PUBLICATION: Chicago Sun-Times
DATE: March 31, 1998
SECTION: Nws; Pg. 17
BYLINE: Maureen O'Donnell
DATELINE: Chicago, Illinois
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mike Dellaca, Victoria Mack, Mario Ramirez, residents
The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Chicago residents living in the 4600 block of North Lawler in Jefferson Park are upset about the noise from three blower devices the Union Pacific Railroad installed next to the tracks on Metra's Northwest line to Harvard. The three devices blow cold air on the tracks to keep snow and ice from interfering with the railroad switches, and they run 24 hours a day from November through April.
According to the article, Tom Zapler, a Union Pacific government affairs spokesperson, said if the company doesn't keep the switches working properly, nearly 40,000 commuter rides a day would be affected. He said, "This is the state-of-the-art, the most efficient way to do it at this point in time. Those blowers are not in violation of any law." Zapler added that it's cheaper to keep the blowers on 24 hours a day than to switch them on and off, and the railroad doesn't want to rely on weather predictions for when to run them. He said of the residents' problem with the noise, "Maybe they should consider getting better storm windows or consider mitigating the noise in their own home. ...It's not illegal. It's just noise. "
Meanwhile, residents say the noise is driving them crazy. Mike Dellaca, 18, said he moved to a friend's house because the noise kept him awake at night. "I'd be exhausted when I got to school, so I'd fall asleep in class and get in trouble," Dellaca said. Resident Victoria Mack said the noise is like "a jumbo jet idling on the front lawn." She added, "To me, Union Pacific saving on its electricity is not the reason to make us nuts." Resident Mario Ramirez said he wants to move because the noise sounds like a giant blowtorch near his home. He said, "Last night it was a little hot in the house. I opened the window and that noise -- that horrible noise -- won't let you go to sleep."
The article reports that the noise level shifts dramatically depending on the wind and the direction residents live from the tracks. The article notes that Chicago's noise ordinance doesn't cover mass transit, but the Department of Environment came out to Mack's home and measured noise levels. They found the blowers emitted 56 decibels in the living room with the windows open, and after the railroad installed a wooden noise barrier, the blowers emitted 57 decibels. That noise level is similar to noise from a dishwasher, according to Acoustic Associates, the article says.
PUBLICATION: The Northern Echo
DATE: March 31, 1998
SECTION: Pg. 6
BYLINE: Howard Walker
DATELINE: Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
The Northern Echo reports that residents in Middlesbrough, United Kingdom have complained to the Middlesbrough council that construction noise, dust, and vibration from the internal renovation of a nearby dairy are making their lives miserable. Councilor Ken Walker, the leader of the Middlesbrough council, is joining residents in their attack on the property owner, Shmshad Qurban. The council has told Qurban that he must restrict the hours of work to control noise.
According to the article, Qurban bought the former co-op dairy on the corner of Clifton Street and Romney Street last November. He has attempted to convert it into a car repair shop, but has been blocked by the Middlesbrough council because the site is close to residences.
The article reports that Councilor Walker called Qurban "irresponsible" and accused him of putting residents at risk with his work. Nearby residents are also reported to be worried by a report that asbestos was found in the building.
Meanwhile, however, Qurban said the council required him to carry out the noisy work, and he has called in the Health and Safety Executive to check for asbestos. In addition, Qurban said he is "open to suggestions" about what kind of business residents would like in the location. He said, "I don't want to upset anybody. Structural engineers from the council told me to break down a concrete floor in the building, which is what is causing the noise. I suspected lagging inside the building might have asbestos and when the HSE confirmed this, I stopped the work straight away."
Some residents in the area were not bothered by the noise, the article says. Benjamin Smith, who lives across from the dairy on Clifton Street, said he hadn't heard any noise. Paul Crocker, a resident of nearby Albany Street, said, "I didn't even know there was any work going on there." Lynn March, another resident, said the building needs renovating because it's an eyesore.
PUBLICATION: The Palm Beach Post
DATE: March 31, 1998
SECTION: Opinion, Pg. 15A
DATELINE: Palm Beach, Florida
The Palm Beach Post printed the following letter-to-the-editor from H.C. Rogal, a Palm Beach Gardens, Florida resident, regarding the controversy over the proposed runway expansion at Palm Beach International Airport:
As a retired pilot who frequently used to fly into Palm Beach International Airport, it saddens me to see letter writers flailing back and forth about the proposed runway expansion. The lengthened runway would allow the airplanes to be higher over the old takeoff flight path, thus reducing the noise on the ground.
People now have to go to Fort Lauderdale or change planes in Atlanta to take overseas flights. It is time to grow up and adapt to the times. And regarding the planned new access road from Interstate 95 -- all the important airports have a quick-access highway setup.
The West Palm Beach area could gradually be turned into a Shangri-La with some astute planning. And yes, the area needs a convention center and a new adjacent hotel or two.
The airport was here before the homes of many of the people complaining about airport noise. Let's prepare for the next century.
PUBLICATION: Airline Industry Information
DATE: March 30, 1998
DATELINE: Tokyo, Japan
Airline Industry Information reports that officials at the Tokyo Airport have started to display the flight path of every aircraft taking off or landing at the airport at an information center. Aircraft that don't follow their designated flight path will be controlled in order to mitigate noise to local residents, the article says.
PUBLICATION: Emerging Markets Datafile (New Straits Times and Management Times)
DATE: March 30, 1998
BYLINE: Sheila Stanley
DATELINE: Malaysia
Emerging Markets Datafile reports the beaches of Rantau Abang, Malaysia became a popular eco-tourism site for tourists who wanted to see the majestic leatherback turtles lay their eggs. But extensive development and noise to accommodate more tourists has driven away the shy turtles. Now, as the Malacca Fisheries Department makes plans to designate Pulau Upeh as a turtle sanctuary, along with promoting it as an eco-tourism site, a better model of sensitive development is needed, the article says.
According to the article, experts believe the turtles deserted the Rantau Abang beaches because of the increased noise and activity. Kevin Hiew, the director of the Marine Parks Section of the Fisheries Department, said, "If turtles detect either noise or lights when attempting to come ashore to lay their eggs, they will just turn tail and flee back to the ocean."
The article reports that the State Government will be responsible for the turtles' welfare at Pulau Upeh. The Malacca Fisheries Department originally established a turtle management center on the island of Pulau Besar in 1986. But as development boomed on the island, with new resorts, chalets, and golf courses springing up, the Hawksbill turtles which used to lay their eggs on the beaches there slowly started turning away from it. The article says that by 1991, it was necessary to relocate the turtle management center to Kampung Kemunting because workers could no longer carry out their work in the previous location.
The article explains that currently, there is only one resort on the 2.3 hectare Pulau Upeh island. The number of people on the island currently is limited to only 120 at a time. Md Akhaer, the head of the turtle management center, said that a limit also should be imposed on the number of people who can watch the turtle landings. He said, "Ideally, it should be about 10 people."
The article also says that another large threat to the turtles is the theft and consumption of turtle eggs by humans. The article notes that the government tolerates this practice.
PUBLICATION: The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.)
DATE: March 30, 1998
SECTION: Front; Pg. A1;
BYLINE: Claire Cusick
DATELINE: Durham, North Carolina
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Harry Kaplan, executive committee member, North Raleigh Association of Neighborhoods
The Herald-Sun reports that FedEx shipping company officials are considering locating their mid-Atlantic cargo hub at the Raleigh-Durham (North Carolina) International Airport. Officials in Durham are lobbying for the FedEx hub to locate at the airport, but officials in Cary, Morrisville, and North Raleigh are opposed to the plan because of the increased noise and congestion it would bring.
According to the article, the Raleigh-Durham International Airport is one of six airports in North Carolina and South Carolina trying to entice FedEx to locate there. A decision is weeks away, according to FedEx spokesperson Jess Bunn, but the company wants to begin construction next spring and open the hub in 2001. The article says that if the hub locates at Raleigh-Durham, it would bring an additional 20 flights at first, most of them at night. In addition, it would bring 600 to 800 jobs, most of them part-time jobs for employees working between 11 a.m. and 3 a.m.
The article reports that officials from Durham's county and city government and chamber of commerce believe that FedEx's reputation as a good employer and corporate citizen, and its potential to bring up to 1,500 jobs, is important. Tom White, president of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, said, "Just in the first quarter of this year, we have seen some significant economic dislocation with the downsizing at Mitsubishi Semiconductor America, and the closing of Motorola. While we have had some good offsetting growth, we don't want to become complacent. We can't afford to become complacent, especially with an opportunity of this magnitude."
Meanwhile, the article says, town councils in Cary and Morrisville recently passed resolutions the potential cargo hub, saying that noise from night flights and truck traffic on Interstate 40 would be problems. In addition, the North Raleigh Association of Neighborhoods, a newly formed organization that represents about 25 neighborhood associations, is opposing the plan. Harry Kaplan, a member of the association's executive committee, said, "I can understand why [Durham officials are] interested in the jobs. But if they and their families are right under a cargo plane at 3 o'clock in the morning, they might feel differently."
The article also explains that FedEx is based in Memphis, and has a large cargo hub at Indianapolis International Airport. Dennis Rosebrough, a spokesperson for the Indianapolis airport, said that the number of flights per night has increased steadily since FedEx located its hub there 10 years ago to a current total of 77 flights.
PUBLICATION: The Palm Beach Post
DATE: March 30, 1998
SECTION: Opinion, Pg. 15A
DATELINE: Palm Beach, Florida
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Samuel Lederman, president, El Cid Neighborhood Association
The Palm Beach Post printed the following letter-to-the-editor from Samuel Lederman, the president of the El Cid Neighborhood Association and a resident of West Palm Beach, Florida, regarding the proposed expansion of the Palm Beach International Airport:
During the past month, The Post has printed several letters from people supporting airport growth. These letters have said that homeowners near Palm Beach International Airport knew full well that noise would be a problem before they purchased their properties. Unfortunately, the issue is not so simple.
We all knew the airport was close by. In fact, PBIA regularly places ads in The Palm Beach Post outlining the areas most affected by airplane noise. Strict guidelines were set up years ago to protect neighborhoods and allow homeowners and real-estate agents to make reasonable assumptions about the areas affected.
The airport, however, often deviates from its own protocols. Since January, the number of airplanes off the prescribed flight path has significantly increased. The number of complaints has increased so much that the noise abatement office The Post touted in the editorial "More noise than facts" is unable to keep up.
PBIA will not be moved in the near future, but neither will the people living around it. Palm Beach County's commissioners should reject parochial interests and consider the needs of all parties in this dispute. That's what good leadership is about. PBIA should follow its own rules regarding flight paths, study other airports' efforts to reduce noise and abandon overly ambitious expansion plans, including cargo and long-distance charter flights. This increase in air traffic would be of marginal benefit to the local economy.
It would be best if all sides could forge a compromise that accepts the necessity for a regional airport dedicated to serve the community, decreases its impact on its neighbors and lets PBIA grow in a limited fashion.
PUBLICATION: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DATE: March 30, 1998
SECTION: Editorial, Pg. A-16
DATELINE: U.S.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette printed an editorial in which the writer argues that dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and all-terrain vehicles should be banned at national forests.
According to the editorial, more than half the national forests currently are considering changes in their policies that will be in effect for many years. The Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, which attracts off-road vehicle users from both Ohio and Michigan, has become the focus for the fight between off-road vehicle users and park users who want the vehicles banned.
The editorial writer argues that the off-road vehicles are noisy and intrusive, and some are heavy polluters. Vehicle riders say that they're already banned from federal "wilderness areas" and most national parks, but the writer says that people who go to the national forests for peace and quiet deserve more attention than the vehicle riders. Off-road riders can ride at many sites around the country, but they don't have the right to do so at the expense of the environment or of the tranquillity in areas of natural beauty. The editorial says that national parks and forests are refuges for millions of Americans who want to escape the pace and noise of modern urban life, and provide a regenerative power that is diminished when off-road vehicles tear up the trails.
PUBLICATION: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
DATE: March 30, 1998
SECTION: St. Charles Post, Pg. 1
BYLINE: Tommy Robertson
DATELINE: St. Charles, Missouri
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Pat McDonnell, vice president, St. Charles Citizens Against Airport Noise; Rose Kasper, City Councilor
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that officials in St. Charles, Missouri are preparing to spend around $100,000 on a public awareness campaign submitted by St. Charles Citizens Against Airport Noise (CAAN) that would educate community members about the city's opposition to the W-1W expansion plan for Lambert Field, which is owned and operated by St. Louis.
The article reports that the St. Charles City Council directed Mike Miller, the city administrator, to work with leaders of CAAN to refine a proposal for the campaign. Councilors supported the campaign concept, but wanted Miller to work with CAAN to refine a spending plan. In a related matter, City Councilor Rose Kasper, who vigorously opposes the W-1W expansion, said she wants to arrange a public meeting with U.S. Senator Christopher Bond (R-Missouri) to find out his position on Lambert's expansion.
The article explains that the Federal Aviation Administration released an environmental impact statement study of various airport expansion proposals in December. That plan included the controversial W-1W plan favored by Lambert officials that would add a 9,000-foot runway southwest of the existing airport and demolish about 2,000 houses and businesses in Bridgeton. The FAA has not yet endorsed the W-1W option, but has said the proposal is environmentally sound. The FAA is expected to make a final ruling on the expansion proposals in a month or more.
Meanwhile, the article says, Pat McDonnell, vice president of CAAN, said that officials at Lambert and St. Louis officials have stalled efforts to reach an agreement on airport expansion. He added that airport officials are ready to mount their own campaign to "marginalize St. Charles in the court of public opinion." He said, "We need to counter Lambert's plan to trash St. Charles as regionally uncooperative."
The article notes that St. Charles hired attorneys a year ago to fight the aircraft noise battle with St. Louis. But although the attorneys and St. Charles officials have met repeatedly with St. Louis officials trying to reach an agreement, the talks are stalled. The City Council may file a lawsuit unless an agreement is reached by the time the FAA issues its decision on the expansion plan, the article explains. St. Charles officials want St. Louis officials to agree to limitations and restrictions on aircraft movements to control noise, but St. Louis officials say they can't make an agreement until the FAA decision is made on the expansion plan.
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: March 29, 1998
SECTION: City; Pg. B1 / Front
BYLINE: Dave Rogers
DATELINE: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Jan Harder, Barrhaven Councilor; Bob Morris, Barrhaven resident
The Ottawa Citizen reports that residents in neighborhoods near the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport outside Ottawa, Ontario say the airport authority failed to consult them when deciding on a major expansion plan. The expansion will decrease the quality-of-life of residents Nepean neighborhoods like Barrhaven, residents say. In addition, they say the airport authority did not consider plans that would route some aircraft over unpopulated areas.
The article reports that the $250-million expansion plan calls for a new terminal, parking garage, and other facilities. The expansion will allow airport traffic to increase by 5.7% a year for the next three years, the article notes. The new terminal will be about twice the size of the existing terminal, the article notes, and a new runway is projected to be needed by 2020.
According to the article, Jan Harder, a Barrhaven Councilor, said neighbors of the airport should be concerned because they could experience nighttime flights in the future. Harder said there are no immediate plans for a cargo terminal, but if the airport does attract cargo flights, jets would take off and land after midnight. Harder said, "We are a white-collar community that does not notice airport traffic during the day. But if there is a threat to people's sleep, that changes the whole picture." Harder also said that officials from the airport told Nepean councilors last week that houses near the airport's flight path will need special windows and insulation to soundproof them. "It is great to have an international airport and economic growth, but does it have to be at the expense of the people of South Nepean?" Harder asked. "Noise pollution is what this is all about. Could the runway be built so it would go over farms to the south of us? My goal is to get a curfew. If we have air traffic from midnight to 6 a.m., we have a big problem."
Meanwhile, Bob Morris, a Barrhaven resident, said the Airport Authority has decided on a layout for the expansion plan even when its own project schedule shows it will continue public meetings until a decision is made in mid-April. Morris said a report on the expansion ignores three options that would take jets over unpopulated areas in the Greenbelt. The runway alignment preferred by the Airport Authority takes jets over more populated areas, but is estimated to cost $56 to $79 million less than the other routes.
The article reports that several Barrhaven residents said they weren't concerned about the airport expansion or the potential increase in noise. David Pratt, the Neapean Member of Parliament, said he receives only about five complaints regarding aircraft noise each year. He added that planes are becoming quieter, and residents won't notice the increase in jet traffic when the expansion is completed.
PUBLICATION: The Evening Post
DATE: March 30, 1998
SECTION: News; National; Pg. 16
BYLINE: Williams Sharon
DATELINE: Upper Hutt
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Tim O'Brien, Resident
The Evening Post of Upper Hutt, New Zealand reports that a neighborhood dispute regarding noise from an engineering workshop came before the City Council. According to the article, Sean Clancy, of Western Hutt Engineering, wants retrospective consent for a heavy industrial engineering workshop on his property at 229 Whitemans Valley Rd. But neighbor Tim O'Brien has complained to the council about the noise from industrial work being done at Clancy's workshop in their rural area.
The article reports that Clancy was asked by the city council to seek consent because the workshop was not a permitted activity in the Rural C zone. Clancy said he had sought advice from the council every step of the way. He argued that his workshop was an accessory to a home occupation as a tradesman and therefore allowed. But the article indicates that Clancy did not specify what the workshop would be used for when he was granted a building consent September 1996 and was allowed to work out of his workshop pending a decision on his application.
According to the article Clancy's neighbor, Tim O'Brien, believes that if consent were now granted, a precedent would be in place for others to set up industrial workshops in their rural area. He also argued that the work was too noisy and was not permitted under the Resource Management Act or Transitional District Plan. "If this retrospective application is permitted then anyone can do anything anywhere in Upper Hutt provided there are no significant environment effects," the article said quoting O'Brian. The article reports that other Whitemans Valley residents have supported Mr. O'Brien.
The article indicates that Senior planning officer Brendon Hogan recommended the Council decline the retrospective complaint because permitting such noise would erode the public's confidence in the council's administration.
PUBLICATION: Copley News Service
DATE: April 1, 1998
SECTION: State And Regional
BYLINE: Shante Morgan
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California
The Copley News Service reports that the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday took the first step toward giving a tax break to gardeners who say they're financially strapped by a ban on gas-powered leaf-blowers. The Council is looking at a plan that would reduce gardeners' business tax from about $106 a year to $23 a year, and would give gardeners who turn in their outlawed leaf blowers to the city a $100 rebate. The Council asked the tax equity committee, which is studying ways to better assess business fees, to review the plan. It is expected that the plan will return to the Council for consideration in September.
The article says that the plan was proposed by City Councilor Michael Hernandez. Hernandez said, "Our intention was to help small gardeners. We just want it to be more equitable." However, the article reports, Councilor Jackie Goldberg said the plan also would give large gardening service and landscaping companies large tax cuts. Goldberg said, "It makes no sense to me to take a multi-million dollar business and treat them like a family gardener. We really need to have a range of tax bases."
The article goes on to say that the plan is the latest of many attacks on the city's ban on gas-powered leaf blowers. The controversial law was approved last year. Meanwhile, a state lawmaker from East Los Angeles has introduced a bill that would allow gardeners statewide to use gas-powered leaf blowers that have reduced noise levels and would give gardeners tax credits for making those reductions. And, lobbyists for leaf blower manufacturers are urging state officials to relax clean-air rules.
PUBLICATION: The Daily Telegraph
DATE: April 1, 1998
SECTION: Pg. 05
BYLINE: Maurice Weaver
DATELINE: Birmingham, England
The Daily Telegraph reports that Dr. Richard Whittington, a coroner in Birmingham, England, has ruled that noisy neighbors helped drive John Vanderstam, a 46-year-old Birmingham resident, to suicide last November. The neighbors reportedly played loud music and had domestic disputes frequently.
According to the article, Dr. Whittington said Vanderstam died as a result of an assault on his eardrums "just as much as a man who is hit in the face and falls to the ground." The noise was "a cogent factor" in causing Vanderstam to snap, the coroner said, adding "This should prey on the minds of those who make noise, whoever they are."
The article reports that Vanderstam lived with his father, Adrian, on Winnie Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham. The neighboring house was rented, and was registered under the name of C. Guerin. In addition, the article notes, Lee Burke -- a man who gained notoriety 18 months ago when he confessed to making his wife Jane and her two unmarried sisters, Louise and Debbie Guerin, pregnant -- moved in five months before Vanderstam's suicide.
Adrian Vanderstam said his and his son's lives were dramatically altered when their new neighbors moved in last June. Loud arguments between the neighbors immediately started, with swearing and loud music often going till late at night. Vanderstam said, "There were times when John couldn't even stay at home and watch the TV because of the noise. I used to have my friends round for tea and a chat but I had to stop inviting them. We couldn't have a conversation with the music pounding through the walls."
The Vanderstams first approached their neighbors, and when that didn't work, they complained to the Birmingham City Council. A noise monitor was installed in their home in July, but it broke down. On the evening when John Vanderstam killed himself in November, a council official had visited the home to discuss installing another noise monitor.
The article goes on to say that Ronald Chamberlain, the Coroner's Officer, said "[Vanderstam] had no psychological problems but had become increasingly depressed because of the noise nuisance." Adrian Vanderstam said his son had been increasingly agitated by constant noise from the neighbors. Vanderstam said, "More than anything he was devastated that he hadn't been able to stop it for my sake. He just wanted me to be able to live in peace and quiet in my retirement." He added, "I believe the noise was what drove my son to his death and I feel very bitter about it. Surely the environmental people could have done more to stop it? I rang them almost daily at times." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the council's environmental services department said the department had received a number of complaints from Mr. Vanderstam, and had served a noise abatement order on the neighbor.
PUBLICATION: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
DATE: April 1, 1998
SECTION: St. Charles Post, Pg. 1
BYLINE: Tammy Busche
DATELINE: St. Charles, Missouri
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mike Reiland, Glenn Ezell, residents
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Planning and Zoning Commission in St. Charles, Missouri has recommended that the City Council reject a re-zoning request by LaFarge Corporation for the St. Charles Quarry. The company wants to re-zone a 38-acre tract of land southwest of Friedens Road and west of its intersection with South River Road to expand its quarry operation. The land currently is zoned "limited industrial," and the company is asking that it be re-zoned to "general industrial." This would allow the quarry to expand closer to the residential areas that already surround it on three sides. But residents who live nearby objected to the proposed change, saying the quarry company already doesn't do enough to control dust, noise, vibrations, traffic, and debris.
The article says that representatives from LaFarge said the company needs to expand because there is not enough mine-able rock at the current site. If the company expanded, they could continue their operation for approximately 30-35 years. If the company doesn't expand, company representatives said, it can maintain operations for an estimated 6-10 years, but not without cutting some products. A company spokesperson said if the company expanded, it would build a new access road from Friedens and would eliminate the existing entrances from South River Road. In addition, the company would install a wheel washer to keep dust and rock on roadways to a minimum, would continue weekly roadway sweeping, and would surround the perimeter of the operation with a 15-foot berm topped with trees and landscaping.
Residents remained skeptical of the plan, however, the article says. Residents said they have not seen weekly road sweeping, and have experienced excessive levels of dust, property damage, heavy traffic, road debris, noise, and vibration from the quarry. Resident Glenn Ezell said that a house four houses away from his own recently blew up during a milder-than-normal quarry explosion.
The article notes that a report by the Department of City Development found that if the quarry was expanded to the land in question, there will no longer be a buffer between the quarry and the residential neighborhoods.
PUBLICATION: Sacramento Bee
DATE: April 4, 1998
SECTION: Main News; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Jon Matthews
DATELINE: Sacramento, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Julie Kelts, organizer, Citizens for a Quieter Sacramento
The Sacramento Bee reports that a bill is before the California state Senate to prevent cities from banning or independently regulating leaf-blowers. The bill was introduced in an attempt to overturn Los Angeles' ban on gasoline-powered leaf-blowers, the article notes. If it passes, the measure would weaken Sacramento's restrictions on leaf-blowers, according to opponents.
The article reports that the bill, authored by Senator Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), would apply statewide only to gasoline-powered leaf blowers, but it could be amended to include electric models. The bill would permit the use of gasoline-powered leaf-blowers until 2000, after which commercial gardeners could use them only if they were not louder than 65 decibels at 50 feet away. In addition, the bill would stipulate that no city or county "may regulate the use of gasoline-powered leaf blowers, except between the hours of 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays and between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. on weekends." The article notes that the bill currently is scheduled to be heard April 13 before the Senate Business and Professions Committee, which Senator Polanco chairs. Bill Mabie, an aide to Polanco, said, "Senator Polanco is sensitive to people wanting to put food on the table, and believes that just banning the tools of the trade is extremely unfair."
The article notes that the bill is backed by many gardeners, professional landscapers, and the California Chamber of Commerce. Backers of the bill say it would allow gardeners to continue to earn a decent living while promoting the use and development of newer, quieter leaf-blowers. Adrian Alvarez of the Association of Latin American Gardeners of Los Angeles, said, "We have never denied that leaf blowers contribute to noise problems. But we feel the correct way to handle this is to pressure the industry to come up with acceptable technology and, in the meantime, gardeners should be given amnesty to continue to work."
Meanwhile, the article reports, leaf-blower opponents are uniting to fight the bill. Julie Kelts, an organizer of Citizens for a Quieter Sacramento who would like to see a ban on leaf-blowers, said, "Depriving citizens of local control over whether to trade away their peace, quiet and clean air for the efficiency of one industry and the unnecessary cleanliness of spotless lawns and parking lots is extremely unfair." Kelts also said that in addition to exposing residents to unacceptable noise, leaf-blowers also expose gardeners themselves to the noise and pollution. She said, "This bill really won't protect the people it is designed to help. Communities now have a right to protect themselves from leaf blowers if they wish to, and this bill would remove that."
The League of California Cities also is opposing the bill, arguing that it would pre-empt local governments' future ability to regulate leaf-blowers and would throw out existing ordinances that are stricter or ban the machines. Yvonne Hunter, a legislative representative for the league, said, "We are very strongly opposed to this bill. In essence, unless a local ordinance meets the hours criteria listed in the bill, we can't regulate them.... This would substitute a state decision as to what's best for communities over the local decision-making process."
Opponents also said the bill would weaken Sacramento's existing time-of-use restrictions. Currently, leaf-blowers are allowed within 200 feet of residential property only from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
PUBLICATION: The Orange County Register
DATE: April 2, 1998
SECTION: Community; Pg. 02
BYLINE: Monica Linggi
DATELINE: Buena Park, California
The Orange County Register reports the City Council in Buena Park, California is considering changing the city's noise ordinance to allow police officers to use a "reasonable person" standard instead of a decibel measure at noise sources. The article says the new ordinance passed a first reading March 24, and City Councilors are expected to take a final vote on April 14.
According to the article, the new ordinance would allow officers to cite offenders if loud, disturbing or unnecessary noise is heard 50 feet from a property line or vehicle. Currently, the city requires officers to use a decibel meter to measure whether the noise is too loud. Noise offenders can be fined up to $1,000, the article notes. The ordinance exempts areas zoned for manufacturing, as well as rubbish collection, maintenance equipment between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., and noise made from work done in the public interest. The new ordinance was copied from a similar ordinance in La Mirada, the article says.
The article reports that Police Captain Gary Hicken said requiring police officers to use a decibel meter to measure noise isn't practical, because it's "not useful time for a police officer to stand out there and get readings." Hicken said police get noise complaints from all over the city. "Anything you can think of about noise has been called in, from horns, to produce trucks, people yelling obscenities, playing their music too loud," he said. That's the typical thing that disturbs people in a neighborhood." Hicken added that most of the time, officers issue only a warning to take care of the problem.
PUBLICATION: Albuquerque Journal
DATE: April 4, 1998
SECTION: Metro & New Mexico; Pg. B1
BYLINE: Tania Soussan
DATELINE: Albuquerque, New Mexico
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Norm Gagne, chairman of the Southeast Neighborhood Association's Airport Noise Committee.
The Albuquerque Journal reported that the Albuquerque International Sunport Airport in New Mexico was scheduled to shut the airport's main east-west runway for several weeks beginning April 11, 1998 for repairs. That means neighborhoods north of the airport will have to endure the noise from planes using the north-south and northeast-southwest runways to take off and land.
Norm Gange, chairman of the Southeast Neighborhood Association's Airport Noise Committee said, "When the east-west runway is closed, it creates a real problem for the neighborhood there's not much to be done about that."
Residents of Southeast Heights hope some special measures will help keep airplane noise down during the closure of the airport's main runway, the article says. In the past, residents in the Southeast Heights and surrounding neighborhoods complained about noise from planes using the north-south runway. The north-south runway is used now only on windy days when it's needed for safety.
According to the article when winds force planes to take off to the north or northeast, pilots will be asked to climb to 6,500 feet before turning. In the past, the planes turned soon after take-off. "Since different aircraft climb at different rates, that will spread the turns out over a lot of neighborhoods. It's a compromise solution at best." the article states, quoting Gagne.
The article stated that Gagne found the airport to be more cooperative and eager to work with its neighbors recently than in the past. Residents and airport/Federal Aviation Administration officials recently met to talk about the noise abatement options. The airport spokeswoman, Maggie Santiago, is quoted saying, "What we talked about were things that everybody could live with. It's nothing definite. It's going to be a trial."
The article reports that the airport will gauge the success of the trial project by asking the opinions of residents. Santiago is noted saying that bad weather could delay the projects and stretch out the runway closure.
The article also reported that about 500 people were warned of the closure of the main runway in a mailing from Mayor Jim Baca. The article quotes from the letter in which Baca says he is "keenly aware of the disruption airport noise causes" and is "committed to noise abatement and assuring that the Sunport is a good neighbor to the community."
PUBLICATION: The Capital
DATE: April 3, 1998
SECTION: Annapolis; Pg. D1
BYLINE: Leslie Crook
DATELINE: Annapolis, Maryland
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Beverley Creighton, resident; Liles Creighton, President of Garden Farms Community Association; Del. Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis
The Capitol reports that residents in Annapolis, Maryland are complaining of dangerous noise levels coming from Route 50 just east of the Severn River. The county rushed through zoning changes earlier this year to qualify for the money that would pay for walls, but the State Highway Administration is not planning to pay for the walls for another three to five years.
According to the article, the County Council imposed tough new laws Feb. 2 requiring developers to build new homes far from busy highways. The change in the laws was, according to the article, necessary before the state would fund noise abatement walls for existing neighborhoods.
Residents in existing neighborhoods are complaining about the state's delay in constructing the walls. One resident, Beverley Creighton of Garden Farms, is quoted saying, "The county did their part, the state should do theirs, but every body seems to be able to find a loophole and it's not fair."
Both lawmakers and residents felt they were led to believe that the new law would result in a new wall for the existing neighborhood. Karen Cook, legislative aide to County Councilman Bill Mulford, R-Annapolis, is quoted saying, "We were under the impression the funds would be available soon." But the spokesperson for the State Highway Administration, is noted in the article saying that no funding for wall construction is available until sometime after 2001.
According to the article, Del. Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis has said the budget for wall construction is set through 2003. "This fall they'll sit down and do the cycle. This project has qualified all along but has been overlooked and should be grandfathered in," Busch is quoted saying.
Residents at Garden Farms are especially frustrated, the article said because they have watched sound barriers be constructed to protect residents in the new homes while they continue to be bombarded by highway noise.
The article reports the noise levels have become dangerous in some locations. At the Creightons' house, the SHA studies found a noise level of 71 decibels. Creightons are reported saying that the noise is worse for many of their neighbors.
State standards, according to the article, set maximum acceptable level at 66. "When you hit 70, according to the feds, you begin to get damage to hearing. The state of Maryland should be liable for any hearing loss, and that's something the community is looking into," the article said quoting Liles Creighton.
The article reports that the neighborhoods affected by the noise are located along both sides of Route 50 between Rowe Boulevard and the Severn River Bridge. Some homes are within 100 feet of the highway which has been widened and traffic has multiplied in recent years.
PUBLICATION: Chicago Daily Herald
DATE: April 3, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. 1
BYLINE: Natasha Korecki
DATELINE: Lake Zurich, Illinois
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Dave Cushman, Lake Zurich Village Plan Commission Chairman
The Chicago Daily Herald reports that the planning commission in Lake Zurich, Illinois wants Wal-Mart to reduce truck and other noise in return for their approved expansion of the store.
The village plan commission approved a 4,000-square-foot addition for the east side of the Wal-Mart store April 1. But according to the article the panel also recommended that (1) Wal-Mart eliminate its external public announcement system, limit truck delivery hours, change routes of trucks so they are furthest from residents when delivering, and (2) the village consider conducting a noise study in that area.
According to the article, Commission Chairman Dave Cushman said neighbors opposed the store expansion. They wanted changes in the visual landscape buffering, truck noise and air pollution and garbage blowing into their yards. Residents were fed up with loud trucks unloading at all hours of the night. The article noted that nighttime deliveries are especially disturbing in the summer for persons living in the Lucerne subdivision, directly behind Wal-Mart.
John Sfire, who is in charge of personnel at the Wal-Mart property said he has personnel working seven days a week to pick up garbage created by Wal-Mart, and would continue doing so. The article also noted he would work with the police department to prohibit on-the-road truck drivers from sleeping in the lot.
The article stated that recommendations of the panel could come before the village board as soon as April 20th. The village board must approve the recommendations before they go into effect. Village Planner Gary Reschke said there is not enough money in the budget for a noise study of the area surrounding the store located at 820 S. Rand Road in the Deerpath County Retail Center.
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: April 3, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 2; Orange County Focus Desk
BYLINE: John Pope and John Canalis
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles Times reports that Los Angeles has revised its noise ordinances to allow construction on federal holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. day. One justification of the change was that City Hall is already open on those days.
Los Angeles Times reports that Los Angeles has revised its noise ordinances to allow construction on federal holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr. day. One justification of the change was that City Hall is already open on those days.
PUBLICATION: The Record
DATE: April 3, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. L02
BYLINE: Tina Traster
DATELINE: Bergen County, New Jersey
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Steve Rothman, U.S. Representative, D-New Jersey
The Record reports that Rep. Steve Rothman, D-Fair Lawn, New Jersey, is asking Congress to increase spending on airport noise-reduction by 20 percent by bolstering President Clinton's 1998 Airport Improvement Program funding from $200 to $239 million.
According to the article, Rothman held a news conference April 2nd, where he addressed about 30 South Bergen residents and elected officials on Ralph Centrella's lawn in Little Ferry.
"Bergen and Hudson counties suffer a daily barrage of aircraft noise. This affects our quality of life. It affects our sanity." The article said quoting Rothman. Airplanes flying overhead reportedly interrupted the Representative as he spoke, just 500 feet from Teterboro Airport, helping him make his point.
Fhe $200 million now budgeted in the Airport Improvement Program falls "below the authorization caps...and many airports continue to be on waiting lists for federal funds", the article stated, quoting from Rothman's March 26 letter to the Appropriations Committee.
Rothman is hopeful some money from the fund would be siphoned to help soundproof buildings in towns surrounding Teterboro Airport even though noise from three major airports affects the entire metropolitan region, the article said. Residents in towns near the airport have calling for noise reduction and air pollution studies in recent months.
According to the article, only an airport owner or sponsor can secure funding from the AIP, which is administered by the FAA. The Teterboro Airport is operated by Johnson Controls Integrated Facilities Management. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reportedly owns it.
Jim Peters, an FAA spokesman, is quoted in the article stating that funding dollars are issued competitively and based on a national priority system. Therefore, if Teterboro requests to soundproof schools and other buildings their request will compete with thousands of other requests from communities surrounding similar-sized airports.
Port Authority officials reportedly promised to seek noise relief for South Hackensack Memorial School and other schools in the region where jet noise exceeds 65 decibels, the federal limit. Noise must exceed the 65-decibel level in order to be eligible for funding. Use of insulation and air conditioning can reduce noise to 45 decibels.
According to Peters, the Port Authority has never applied for soundproofing funds to lessen noise around Teterboro Airport but "It is usually successful when it does apply for funding," the article said.
PUBLICATION: The Columbus Dispatch
DATE: April 2, 1998
SECTION: News , Pg. 2C
BYLINE: Kevin Mayhood
DATELINE: Columbus, Ohio
The Columbus Dispatch warns developers, land speculators and house hunters to be wary. Homes built after April 1998 that are within the noise impact zone for Rickenbacker Airport in Columbus, Ohio won't qualify for federal money to buy their property or pay for soundproofing if the roar of airplanes becomes a nuisance. The disqualification for payment is based on a new law that covers all airports in the United States.
According to the article, Congress traditionally allowed these payments for properties around airports but grew tired of buying new homes built within established noise impact zones last year. The new law bans money for new homes and may give airports some control over development around them.
The Rickenbacker Port Authority adopted new boundaries for the noise zone April 1, 1998 based on projected growth through 2002. The ban on assistance kicks in when the new boundaries are published - approximately within two weeks.
The 22 existing homes, however,- even if they are bought and sold after April - will remain eligible for federal assistance, the article said. The right to receive federal assistance "goes with the house, not the owner," the text said,quoting Jeff Clark, development director at Rickenbacker. But landowners who hoped to sell or develop acreage for residential use within earshot of the airport may be stuck.
The article stated the authority will ask the Federal Aviation Administration for nearly $5 million to pay for soundproofing [for existing homes] or to buy homes and land within the zone. Owners won't be required, however, to sell their property or install soundproofing.
In addition to offering assistance to the owners of the 22 homes Rickenbacker Airport may make an offer to buy within the new zone a total of 780 acres.
The article describes several of the existing homeowners within the new boundaries. Tami Ball, is one of these owners. "The noise is a problem when the military planes are off course," the article said, quoting Ball. "They shake the windows and the dishes in my closet. You can really hear the bigger cargo planes come and go."
Ball has no intention of selling her home, the article said, but her parents, who own 6 acres next door, decided not to build a retirement home there after three houses a short distance away were purchased by Rickenbacker and torn down in 1992.
Dorothy Green, who lives just outside the Rickenbacker zone in Duvall, was reported in the article saying many people own land that could be developed within the zone. She anticipates the new law would be a problem for those who wanted to sell.
One of the existing landowners hopes to sell acreage for industrial development compatible with the airport, Clark said. That kind of development would be permitted, he said.
The news article clarified that the FAA must formally approve the zone boundaries within six months. Thereafter, Rickenbacker's $5 million request would then compete with requests from around the country for a limited pot of money.
PUBLICATION: Orlando Sentinel Tribune
DATE: April 2, 1998
SECTION: Local & State; Pg. D8
BYLINE: Elaine Backhaus
DATELINE: Lake Mary, Florida
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Thom Green, Lake Mary City Commissioner
The Orlando Sentinel Tribune in Florida reports that Lake Mary City Commissioner Thom Greene wants the city of Sanford and its airport authority to reduce noise generated by increased flights at Orlando Sanford Airport before more airport expansion occurs.
The article said Greene would be asking his fellow commissioners April 2, 1998 to pass a resolution requiring the airport's noise abatement committee to suggest ways to curb noise before there is additional growth.
Greene said the noise abatement group at Orlando International Airport studies and suggests ways to minimize noise before final decisions are made to increase flights or add runways. The article said Greene hopes Sanford will give its noise abatement committee similar authority.
Lake Mary will send copies to the city of Sanford and its airport authority to review if the resolution passes. Both the city of Sanford and its airport authority must approve the resolution before it becomes effective the article said.
The article said Greene would also ask commissioners to pass a second resolution calling for Sanford to appoint a Lake Mary resident who is recommended by the Lake Mary Commission as a voting member of the airport board. Green believes a resident who is affected by growth at the airport would offer valuable contributions to the authority.
The article stated that Greene is proposing both resolutions in response to comments made at a February meeting attended by the Lake Mary Commission, Sanford Mayor Larry Dale, Airport Authority Chairman Sandra Glenn and airport staff.
The goal and objective of the Sanford airport "is to get as many planes into the airport as often as they can" the article said, quoting Glenn.
Greene, on the other hand, is reported saying his priority is to ensure that the citizens of Lake Mary have a quiet and peaceful existence as well as helping to maintain their property values or "In other word, I don't want the airport to grow any more until these noise issues are resolve," the article closing with Green's words.
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: April 2, 1998
SECTION: City; Letters; Pg. D5
BYLINE: Naif Beauchamp
DATELINE: Ottawa, Canada
The Ottawa Citizen ran the following letter clarifying a published opinion regarding the expansion of Ottawa's Macdonald Cartier airport in Canada.
I wish to clarify the quotation of comments I made to the Citizen reporter ("Residents beneath flight path fear the worst: more noise, " March 28). When I was contacted by telephone on March 26 for my position on the airport expansion, my comments were as follows:
"I have no objection to the expansion of the airport. My only objection was to night flights between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. I feel that [Ottawa's Macdonald Cartier airport president Paul] Benoit seems to have no regard for the concern of the nearby residents when he talks of overnight flights, especially cargo ones. My understanding is that in Montreal and Toronto, there are no overnight flights over residential areas. I have no objection if an overnight flight is required for a medical emergency or national significance. These do not happen every night."
When I was asked if I planned to fight back, I said that any fight would likely be done through the community association. The reporter went on to ask about noise levels and I said that I don't mind the daytime noise but I do object between 1 and 6 a.m.
I hope that this clarifies my position.
Naif Beauchamp,
Nepean
PUBLICATION: Portland Press Herald
DATE: April 2, 1998
SECTION: Local & State, Pg. 5B, State House '98
BYLINE: Associated Press
DATELINE: Augusta
The Portland Press Herald reports personal watercraft operators will face new usage restrictions in Maine if the House joins the Senate in passing the proposed legislation. The article, which was provided through the Associated press, says the bill banishes the machines from 245 lakes and ponds and requires a minimum of 16 years of age for operators of personal watercraft-better known by the trade name Jet Skis.
According to the news article, the bill won overwhelming approval in the Senate April 1st. The large margin of approval- a 27-8 initial vote -reflected a "broad and deep concern" over noise and environmental threats posed by personal watercraft the article said quoting Sen. Marge Kilkelly, D-Wiscasset.
The bill faced minor modifications before being sent to the House.
In addition to banning personal watercraft from many remote and pristine lakes the bill, if passed, would require businesses that rent Jet Skis to pay $25 registration fees and give instructions on how to operate them properly.
The bill also provides lakeside communities a way to recommend further restrictions on Jet Ski use and imposes new penalties to powerboats and Jet Skis that exceed noise limits the article said.
According to the article, complaints about the high-pitched whine produced by Jet Skis have increased, as the machines have become more popular in recent years. The impact of the Jet Skis on sensitive shoreline wildlife habitats has also become a concern.
The article includes a quote from Sen. John Benoit, a former district judge, who recalled "throwing the book" at personal watercraft operators who harassed and killed a pair of loons. "There are people who cannot conduct themselves with manners," the article said quoting Benoit, R-Rangeley.
PUBLICATION: The Press-Enterprise
DATE: April 2, 1998
SECTION: Local; Pg. B08
BYLINE: Onell R. Soto
DATELINE: Riverside, California
The Press-Enterprise reports that members of Riverside's city council in California may be able to obtain federal funds to eliminate or decrease the noise from freight train whistles passing through town.
According to the article, two options exist. Under the first option the city of Riverside would sign up for a federal program called Quiet Zone, which would help pay for additional gates and barriers at gate crossings, so that trains traveling through the city wouldn't have to blow their whistles at all.
The second possibility is made available through a Department of Transportation pilot program. Under this program automatic whistles would be installed at the gate crossings, allowing engineers to lay off the horn as they came through town. Only people near the crossing would hear the warning.
According to the article, City Council members are optimistic about the programs. They also are reportedly optimistic that the Federal Railroad Administration will help them deal with problems from the railroads, which have increasingly left trains parked for long periods in residential neighborhoods, blocking intersections.
The Councilpersons reportedly learned of these options on a three-day lobbying trip to Washington. City officals on the trip included councilpersons Joy Defenbaugh, Terri Thompson and Maureen Kane and City Manager John Holmes.
The article also mentions other issues pushed by the city representatives in meetings with lawmakers and administration officials.
PUBLICATION: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
DATE: April 2, 1998
SECTION: North Post, Pg. 1
BYLINE: Linda Jarrett
DATELINE: St. Louis, Missouri
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Judy Barnett, City Councilwoman, St. Louis
St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports the airport authority is placing monitors in residential areas in a response to residents' complaints about noisy aircraft. The monitors will be able to help pinpoint the altitude and position of the plane when a noise complaint is called into the airport.
According to the article the St. Louis Airport Authority will place 20 noise monitors in various locations around the airport. One will be placed in the Maryland Heights subdivision of Arrow Heights. Maryland Heights also asked that another monitor be placed near Pattonville High School because of the noise concerns, according to Judy Barnett, 2nd Ward councilperson.
The article stated that according to Jerry Tinnea, president of Airport Management Systems, Maryland Heights residents filed 130 complaints last year and 11 so far this year. Resident Ralph Pureitt told City Council that he believed the noise was getting "worse and worse".
In bad weather the noise level cannot be helped because aircraft use a certain runway. "It has always been that way since I've been here, and I think we're stuck with it," the article said, quoting Barnett, who represents Maryland Heights on Lambert Field's coordinating committee.
The article states that the committee was working with the Pattonville School District on a site to monitor planes taking off to and landing from the west. They wrote to Airport Director Leonard L. Griggs Jr. and requested the second monitor, which will cost more than $30,000.
The committee was intended "to give communities and organizations represented the opportunity to have input to what the airport is doing. The object of the airport is to work with you all to coordinate what your problems are and how we may help you solve them." The article said, quoting from a letter Griggs wrote concerning the group. Current members of the committee represent municipalities as well as school districts, fire districts, airline representatives and air traffic controllers.
PUBLICATION: Tennessean
DATE: April 2, 1998
SECTION: News, Pg. 1A
BYLINE: Leon Alligood
DATELINE: Wartrace, Tennessee
The Tennessean reports about the case of a cantankerous county commissioner riled about the noise from a club of cowboy wannabes. The commissioner retaliated with noise from a siren and foghorn resulting in a citation for disorderly conduct and summons to court.
According to the article, J.C. Hillin, a veteran Bedford County commissioner serving his fourth term, became riled at a club called the Wartrace Regulators. The group operates a gun range just over the hill from Hillin's farm, which is about 60 miles southeast of Nashville.
Hillin is quoted in the article saying "I'm 75 years old. I don't think it's fair for them to disturb an old man to the point that I can't sit out in my yard without hearing all that."
Hillin reportedly reacted by turning on a siren he bolted to the front of his Ford tractor every time the cowboys started their shooting and then added loud moaning of a ship's foghorn. "If they can make noise, I can show 'em I can, too," the article said quoting Hillin's words.
But the cowboys are not bothered by either the siren nor the foghorn. According to the article, they wear earplugs as part of their games.
Hillin's neighbors on the other hand have, according to the Bedford County Sheriff's Department, registered more than a dozen complaints about the siren. Matters came to a head, the article said when Hillin was cited for disorderly conduct and summoned to court.
"Everybody's mad at everybody else out there and they're nitpicking at this point," the article said quoting Assistant District Attorney Charles Crawford.
The article reported that Hillin talked freely about the case, but none of Hillin's neighbors would comment for the news article.. Hillin, on the other hand, is reportedly not fazed by the citation. The article quotes Hillin saying, "I'll go to jail if I have to. Let them put me there. I've got some rights here and I'm going to fight for them the best I can."
A spokesman for the Wartrace Regulators, Preston Sweeney, was also quoted in the article. "We don't do anything different than what a group of guys going dove hunting on a Saturday would do." "We do a little more than Civil War re-enactors in that we shoot at metal targets. The Civil War re-enactors, they shoot blanks."
The article states that according to Sweeney, there are 24 members of the club, ranging in age from 40 to 70, and representing a variety of vocations, including law enforcement. Members test their shooting skills in timed events on a course that looks like a Western movie set, wearing cowboy attire and taking cowboy names. Sweeney is noted in the article saying that the activity is one of the fastest-growing sports there is in the country today. The Wartrace Regulators were the first "cowboy action shooting club" in Tennessee, the article says. A second one has opened in the Chattanooga area.
The article states that neither Sweeney's group nor the Bedford County Sheriff's Department have received complaints from any of their other neighbors.
The court hearing for Hillin's disorderly conduct charge was supposed to have been heard in mid-March, but it was postponed because the judge, Richard Dugger, recused himself. The article includes a photograph of the horns on the front of J.C. Hillin's tractor which blast siren and foghorn sounds.
PUBLICATION: Chattanooga Free Press
DATE: April 1, 1998
SECTION: Local; Pg. C3
BYLINE: J.B. Collins
DATELINE: Chattanooga, Tennessee
The Chattanooga Free Press reports that the question of whether a new stadium is generating too much noise came before the City Council on March 31, 1997 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
According to the article, Councilman Leamon Pierce presented the question whether there was too much " noise" coming from the new Max Finley Stadium after receiving a telephone call from a women protesting what she said was "too much noise" coming from the new stadium.
It was the first known complaint of this kind to be made concerning the new facility, the article reported. Some council members felt stadiums were expected to produce noise when in use, seemed puzzled about the complaint.
The complainant was, according to the article, supposed to be on hand in person to voice her complaint and play a 40-minute tape she had made of the noise from a "Monster Truck" show but she did not show up at the meeting.
The article said that council chair speculated that the P.A. (public address) system may have been turned up too loud and suggested members of the stadium board be notified of the complaint. It was reported that the matter could be discussed further by the council at its next meeting.
PUBLICATION: The Courier-Journal
DATE: April 1, 1998
SECTION: Neighborhoods Pg.01n
BYLINE: Darla Carter
DATELINE: Louisville, Kentucky
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mary Rose Evens, President Airport Neighbors Alliance
The Courier-Journal reports a new west runway at Louisville International Airport, Kentucky, is having its effect on residents who are beginning to complain about increased noise and interrupted sleep.
The article reports complaints are coming from residents living from southcentral to western Louisville neighborhoods including Old Louisville, east Russell in western Louisville, and south-central neighborhoods such as Wilder Park and Oakdale.
Some residents, such as those in Old Louisville, are reportedly no strangers to airport noise, but in some cases the noise has been jarring because the new runway has brought flight paths closer to their homes.
Other residents are new to the problem - such as those living in Wilder Park - have found the aircraft noise to be a big surprise.
According to the article somer residents hear as many as 34 planes over their homes between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., sometimes shaking items in their houses and disrupting sleep.
About 50 of his neighbors gathered at the Wilder Park Community Center last week to discuss the problem with Alderman Greg Handy, Mary Rose Evans, president of the Airport Neighbors Alliance, and airport representatives. The article provides numerous quotes from the affected neighbors who spoke at the meeting.
"What we've gotten has been a real shocker," said Bud Smith, a resident of Wilder Park, near Churchill Downs.
"When the airplanes pass over our houses, it affects us in many ways," said Tim Root, a Wilder Park resident. "It wakes us up in the middle of the night, rattles windows. Someone had a shelf fall off their wall - six o'clock in the morning, a shelf fell off the wall."
Other residents complained of being awakened by planes during the wee hours of the morning. Deborah Stewart is quoted saying "I have been awakened from a sound sleep more than once in recent weeks." "It's like a plane is going to land on the court."
Norman Nezelkewicz, another Old Louisville resident, said he has heard airplane noise, both in the afternoons and around 4 a.m. He said "I find that when my sleep has been broken by the noise, maybe twice a night, I feel under par the following day."
"It's so aggravating because you spend the nights not getting sleep," the article said quoting still another resident, John Sistarenik.
The article stated that the airport is trying to minimize the problem by directing more flights to the south. Departing flights, which are noisier than arrivals, are directed to the south during the day and many night flights are directed to land and depart to the south.
Various variables, however, like the wind sometimes prevent that. The article notes that an airport spokeswoman Rande Swann pointed out that this years' mild winter and early spring included winds that caused more landings from the north. Recent weather fronts out of the northwest (that have) required aircraft to take off to the north" as well the article
According to the article, the absence of electronic equipment on the new west runway has further complicated matters. Planes must make a slight left turn to allow for separation between aircraft when taking off to the north. Without the equipment to help mark the turning point, some planes may be turning early, the article said, and as a result they're going over neighborhoods such as Wilder Park.
The equipment is expected to reduce the problem by directing the planes over less populated areas and should be installed by June according to Doug Stern, a spokesman for the airport expansion project who is quoted in the article[PC1].
According to Swann, the airport spokesperson, residents in the affected areas can expect aircraft noise at night 20 percent of the time as a result of weather conditions or other variables. Residents will just have to deal with the noise, the article said and the increased number of United Parcel Service flights.
According to UPS spokesperson Ken Shapero, UPS currently has about 108 daily flights (departures or landings), including 78 at night and 25 to 30 in the daytime the articles said. An increase of night flights is expected to be about 100 by 2005. Daytime projections were not available. Shapero is noted saying that far fewer flights may be needed in the future because larger planes can handle more packages. No more than 44 flights can be added because of the design of the parking docks at its new facility.
In addition to the increased flights, residents will have to cope without soundproofing. The article reported that neighborhoods in Old Louisville, western Louisville and the newly affected areas of southcentral Louisville reportedly lie outside the area where soundproofing is considered to be necessary or effective.
Stern would not speculate on whether the availability of soundproofing would improve when the airport's noise-mitigation efforts are updated. The deadline for the update is September 1999, and the community will be invited to participate in that update.
One resident at the Wilder Park meeting, Nan Reece, is reportedly feeling that airport officials failed to consider the impact that noise would have on her and other affected residents. "These neighborhoods are not wealthy, so we'll just let 'em suffer.", the article said quoting Reece.
Several other residents quoted in the article said the aircraft noise has not been a major inconvenience.
PUBLICATION: The Patriot Ledger
DATE: April 1, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. 18C
BYLINE: Fred Hanson
DATELINE: Canton, Massachusetts
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Kevin McCarthy, resident
The Patriot Ledger reports complaints from sleepless residents about nighttime construction work for the high-speed rail service has prompted a response from Amtrak and town officials. The construction which began March 16 has occurred between High Street and the Canton Viaduct in Canton Massachusetts.
According to the article neighbors aired their issues at a March 31st selectmen's meeting. Residents complained not only about pile drivers and jackhammers being used to dig foundations, but also about frequent train whistles, loud talking and foul language used by the workers, bright lights shining into the windows of their homes and workers littering and using the residents' yards as bathrooms.
Amtrak's community relations manager, Christopher Riley, is quoted saying that "There are some things that we can control and some things we can't." "There is a lot of it that's unavoidable. We don't need to be doing as poor a job as we have been doing."
As a response to the complaints, Amtrak has promised to pass complaints on to the contractors. Selectmen have promised that police will relay complaints concerning noise to the work crews, ticket speeding drivers and get illegally parked construction vehicles towed.
According to the article the construction workers are installing the supports for the electrical lines to power the high-speed trains. The supports are to be placed 17 feet into the ground at most every 200 feet along the track from New Haven to Boston. Where there is a lot of rock along the track, as there is in Canton, the work is reportedly more noisy.
Riley said the MBTA owns the tracks and will permit the work to be done only during overnight hours to avoid disruption to commuter rail service. The noise is reportedly the loudest between 3 and 5 a.m.
The article notes specific complaints of individual neighbors. One resident, Selectman John Connolly is noted in the article for his complaint about the frequent train whistles. The article reports that the whistles are required when a train enters a construction site and when a train starts moving.
Another resident, Kevin McCarthy said he fell asleep at the wheel of his car Friday morning because construction work kept him awake at night. The article said he was wakening as his car was going off the road but was able to avoid an accident. "What I don't understand is the total disregard being shown to us in favor of some commuters," the article said, quoting McCarthy.
According to the article, McCarthy requested that the noisiest work be done at an earlier hour, or at least follow a consistent schedule so residents will know when they can sleep. Riley pledged to look into the scheduling matter and put daily updates on the construction work on his answering machine. Amtrak is also offering to pay for hotel rooms for residents closest to the work the article said.
Selectman George Jenkins it noted crediting Amtrak officials for trying to cooperate with residents and local officials, unlike MBTA officials, who have been doing overnight work on the Canton Viaduct restoration.
The article says Amtrak's high-speed rail service is scheduled to begin next year and cut travel time from Boston to New York to three hours. Construction which began March 16 should be completed by April 10 between High Street and the Canton Viaduct.
PUBLICATION: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DATE: April 1, 1998
SECTION: Metro, Pg. E-6
BYLINE: Barbara Vella Italiano
DATELINE: Irwin, Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that persons living in the Penglyn section of Irwin, Pennsylvania are protesting the potential opening of Norwin's Ultimate Eatery fearing loud noise and increased traffic in their neighborhood. The proposed restaurant site is actually in North Huntingdon but many of the complaints are coming from residents across the street, which is in Irvin.
According to the article Irvin residents reportedly packed the North Huntingdon Planning Commission meeting last month, concerned that a bar was coming to their quiet neighborhood bringing traffic and noise. But the Planning Director for North Huntingdon, Darrell Granata, says that as long as the restaurant meets all the township's requirements, he has no choice but to recommend final approval from the seven-member board of supervisors.
Rev. Denny Selerof Calvary Assembly of God is one of complainants. Seler's church sits diagonal to the proposed restaurant/bar site and has a daily preschool and kindergarten program with more than 150 children in attendance. According to the article, Seler's takes issue on two points, the first is a safety issue. Lunch and dinner times coincide with the schedule of the school's dismissal times, and with the risk of impaired driving, the article said referring to an interview with Seler.
Seler also said another liquor establishment in not warranted. "Within a half mile radius of the area, there are a significant number of opportunities for a person who wants an alcoholic drink," the article said, quoting Seler. According to the article, anyone within 500 feet of a proposed liquor-selling establishment, has the right to petition the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board against issuing a license but the property is zoned commercial and under existing ordinances bar and restaurant uses are permitted.
The article reports that the owner of the new business, Brian Martel, also owns Shooter's Pub on Lincoln Way in North Huntingdon, just seven minutes away from the proposed restaurant. The article says Martel hopes to get approval of his plans by next month and expects to open the new restaurant at the end of summer. He says the new restaurant will be family-oriented, with a dining area, separate lounge and arcade with games for both children and adults. Even though alcohol will be served, the article he says he will close the restaurant at 10 p.m. and issue last call to lounge patrons at 11:30 p.m. According to the article, Granata doesn't expect that to be a problem and will recommend approval from the board of supervisors if Martel meets all the the criteria.
Final approval from the PLCB - according to the article - won't come until after an initial inspection and a hearing with residents. That date for the hearing has yet to be set.
PUBLICATION: South Wales Evening Post (United Kingdom)
DATE: April 1, 1998
SECTION: Politics: Swansea Council, Pg.27
BYLINE: Nicola Porter
DATELINE: Swansea, Wales
The South Wales Evening Post reports a Swansea farm has been given approval to build kennels despite fears about noise nuisance.
According to the article, residents living near the site at Pant y Baban Farm did not object to the kennels situated on the hillside, but they requested the site to be soundproofed along with other safeguards preventing contamination of their properties via a downhill stream. Representatives of the Mawr Community Council also requested conditions such as soundproofing, a cesspit for excretion, and a time limit for exercising dogs.
The article went on to report officers did not impose any conditions on the kennel owners apart from setting up a suitable landscaping scheme on the site within two months. Swansea Council planning director David Wilson said a condition for soundproofing at the kennels could not be imposed because the site was more than 130 meters from the nearest house. He also said that there was an incinerator on site to deal with the disposal of dog excrement. And he did not believe a time limit for exercising dogs was enforceable. The kennels have a total of 16 individual kennels as well as a grooming parlor, an indoor run, and a puppy run.
PUBLICATION: Airfinance Journal
DATE: April 0, 1998
SECTION: No. 205 Pg. 15; Issn: 0143-2257; Coden: Cstedm
DATELINE: Europe
The Airfinance Journal reports that a European Commission proposal for a directive on noise pollution would prohibit airlines from hushkitting aircraft after April 1, 1999. Originally, the deadline had been set for 2002.
According to the article, the proposals are likely to alter airlines' fleet plans. EU governments and environmental lobbyists have greeted the Commission's decision warmly. But opponents of the rule say it will advance costly engine conversions by several years, and could require that airlines and operators to invest in new aircraft ahead of time in order to comply with the rule. Carriers based outside the European Union (EU) have until April 1, 2002 to comply with the directive.
The European Commission argues that aircraft fitted with hushkits that meet the Stage III standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization are still the noisiest.
A European Commission spokeswoman for technical aviation issues is quoted in the journal saying, "If airports such as Schiphol, Manchester and Paris are to expand and stay within the noise ceilings laid down by national governments, the rules have to be tighter. Aircraft noise is becoming a constraint to the development of airport capacity. The main concern about plans for expanding airports is noise and, with air transport growing each year by a factor of 6% a year, we have to act."
But the ruling could have a detrimental impact on airlines' financial wellbeing. One leading US manufacturer of hushkits is noted in the article saying, "This [EC] decision imposes a serious economic burden on a large number of airlines and it is the smaller companies with fewer planes operating charter flights and carrying freight that'll be hit hardest. Even though we provide hushkits that meet the strictest standards, the aircraft they are fitted to will not be able to fly. It means companies are going to have to raise the necessary $1.5 million needed to fit each aircraft much sooner than they had planned or be forced to buy new planes. That is no small order."
According to the journal article Sterling European Airlines, a Danish charter airline, operates six 727-200s and is a case in point. It has already hushkitted two of the 727-200s, but plans to sell the rest. Its president, Lars Svenheim, says, "It's ironic. The capital costs of operating 727s are very good, but we lose what we gain through landing charges that are stacked against Chapter 2 aircraft. Our 737-200s were built in the early '80s and are, overall, more modern and have a longer working life then some of their Airbus and McDonnell Douglas equivalents. We're having to get rid of them because the Commission makes it uneconomic for us to operate them."
The Commission hopes to address the sudden escalation in numbers of aircraft in and outside the EU that will rush to meet the original 2002 deadline. The authors state that at present, only 50 aircraft within the EU have hushkits, but the numbers in other countries is expected to reach 1,500 by the year 2000. "Freezing that amount in two years is intended to alleviate noise pollution and keep the situation in check," the journal article said.
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