'Hare decreased from 909,000 to 890,000 last year, said William L. Hood, Managing Director of Corporate Affairs for American Airlines. Furthermore, executives for both American and United Airlines predict no increase in flights at O'Hare by 2010 because of larger, more-advanced aircraft replacing older, smaller jets. Like Daley, the carriers are against a third regional airport.

The article says the differing predictions of future befuddled panel members. "I've heard so many things tonight I don't know who to believe or what to believe," Rosenberg said. "It's tough to make a decision." Although joining the coalition isn't scheduled for a vote at Arlington Heights' next village board meeting March 2, trustees could revisit the matter then.

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Singapore Resident Resents Construction Noise

PUBLICATION: The Straits Times
DATE: February 18, 1998
SECTION: News
BYLINE: Whang Yee Ling
DATELINE: Singapore, Malaysia
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Whang Yee Ling, resident.

The Straits Times published the following letter to the editor regarding noise pollution from construction:

I refer to the report ""A racket at all hours of the day" (ST, Feb 16).

I, too, am a victim of noise pollution caused by inconsiderate construction work. My apartment is surrounded by three condominiums being built, including the mammoth Ardmore Park. Construction starts at 7 am and continues past midnight seven days a week.

I have complained in vain to the Ministry of Environment and even the police. They explained that construction work can last round the clock, so long as it does not exceed 65 decibels from 7 pm to 7 pm.

This is scant comfort, since noise is amplified in the stillness of the night. And the $2,000 fine for contractors flouting the noise -level rule is clearly a pittance that fails to work as a deterrent, to judge by the Cashew Heights incident.

I find it outrageous that the law should safeguard the interests of contractors and developers -they have a production deadline to meet, they argue -at the expense of the residents' rights. This is especially since my neighborhood is a designated ""residential" district. Is it too much to ask that the authorities help make it livable?

WHANG YEE LING

Copyright(C) 1998 THE STRAITS TIMES (Singapore)

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Washington Airport Considers Safety Requirements Of Runway

PUBLICATION: The News Tribune
DATE: February 18, 1998
SECTION: Business; Pg. A16
BYLINE: Mike Maharry
DATELINE: Tacoma, Washington

The News Tribune reports that a plan to shift usable runway at Boeing Field, Washington, 800 feet to the north is drawing complaints from neighbors at that end of the King County Airport.

According to the article, residents from the Georgetown and Beacon Hill neighborhoods and parents from Cleveland High School say the change would bring more noise, more vibrations and more air pollution to their communities. The runway change is among the recommendations in a new airport master plan which ultimately must be approved by the King County Council and the Federal Aviation Administration. Airport General Manager Cynthia Stewart will discuss the master plan's recommendations at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. today at an open house at the Airport Terminal Building, 7277 Perimeter Road, Seattle.

The article says Boeing Field, formally known at King County International Airport, is owned and operated by King County. The Boeing Co. is its largest tenant, using the airport for flight tests and air cargo deliveries from other Boeing plants and suppliers. The field also serves as home base to three air freight companies, a number of corporate jets and private pilots.

The report says an airport spokeswoman said the FAA, in reviewing airport specifications last year, concluded the field needed an 800-foot safety area at the south end of the 10,000-foot runway. Since there's no extra land available to create the safety buffer beyond the existing runway, the airport was faced with shortening the existing runway to 9,200 feet. The idea of a shortened runway didn't please Boeing and the three air freight companies (Federal Express, Airborne Express and BAX Global, formerly Burlington Air Express), since each uses large planes whose pilots like the extra safety of a longer runway. To satisfy those customers, a consulting firm hired by the airport to draft a new master plan recommended the runway be extended by 800 feet at the north end. Airport officials say the three cargo companies have a total of eight scheduled landings and takeoffs each day. They occur between 5 and 7 p.m. and between 4:30 and 6:30 a.m.

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Pennsylvania Community Rejects Playground

PUBLICATION: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DATE: February 18, 1998
SECTION: Metro, Pg. W-6
BYLINE: Carole Gilbert Brown
DATELINE: Carnegie, Pennsylvania

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that neighbors in Carnegie, Pennsylvania are fighting a playground they say would bring noise to the community.

According to the article, proponents of a children's playground for Carnegie Towers say they are not giving up despite the Carnegie Zoning Hearing Board's denial last week of a setback variance for the proposed recreational area. Lloyd Eddy, Carnegie Towers manager, said alternative sites are being considered for an approximately 90-by-35-foot playground with equipment such as spring animals, climbing bars, a moonwalker, tables and chairs. The playground would be for children under 12, and those under 6 would need adult supervision. Proposed hours of operation would be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The report says the zoning panel rejected the playground's placement because of its proximity to neighboring residential properties on Beechwood and Library avenues. A number of homeowners had expressed concerns about noise from the proposed site even though two sides would have been protected by an 8-foot wooden fence, which would have served as a noise and vision barrier. Eddy said the rejected site would have been ideal because it placed the playground out of the flow of traffic at the 10-story apartment building.

According to the report, Eddy said the playground would be built with money from a Drug Elimination Grant received from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant has also been used to set up a new seven-station computer room at Carnegie Towers. An instructor from Penn State will offer computer classes to both children and adults three days a week, beginning later this month.

CARNEGIE

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New Ampitheater In Residential Maine Community Concerns Neighbors

PUBLICATION: The Portland Press Herald
DATE: February 18, 1998
SECTION: York County & State, Pg. 1B
BYLINE: David Connerty-Marin
DATELINE: Old Orchard Beach, Maine
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Elizabeth Bell, resident.

The Portland Press Herald reports that the Salvation Army is building an ampitheater in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Residents are concerned about the noise and traffic the facility may bring to the community.

The article says the normally cordial relationship between the Salvation Army and its neighbors is being tested as steel beams rise on a new pavilion at the group's camp meeting grounds. Neighbors are concerned that the Salvation Army plans to use the 1,500-seat covered amphitheater now under construction for more than the traditional 10-day annual camp meeting. More events, residents say, will further strain the tightly packed neighborhood.

According to the report, each summer for more than 100 years, Salvationists have gathered on wooden benches under the pine trees to participate in one of New England's largest spiritual retreats. The structure now being built would serve not only as an upgraded facility for that retreat, but could become one of the area's more popular venues for concerts and other entertainment. "This is not a business zone. It's a neighborhood with a lot of kids," said Elizabeth Bell, who can see the annual meetings from her front porch across the street. What the Salvation Army is calling a gift to the community, Bell and others see as a threat.

According to the article, Salvation Army officials and neighbors have agreed to meet twice a month to discuss potential problems and ease the rising tension. The first session will be held 7 p.m. March 2 in the Salvation Army's building on Church Street. The pavilion's general manager, Al Stickland, said the Salvation Army may want to rent out the amphitheater for such events as concerts. That signifies a change from the group's statements to the Planning Board in July. At that time, Planning Board members asked if the amphitheater would be used solely for Salvation Army events. Assured that it would, the board approved the project. Since then, Stickland has talked with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, which is considering a fall concert there. Tracie Warner, publicist for Big World Productions in Portsmouth, N.H., said an outdoor amphitheater with a covered stage and seating would be attractive to medium- sized musical acts and other entertainment.

The article says Town Planner Tad Redway said neighbors understandably are concerned about possible new events on the Salvation Army property. The Planning Board, he said, likely would have to approve the use of the amphitheater by groups not associated with the Salvation Army. Stickland said the Salvation Army would be happy to again go before the board and has no intention of proceeding without first talking with neighbors. "The minute folks responded, I said, 'We need to sit down with the Planning Board,' " said Stickland, who reports to the headquarters in New York, not the local corps. "If this is a concern, we need to talk about it as a community."

The article says Bell said she and other neighbors have been willing to live with the existing traffic, parking problems and noise because they respect the Salvation Army's community-minded work and know the chaos lasts only 10 days. The neighborhood, known as The Campground, includes several hundred homes built on former tent sites, in many cases only three feet apart. Streets are barely as big as alleys, and no street parking is allowed. There are 80 homes within 100 feet of the campground.

The article says Stickland believes he has a solution to at least one problem. The Salvation Army plans to raze a house it owns at the edge of the grove and create parking there.

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California Community Considers Drag Racing Strip

PUBLICATION: The Press-Enterprise
DATE: February 18, 1998
SECTION: Local; Pg. B01
BYLINE: Joe Gutierrez
DATELINE: Moreno Valley, California

The Press-Enterprise reports that Moreno Valley City Councilwoman Bonnie Flickinger's proposal to stage a mock drag race Feb. 28 to simulate the roaring engines that would come from holding races at March Air Reserve Base has been scrubbed because of concerns over insurance and safety. Residents have voiced concerns that a proposed race track's revving engines and screeching tires would drive them crazy.

According to the article, Mayor Bill Batey, who is a weekend racer, said he is willing to race his car on Heacock, but other racers would be reluctant because the road is designed for regular traffic and bumps or cracks would be potential hazards for cars speeding at up to 150 mph. "I'm willing to take that chance because I believe in the project as a whole," Batey said.

The article says Flickinger said she did not want to create any safety hazards or expose the city to any potential liabilities, but she wants residents to know what to expect from a drag race strip. "I want to be above board with the people and show we're not hiding anything," Flickinger said. Flickinger said she was at the sound test and the sound of traffic on Heacock was drowning out the race cars. "I was surprised at how quiet they were. " Batey said drag races at the base would provide a safe and supervised area for street racers and could earn the city between $250,000 to $600,000 from a $10 race pass charged to drivers and fans. Racing would likely be done on weekends, officials said.

According to the report, Batey has said that cars would race only 1/8-mile and would shut off their engines and begin coasting at least that far from where residents' homes are on Heacock. In addition the drag strip would be built west of a flood control channel and would have a concrete barrier and wooden fence on top to muffle any noise going to Heacock. The stretch is on the eastern part of 70 acres of recreational land the city is leasing for $1 annually from the Air Force. The land also includes a day care center, library and Red Cross building.

The report says City officials estimate they will need about $11 million to develop the land into a park with baseball and softball diamonds, soccer and football fields, playgrounds, restrooms and parking areas. But the city has only about $100,000 to spend on developing and maintaining the land. The money will be used for two softball diamonds for adult leagues and refurbishing the day care facility. Batey said the money from the drag strip could help close the gap by paying for some of the base land's development and maintenance.

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Drag Racing Proposed In Fall River Massachusetts

PUBLICATION: The Providence Journal-Bulletin
DATE: February 18, 1998
SECTION: News, Pg. 1C
BYLINE: Julie Goodman
DATELINE: Fall River, Massachusetts

The Providence Journal-Bulletin reports two racing enthusiasts want to build a drag strip at the former municipal airport in Fall River, Massachusetts.

According to the article, Charles A. Lombardi, a town councilor in North Providence, R.I., and Alton Smyth III, co-owner of an Uxbridge motor sports shop, teamed up to offer Fall River a drag-racing track that could involve altering the $25 million bingo hall proposed for the site. At a nearly three-hour meeting that drew a crowd of about 50 racing fans, the two proposed three possible plans to the Economic Development and Tourism Sub-committee, which voted to file the proposal for future consideration. Ideally, the duo would like to build a full-fledged "world class automotive racing stadium" involving the purchase of 154 acres at the site for $3 million. With this setup, they could provide corporate hospitality suites and press boxes to host national races, drawing coverage from major sports networks such as ESPN.

The report says their second proposal is a lease with the option to buy. This would be a minimum three to five year lease with the option of buying the 154 acres with monthly payments of $25,000 to the city. The third option is a seven-month lease to cover an April to November drag-racing season, with a $250,000 payment to the city. "Our intention is to be a very high class facility at that site so we can attract people from all walks of life in New England to the sport of drag racing," Smyth said.

The article describes how when presented before committee members Steven M. Walsh, Pat. A. Casey and Joseph D. Camara, the plan drew concerns about noise, traffic and the legalities of "last-minute" changes to the urban renewal plan. Concerned about residents near the site, Casey asked about using charged- up vehicles that would make a lot of noise. Smyth and Lombardi said although they would like to entertain the possibility of using Top Fuel dragsters, what they plan on using now are gasoline-powered cars with between 150 and 650 horsepower. A consultant they hired determined from tests that sound will be kept at a minimum because prevailing winds blow noise toward the landfill and away from the residential area, they said. And only during special events will traffic to the site exceed the normal weekday traffic flow, they added.

The article says the developer said that the drag strip could coexist with the proposed Wampanoag Indian bingo hall if the tribe's plan was ammended. The strip's footprint encroaches on some of the 35-acre parcel the tribe hopes to use.

However, the report continues, Ken Fiola, the vice president of the city's Office of Economic Development, said that amendments to the plan would constitute "a major modification." "You would have to develop an entirely new urban renewal plan," he said, calling their plan unsubstantial. For Camara, who voted against the urban renewal plan, the drag strip may be completely out of the question. "I'm not sure we have any options left at this point," he said. "I don't see anyone having the intention of redoing the urban renewal plan."

The article says Councilor Paul B. Hart, who also attended the meeting, called the plan an "excellent proposal" and commended the two developers for their perseverance. "It seems like they've really had to pull teeth to get to the table." Alton and Lombardi first expressed interest in the site in 1994. This is the pair's third attempt to bring the sport to Southern New England, first in 1996 to Providence, and recently to Richmond, R.I. They are working on plans to resubmit their proposal to the Richmond town council, which rejected it.

According to the article, for those in the audience, the motor sport is a much desired addition to the city. Joe Pacheco, a Taunton resident who owns property near the site, said the auto racing crowd is larger than most people imagine. "The Titanic didn't hit anything this big," he said. "There's a lot of people here in the city that want to race. People are afraid to speak up because drag racing has a bad image. He described local enthusiasts as "a quiet diversified crowd" that either travels to tracks in New Hampshire or New York to race if they don't try it illegally - after-hours on Route 24.

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Florida Legislation Concerning Gun Ranges Unfair

PUBLICATION: The Tampa Tribune
DATE: February 18, 1998
SECTION: Nation/World, Pg. 10
DATELINE: Tallahassee, Florida

The Tampa Tribune published an editorial concerning a Florida bill about gun ranges that is currently being introduced. The proposed bill may make it harder for neighbors of gun ranges to successfully complain about noise and other matters.

According to the editorial, the bill introduced in Tallahassee would make it harder for neighbors of a proposed gun range to file suit to block it. The legislation also would grandfather in existing gun ranges when it comes to noise ordinances, so that if a tougher standard is imposed later, it will not apply.

The editorial says while the writer is sympathetic to those who like to shoot clay pigeons, and recognizes that it is getting more difficult to find a place to practice as the state develops, there ought to be no special protection from legal challenge for this particular land use. A gun range is a noisy place, and its neighbors should have the same right to file a complaint as someone would who is challenging the opening of a factory, a landfill or anything else. The writer says it also seems unfair to keep updated noise regulations from applying to such a place. After all, the noise from the gun range may be the very thing that triggers, so to speak, a reconsideration of the rules. If the shotgun blasts are the reason for passing a new ordinance, it would not be right to have a state law on the books saying the new standard cannot be applied to curtail the annoyance. The writer says leave it to the court to sort these questions out. The Legislature should not be trying to impose special treatment from Tallahassee.

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California Chambers Of Commerce Back Burbank Airport Expansion

PUBLICATION: The Daily News of Los Angeles
DATE: February 17, 1998
SECTION: News, Pg. N14
BYLINE: Eric Wahlgren
DATELINE: Burbank, California

The Daily News of Los Angeles reports that an organization representing 23 chambers of commerce in the San Fernando Valley, California area announced that it is backing Burbank Airport's plan to relocate its air terminal and add five gates.

The article says support from the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley sparked criticism from city of Burbank officials, who fear the $250 million expansion would lead to increased noise, traffic and pollution. "The chambers of commerce are interested in one thing: more profit for their members," said Burbank Mayor Bob Kramer. "The city of Burbank, meanwhile, is concerned about the quality of life for their residents and they are not going to roll over so business can make a greater profit."

According to the report, a joint chambers position paper, released by President Robert Meyler, said a new Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport terminal should be built to enhance safety, meet an increase in passenger volume and support economic growth in the region. "The joint chambers is the voice of Valley business," Meyler, an Encino-based business consultant, said in an interview. "For business purposes, we feel that it is necessary to expand Burbank and other air terminals including LAX, Palmdale, Van Nuys and even Whitman." City officials believe the existing 14-gate terminal should be relocated and enlarged, but they want guarantees that a larger terminal would not harm the community.

The report says the city wants mandatory curfews on flights or other restrictions to protect its residents, but the joint chambers paper sided with the airport.

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Toronto Airport Tests New Runway

PUBLICATION: The Toronto Star
DATE: February 17, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. B8
BYLINE: Mike Funston
DATELINE: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Lawrence Mitoff, chair, Coalition of Ratepayer Groups.

The Toronto Star reports that Pearson airport's newest runway is fully operational after more than two months of testing - resulting in 50 to 60 noise complaints, an airport official says.

The report says the tests were mainly to familiarize air traffic controllers with procedures relating to the $150 million runway and were completed about two weeks ago, airport operations boss John Kaldeway said yesterday. The complaints weren't unexpected, given that the runway is new and people aren't used to the operations, he said. Flight paths won't have to be further adjusted, he said.

The article says the testing period went on longer than expected because tests had to be done in clear weather and there were few such days in December, he said. The runway has been used for about 200 flights since late November, but has been needed about six times for brief periods since opening for commercial flights, with only one of those, a medical evacuation, being a take-off, he said. Airport officials have agreed to keep the much noisier take-offs to a minimum at that runway in response to concerns of residents and Mississauga Council.

According to the article, the second north-south runway was built to ease flight delays and cancellations when wind conditions prevent use of the two east-west runways, which handle most flights. The north-south runways will be used for about 5 to 7 per cent of flights, officials say. Lawrence Mitoff, who chairs a coalition of ratepayer groups in Mississauga, Etobicoke and Brampton which are opposed to the runway, described the operations so far as "not bad." "It ( noise) has been isolated, but when the planes do go overhead the houses shake. These areas (in east Mississauga) weren't affected before by aircraft noise, " he said. His group is trying to block use of the runway through the courts, charging it will destroy the quality of life in their neighborhoods. A judge will hear arguments next month as to whether the case can proceed.

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Study Shows Aircraft Noise Effects Health Of Children

PUBLICATION: The Washington Post
DATE: February 17, 1998
SECTION: Health; Pg. Z05; The Cutting Edge
BYLINE: Sandra G. Boodman
DATELINE: Munich, Germany

The Washington Post reports that chronic exposure to airplane noise can affect the health and psychological well-being of young children, according to a team of international researchers who studied children living in the flight path of a new international airport near Munich, Germany.

According to the article, Gary W. Evans of Cornell University and his colleagues studied 217 third- and fourth-grade children between the ages of 9 and 11 living in a rural area 22 miles outside Munich. Approximately half of the group came from an area affected by aircraft noise, while the rest were from quiet communities nearby. The children were matched for age, parental occupation, family size and socioeconomic status. Researchers surveyed the children before the airport opened, and again six months and 18 months after it opened. They measured the childrens' resting blood pressure and analyzed urine samples for the presence of epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol -- hormones that measure exposure to chronic stress.

The report says Evans and his colleagues found that the blood pressure of children in the noisy communities was significantly elevated after the airport opened and that their levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, but not urinary cortisol, which is believed to be a less reliable measure of chronic stress, were higher as well. Neither increase was seen among children living in the quiet communities. Similarly, children in the noisy communities reported a decline in their quality of life, but not until the 18-month survey.

The article says Evans and his team concluded that their study, which appears in the January issue of the journal Psychological Science published by the American Psychological Association, bolsters the view that chronic exposure to noise is harmful to human health. This damage occurs, they said, even in the absence of detectable hearing loss.

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Illinois Community Considers Whether To Back Third Chicago Area Airport

PUBLICATION: The Chicago Tribune
DATE: February 17, 1998
SECTION: Metro Northwest; Pg. 1; Zone: Nw
BYLINE: Carri Karuhn
DATELINE: Arlington Heights, Illinois

The Chicago Tribune reports that the Arlington Heights Advisory Committee on O'Hare Noise will gather to hear more testimony about the need for a new airport near Peotone, in Will County, to curb expansion of O'Hare International Airport.

The article says if the Arlington Heights Village Board eventually decides to back a third airport, it would be the first northwest suburb not aligned with the anti- noise Suburban O'Hare Commission to back such a plan. And that would mean more than traditional Peotone supporters and O'Hare opponents would be behind construction of a third airport. An airport near Peotone is backed by a coalition of officials who suggest that the plan would improve airline passenger traffic and provide economic benefits for the region. It would also limit growth at O'Hare. Several south suburbs have joined a coalition, organized by U.S. Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Chicago) and Henry Hyde (R-Bensenville).

The article says though some members of the Arlington Heights advisory committee remain undecided, others said they are leaning toward joining the push for a third airport so officials can participate in discussions with other communities on ways to curb noise at O'Hare. "I think it fills in the pieces for us as a village," said Trustee Virginia Kucera, a member of the committee, which was formed in 1991 to study how O'Hare noise was affecting Arlington Heights and to determine what the village could do to address the issue. A Peotone airport would make any expansion of O'Hare a moot point, according to members of the Jackson-Hyde coalition. It would increase air traffic in the metropolitan area and foster competition in fares by opening the market to more airlines, they say.

The article explains that the advisory committee is only a recommending body. Supporting the coalition's goal is a decision that rests with the Village Board. Before trustees can decide anything, the committee must answer some serious questions. Would a south suburban airport cause flights from O'Hare to fly more frequently into the northwest suburbs to avoid crossing flight patterns of planes taking off and landing at Peotone? And if that happens, would Arlington Heights end up with more jet noise than it already has? The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlington Heights Village Hall, 33 S. Arlington Heights Rd.

MORE ON THE INTERNET: Should Arlington Heights join the push to build a third airport near Peotone? You decide. chicago.tribune.com/go/interact

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Airport Disturbs Rural Community In South Carolina

PUBLICATION: The Augusta Chronicle
DATE: February 16, 1998
SECTION: Metro, Pg. B1
BYLINE: Todd Bauer
DATELINE: Aiken, South Carolina
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Donald and Andria Miller, residents; John Suich, resident.

The Augusta Chronicle reports that residents of Aiken, South Carolina object to noise from recent air field.

The article describes Donald and Andria Miller who live within a mile of an airport. They moved to their property on Storm Branch Road about two years ago for peace and quiet. Neighbors lived a comfortable distance away and much of the surrounding area is used for farming. About six months later, the Southern Model Aviation Club opened a field at the corner of Pine Log and Storm Branch roads. The Millers are sick of the noise.

The report explains how the dentist-drill whine of the airplanes carries over the trees and to the Millers' house. They say it is louder than cars and neighborhood dogs and loud enough to disrupt phone conversations in their house. And there are pilots in the field whenever the sun is out, Mr. Miller said. "When one leaves, another comes in. They're constantly out there," he said. "We don't care when they fly as long as we don't have to listen to them." They have called the sheriff's department several times, but no tickets have been written. In a letter dated April 25 to the Aiken County Council about the matter, Sheriff Howard Sellers said none of the deputies' contacts "have met the criteria for the sheriff's office to file a complaint." "The issue is always going to be a subjective interpretation of how much is too much noise, " he wrote.

The article says the Millers and some of their neighbors have sought action from the county. County Administrator Bill Shepherd rode out to the field and tested the noise with a decibel meter. At a distance of about 100 feet, the airplanes tested at more than 70 decibels. Passing cars on the road 50 feet away tested at about 65 decibels. But decibels aren't part of the nuisance ordinances the residents are trying to use against the pilots. The Judicial and Public Safety Committee of the Aiken County Council voted Tuesday to ask the county attorney what legal action it can take.

The report says Chris Rieke, president of the club, defended the pilots during and after the committee meeting. "We will abide by whatever the council says," he said. "But if we're right, we'll defend ourselves." The club has at least 55 members and is growing quickly, he said. It prohibits flights before 9 a.m. and requires mufflers on airplanes flying out of its field, he said. The planes cost several hundred to several thousand dollars and can fly at speeds reaching 100 mph. The club chose its current airport because it is centrally located, making it an easy drive for members in Aiken and Georgia, Mr. Rieke said. If they lose their current airport, some flyers may take their hobby elsewhere, said club member Charles Youngblood. Having an airport means pilots are supervised, insured and have boundaries. "People are gonna fly the planes," he said. The club already spent several thousand dollars to level the field, plant grass and build a shelter for participants and spectators. Many of the airport's neighbors have stopped by to watch and none have complained, Mr. Rieke said.

The article says many neighbors share the complaints of the Millers. About a year ago, the Millers circulated a petition declaring the model airplanes a nuisance, thereby violating a county ordinance. Savannah River Site retiree John Suich, who lives across the street from the airport entrance, signed the petition. "All of a sudden, we've gone from a rural, bucolic country setting to being next to an airport," he said.

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Noise Pollution is a Growing Health Hazard

PUBLICATION: The San Francisco Chronicle
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: Pg. 1
BYLINE: Michael McCabe
DATELINE: San Francisco, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Robert McGinn, Chair, Stanford Science, Technology and Society Program; Les Blomberg, Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, Montpelier, Vermont; Kathy Reddick, resident, Rohnert Park, California; David Schrom, Evergreen Park Neighborhood Association, Palo Alto, California; American Speech, Language and Hearing Association; Kathy Peck, Executive Director, Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers(H.E.A.R.), San Francisco, California; Gary Fazzino, Councilman, Palo Alto, California; League of the Hard of Hearing; Ashleigh Brilliant, Ban Leaf Blowers and Save Our Town (BLAST).

The San Francisco Chronicle reports how noise pollution is a growing problem recognized by hosts of activists, experts and citizens groups.

The article describes how noise is hell, and increasingly there is no getting away from it. For some it's the sudden scream of a machine - a leaf blower, a jet plane, a jackhammer. For others it is the constant ringing in the ears that won't go away, the residue of some big bang of noise long ago. For growing numbers of the shell shocked, the article goes on, hell is not hearing. As the population increases and more people use more machines, civilization is turning up the volume. But until recently, the proliferation of noise has not been matched by much organized protest. The report says that is changing fast. "Some people argue that excessive noise is the price we pay to live in an industrialized society, " the article quotes Robert McGinn, professor and chair of Stanford's Science, Technology and Society Program. "I strongly deny that and point to the societies of Sweden and Norway and their large quiet capital cities."

The Chronicle reports how many anti-noise crusaders believe the solution goes beyond enacting stiffer laws and relying on technology to make machines quieter. They frame it as a matter of civility. "We have to change the way people think, because good neighbors keep their noise to themselves," the article quotes Les Blomberg, coordinator of the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, based in Montpelier Vermont. "Noise polluters are like bullies in a schoolyard. They are basically saying, 'I don't care about you and the effect my noise has on you.' It's a power issue." The article goes on to say that anti-noise crusaders contend that of all the kinds of pollution in this frenetic world, noise may be the most insidious. Even music degenerates into dangerous, excruciating noise at eardrum-busting levels.

The report describes Kathy Reddick, who worked for years in the 1970sand '80s as a bartender and wait person where live music blasted. After that, she was an aerobics instructor working in gyms with pulsating music so loud she could feel it vibrate right through her body. Slowly over the years the report says, she found herself asking people more and more: "Say again?" Today she wears a hearing aid inside each ear while holding down a job as trainer-facilitator at Charles Schwab in San Francisco. "At work I am fine, but I am already preparing myself for a different kind of work if my hearing gets worse," says Reddick, who is 38 and lives in Rohnert Park. Reddick's situation may sound extreme, the report continues, but anti-noise activists warn that annoyingly loud noise is often a precursor to hearing loss.

The article continues to describe how leaf blowers have become a target for anti-noise activists. "I'm concerned with just about every kind of loud noise- leaf blowers, jet planes, trains, truck back up beepers, you name it," says David Schrom, head of the Evergreen Park Neighborhood Association in Palo Alto. "But right now we are focusing on a total ban of leaf blowers in Palo Alto, which we call noise blowers." For Schrom and growing numbers of other Californians, most of what leaf blowers blow is not leaves. It's pollution, noise to be sure, but also a concoction of pollen, bird and rodent feces, heavy metals and petroleum distillates. The article says Palo Alto City Councilman Gary Fazzino said his city's fight over leaf blowers shows there is less tolerance for noise of any kind. "And in Palo Alto, I think more people are saying , 'My gawd, I'm paying $500,000 for a shack - I at least deserve some peace and quiet.'" Leaf blowers, anti-noise legions insist, are just part of the problem. The old sources of noise have been building for years. The article describes how from 1960-1995, automobile traffic has gone up 262 per cent, truck traffic 573 per cent, and air passenger traffic 538 percent according to the Department of Transportation.

According to the article, noise opponents say their campaign is reaching a kind of critical mass that may put it where the controversy over second hand smoke was a decade ago. Continued exposure to noise over 85 decibels will eventually harm our hearing, according to OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The exposure time allowed is cut in half for every five-decibel increase. (A blender, for example, is 90 decibels.) If a sound is 95 decibels, then four hours of exposure, over time, could cause hearing loss, and exposure to sounds at 115 decibels for just 15 minutes a day will cause hearing loss, according to the League of the Hard of Hearing. But, the article continues, noise induced hearing loss takes place gradually over time and usually without pain. By the time we realize there is hearing loss, it is often too late. Even a state of the ate digital hearing aid costing $5,400 - like the one Kathy Reddick and President Clinton wear - do not restore hearing to its previous level.

According to the report, in the Bay Area, government officials are getting an earful from growing numbers of citizens organizing to do battle. Just last week the Menlo Park City Council gave preliminary approval to a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. It is supposed to take effect June 9. More than 40 cities in California alone, and more than 300 cities nationwide, have now banned leaf blowers. "How can noisy machines help clean the world when noise itself is a form of filth?" says Ashleigh Brilliant, a BLAST (Ban Leaf Blowers and Save Our Town) leader. " Air over which sound travels is common property of everybody, and nobody has any more right to inflict noise than they have to inflict smoke or any other kind of damage." The problem with noise, however, may be deeper than most of us realize, McGinn warned, and the solutions more elusive: "We have reached a point in this country where people are almost afraid of quiet. Because how do you fill up that silence? You may actually have to listen to your inner voice, one that asks you what you are doing with your life?"

According to the article, Robert McGinn points to studies that show noise levels in the United States hurt the physical, psychological, cognitive and emotional well being of people. "In fact as a whole, the United States is increasingly a hearing impaired society," McGinn says. "In one study of the Mabaan, a remote Sudanese people, for instance, the hearing of 80 year old tribes people tested better than that of an average 30 year old American." Already more than 10 million Americans suffer from noise-induced hearing loss and 20 million are exposed to potentially damaging noise levels, according to the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association. Hearing loss has increased by 14 per cent since 1971. "It used to be that people with hearing problems were 65 and older, but now we're seeing more and more teenagers with hearing problems," says Kathy Peck, executive director of Hearing Education and Awareness of Rockers (H.E.A.R.), a San Francisco based group dedicated to warning people about the dangers of loud music. "I myself lost 40 per cent of my hearing playing in an all-girl band called 'The Contractions,' and believe me, loss of hearing is loss of quality of life."

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Los Angeles Leaf Blower Ban Supporters Prepare to Fight State Bill to Lift the City Ban

PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: February 21, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 1; Metro Desk
BYLINE: Jill Leovy
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Cindy Miscikowski, Los Angeles City Councilor; Jack Allen, member, Zero Air Pollution

The Los Angeles Times reports that a state law is poised to overrule city-based laws on leaf blowers in the state of California. Los Angeles plans to rally other cities, and the state League of Cities, to maintain their gas-fueled leafblower bans and restrictions.

According to the article, the state bill would ban leafblowers starting in 2000 only if they were noisier than 65 decibels at 50 feet away. Also, a certification standard will be established for the state. State lawmakers said that usually restrictions are phased-in, but city bans have been unacceptably quick and inconsiderate of gardeners. He said "If the government wanted to regulate oil refineries, they would probably give them five years to comply with the new rules. But when you are talking about a poor gardener, they just ban their tools." Supporters of the state bill include gardeners, blower manufacturers, and retailers.

The article notes that Los Angeles officials believe that the leafblower ban is important for "the health and safety of residents [and] is a strong, municipal affair," that should not be subject to state overruling. The state can only overrule municipal laws if the issue is "of statewide significance." This would involve showing that municipal attempts to solve the problem hadn't worked. The League of Cities will likely oppose the ban, but hasn't decided.

The article goes on to say that a group called Zero Air Pollution is opposed to the bill, and says that the state's decibel levels mean nothing because noise measurements -- including the complaint, transit time for enforcement personnel, calibration of equipment, and measurement -- would take too long to catch a gardener 'in the act.'

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Judge Rules That California City Can't Block Airport Expansion Plan

PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: Part A; Page 1; Zones Desk
BYLINE: Andrew Blankstein
DATELINE: Burbank, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Peter Kirsch, attorney for Burbank; Ted McConkey, City Councilman

The Los Angeles Times reports that a Superior Court ruling that says Burbank, California can not block airport expansion has paved the way for Burbank Airport to work, unencumbered, toward a 19-gate terminal.

The article reports that the judge in the case asserted that Burbank gave up its unilateral rights when it agreed to the joint Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority -- which administers the airport -- years ago. The airport's lawyers said "The judge issued a very thoughtful and very, very strong opinion. It conveyed the idea that this is a regional airport and that a single city can't simply interfere with it."

The article says that the airport authority and Burbank have been at odds since at least 1973 when a dispute over restrictions on airport operations went all the way to the Supreme Court. In 1993, the airport decided to relocate the terminal which was judged to be too close to the runway by the FAA in 1980. In 1996, it tried to buy nearby land for a new terminal, but Burbank voted to block it. This court decision answered the question "Is that block legal?"

The article notes that officials in Burbank were disappointed, but plan to appeal the ruling. Their lawyer said "We knew there would be wins and there would be losses. But this does not dampen the city's resolve to fight this battle or its resolve to find a mutually acceptable solution to the current crisis."

According to the article, Burbank wants a terminal with fewer than 19 gates, flight curfews, and limits on the number of flights that are allowed. One councilman said "We think it's grossly unfair to have our citizens subjected to the kinds of noise, pollution and strains on the infrastructure that a terminal expansion project will inevitably bring." The city manager thinks the court conflict may last until at least 2003, perhaps finding its way to the Supreme Court.

The article goes on to say that the Airport Authority now plans to erect their version of a terminal within a few years. The Executive Director of the authority said he hoped Burbank would put their differences aside and help them design the terminal.

The article reports that the judge tried to encourage a settlement out of court, but was unsuccessful.

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Hush House at San Antonio Airport Will Allow Jet Engine Tests Around the Clock

PUBLICATION: San Antonio Business Journal (San Antonio, TX)
DATE: February 20, 1998
SECTION: Vol 12; No 2; Pg. 12
BYLINE: Melissa S. Monroe
DATELINE: San Antonio, Texas

The San Antonio Business Journal reports the San Antonio International Airport will complete a new engine run-up facility within two years which will allow companies to test their jets' engines 24 hours a day.

According to the article, the engine run-up facility, or hush-house, will be used by tenants of the airport who want to test engines between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Currently, engine testing is not allowed during these hours because the high noise levels disturb surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. Anna R. Buehrer, spokeswoman for the airport, says the facility which is designed to absorb noise will be only the second of its kind in the country. Last year a similar facility was built at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. Most of the cost for the hush-house will be funded through Federal Airport Improvement Program funds and the rest through local airport revenue funds, Buehrer adds. "A lot of airports have been looking at different aspects of noise abatements ...," Buehrer says. "This would be a good facility for us (in addition to our existing noise abatement program) to attract other tenants." Landrum and Brown Inc., a consulting company based in Chicago, has been chosen to design the facility.

The article reports Armando Sassoli, vice president of business development for aircraft manufacturer The Dee Howard Co., which is located at the San Antonio airport, says the engine run-up facility will benefit his firm. "Having a facility to protect the environment from noise is a very good thing; it provides us flexibility when and how we want to test our engines."

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Sacramento Elementary School Wants Sound Wall; Neighborhood Activists Push

PUBLICATION: Sacramento Bee
DATE: February 19, 1998
SECTION: Neighbors; Pg. N1
BYLINE: Duffy Hurley
DATELINE: Sacramento, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Don Macaulay, member of Swanston Estates Against Crime; Morris Urban, school principal

The Sacramento Bee reports teachers, students and administrators at Babcock Elementary School are in favor a sound wall being built along the Capital City Freeway in Sacramento. The article outlines the process that will be undertaken to determine if a sound wall is feasible.

According to the article, when students at the kindergarten through sixth-grade school try to hear their teachers, they have to block out the noise from diesel engines and the steady roar of freeway traffic. "It gets even worse in the spring and fall when it's warm and the teachers open their windows and doors to get fresh air,' said principal Morris Urban. The freeway is just 300 feet from the campus. "It's a hindrance we have learned to live with over the years, but traffic is getting worse," Urban said.

The article states if neighborhood activists from Swanston Estates Against Crime succeed, a 12-foot sound wall will be built along the freeway to reduce noise levels not only at the school but throughout the neighborhood. Activists have gathered more than 160 signatures on a petition asking the state Department of Transportation and government officials to build a sound wall on the east side of the Capital City Freeway from Arden Way north to El Camino Avenue.

The article reports that before a wall goes up, a number of steps have to be taken, such as measuring sound levels to determine if the wall is needed, consulting with nearby businesses that would be affected, and obtaining funding for the proposal. Don Macaulay, member of Swanston Estates Against Crime, said businesses that border the freeway do not favor losing the free advertising they've long enjoyed by having signs visible to passing motorists. However, from the standpoint of a hotel where guests are interested in a quiet night's sleep, the sound wall could prove beneficial, said Jim Wheeler, general manager of the Red Lion Sacramento Inn, which is adjacent to the roadway. "It's good and bad. Our guests would certainly appreciate less freeway noise. We do get some complaints about noise. But the downside is we would lose the great freeway visibility we have," said Wheeler. Wheeler said the hotel management would not oppose the noise wall, but will ask for compensatory freeway advertising if the project goes forward..

According to the article, workers from Caltrans' environmental branch are preparing to take noise level readings, said Keith Pommerenck of Caltrans. "We will do interior and exterior measurements inside and outside the classrooms simultaneously," he said. But measurements must be taken on days when it's not raining, when the roads are dry and the winds are calm, he said. "If it's above 67 decibels outside or 52 inside the classroom, it would qualify for some sort of mitigation to reduce the noise," he said. Pommerenck said noise level readings would probably be taken in the spring.

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Study Finds New Runway at Florida Airport Won't Increase Noise

PUBLICATION: The Palm Beach Post
DATE: February 18, 1998
SECTION: Local, Pg. 5B
BYLINE: Rebecca Goldsmith
DATELINE: West Palm Beach, Florida

The Palm Beach Post reports that a recent study has found that a proposed 2,000-foot extension of the main runway at Palm Beach (Florida) International Airport will not pose a significant environmental impact to neighbors, and will not increase noise levels. The $553,983 study was paid for by the airport authority and reviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration, the article notes.

According to the article, airport officials want to extend the runway to 10,000 feet at a cost of $12.9 million in order to compete with larger airports in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The study was required as part of the approval process. URS Greiner, a Tampa firm, conducted the study.

Meanwhile, residents from Palm Beach to Jupiter Farms are gearing up to oppose the project. This week, a group of 42 Palm Beach homeowners said they will sue the county over noise from the airport, the article says.

According to the study, the runway expansion will reduce noise levels because it will allow planes to fly at a higher altitude over residential neighborhoods. The study also found that the project would be good for the economy because the airport would not have to place weight restrictions on as many planes. Currently, 888 flights per year are subject to weight restrictions. In addition, the study found, the project would improve safety at the airport by giving pilots more room.

If the project goes forward, it could be complete by next year. The article says that the project is expected to add six flights per day by 2000, and 14 flights per day by 2011, according to the study.

The public comment period on the new study is open until March 23, the article notes. On March 19, there will be a four-hour public hearing on the topic.

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Oklahoma Planning Commission Rejects Dairy Parking Lot Project After Residents Object

PUBLICATION: The Daily Oklahoman
DATE: February 16, 1998
SECTION: The Norman Oklahoman; Pg. 1
BYLINE: Lisa Beckloff
DATELINE: Norman, Oklahoma
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Judi Hadley, John-Paul Ferguson, residents; Mark Derichsweiler, co-chair, the Miller Neighborhood Association

The Daily Oklahoman reports that the Planning Commission in Norman, Oklahoma voted 4-3 to recommend that a proposed parking lot at the Hiland Dairy be rejected. The vote came after residents near the dairy objected that the plan would increase the traffic, noise, and air pollution around the facility. The Norman City Council has the final say on the proposed project.

According to the article, some houses owned by the dairy were excluded from a proposed historic district recently, and that paved the way for the dairy to propose removing the houses and building a new parking lot. The diary wants to remove five homes in the 300 block of East Symmes, close off Symmes Street at Crawford, and erect a 13-foot masonry wall along Crawford and the alley south of Symmes. Two homes would remain on Symmes near the Porter Avenue intersection, under the plan. In addition, a wooden fence would separate the proposed parking area from the homes. The article says if Symmes Street remained open, the wall would not block that street, but city planners said this wouldn't effectively block noise from the dairy. Harold Heiple, an attorney for the dairy, said the proposed plan would improve the problems complained about by neighbors. He said, "Compared to what the neighbors have now, it makes no sense for them to be objecting to this proposal, unless they are under the very mistaken notion that if this is not approved the dairy will pack up and move. This is a very specialized plant. It is a multi-million dollar operation. It can't just move to an open warehouse somewhere."

The article explains that residents have long opposed any dairy expansion, saying the plant already produces too much traffic, noise, and air pollution. At the Planning Commission meeting, resident Judi Hadley presented a petition with 1,500 signatures opposing the dairy's plan. She said the dairy wants to move the trucks from the north side of its building to the south side in order to discourage people from wanting to live in homes to the south. Hadley said, "Wake up, people. This is called block busting. No one will want to live in those houses. This is an attempt to move out more homes." Residents also said the masonry wall would be ugly and might not block the sound as intended. Resident John-Paul Ferguson said, "It's not as if they are converting this into park land. There still will be trucks operating seven and a half inches away. No matter how big of a wall you build, factories are still loud, and people still have to live next to them." According to Mark Derichsweiler, co-chair of the Miller Neighborhood Association, the dairy's proposal violates the city's residential and industrial zoning policies, and no studies have been done to analyze the effects of the expansion on noise, traffic, or drainage. "There is no way to avoid the impacts, no matter how high the wall," Derichsweiler said. "The neighborhood association has always been and remains against this proposal. This is inappropriate for this area." Other residents, including Gloria Long denied assertions made by dairy officials that the dairy has been a good neighbor. Long said the dairy had spilled chemicals and milk into the storm sewer drains on at least three occasions.

The article also says that Phil Redwine, who has an office across from the dairy, said he didn't mind the dairy's expansion, but he opposes the masonry wall and closing off Symmes Street. He said, "My feeling is that the dairy should be able to have its parking lot, but I'm concerned about the wall. You would be encasing in concrete the only places that are not protesting. It's a waste of money for a bad compromise."

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Los Angeles Councilwoman Attack State Leafblower Bill

PUBLICATION: The City News Service
DATE: February 20, 1998
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California

The City News Service reports that Los Angeles City Officials are fighting a state bill that would override local leaf blowere bans.

The report says City Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski attacked an East Los Angeles lawmaker's state bill designed to regulate the use of gasoline-powered leaf blowers, saying it would pre-empt a local law. The Westside councilwoman championed a controversial Los Angeles ordinance that finally took effect earlier this month. It bans the use of the machines within 500 feet of residences. The ordinance allows police to issue $270 citations for illegal use of the machines.

The article describes how the ordinance has been vehemently opposed by Latino gardeners, some of whom recently staged a weeklong hunger strike. They contend the ban will diminish their productivity and ability to earn a living. The ordinance is supported by many Los Angeles residents, however, who say the machines cause too much air, noise and dust pollution. The councilwoman introduced a motion to the City Council, urging it to oppose SB 1651 authored by Sen. Richard Polanco, D-Los Angeles. Not only is SB 1651 a direct and unjustified attack on home rule, but it is not a well-thought-out bill," she said.

The article explains how the bill deals only with noise and does not acknowledge that gasoline-powered leafblowers are also sources of tailpipe emissions. Therefore, SB 1651 would be a major step backward in cities' efforts to protect and enhance the quality of life their residents enjoy." Miscikowski said the bill would empower the state Department of Consumer Affairs to regulate the use of the machines, by establishing a testing and certification program. She said Polanco's proposal does nothing to encourage the manufacturers of gasoline-powered garden equipment to develop superior equipment, and removes the motivation to build cleaner and quieter equipment, which either the promise or the reality of tough, prohibitive legislation contains."

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