PUBLICATION: Calgary Herald
DATE: May 12, 1998
SECTION: City; Pg. B1 / Front
BYLINE: Dave Pommer
DATELINE: Calgary, Alberta, CANADA
The Calgary Herald in Alberta, Canada, reports the city's council approved new bylaws to regulate noise from bars and restaurants near residential areas. The article goes on to point out that the new bylaws don't govern existing facilities.
According to the article, bylaw changes approved by the council on Monday set minimum distance standards for outdoor cafes and outdoor cafe speakers from residential areas, as well as speaker systems at drive-through restaurants. Restaurants and bars adjacent to residential areas can't be any larger than 75 square meters, while outdoor cafes would be limited to 25 square meters in size. The bylaw takes effect June 1.
The article reports some people believe the regulations should cover only existing noise problems rather than imposing restrictions on future establishments. Ald. Jon Lord, whose inner-city ward includes the Electric Avenue nightclub strip on 11th Avenue SW, said the focus should be on existing establishments that do cause problems. But the changes to control loud music, patron activity, outdoor patio speaker systems, and size of facilities only apply to new facilities. The council doesn't have the legal ability to take away licenses from existing facilities. Instead, Lord said, a new blanket policy makes everyone pay for the transgressions of a few establishments. A spokesman for a restaurant-night club also objected to the new regulations. Steven Saretsky of Pancho's, 1220 Kensington Rd. NW, also said the focus should be on existing problems.
The article states recent changes to the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Act have made it easy for a restaurant to become a bar without clearing major regulatory hurdles. And the old city bylaw also didn't regulate the size of facilities close to residential areas. "At least this way we can say from this day forward we won't have new problems," said Ald. Sue Higgins.
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: May 12, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 1; Zones Desk
BYLINE: Martha L. Willman
DATELINE: Van Nuys, California
The Los Angeles Times reports that a review of Van Nuys Airport noise concerns will be undertaken by the California Department of Transportation. At stake will be the renewal of a variance that allows Van Nuys Airport to operate above state noise limits.
According to the article, the variance was last reviewed ten years ago, and will be considered again within half a year. Residents have complained increasingly of noise from the airport, and two lawmakers subsequently asked for the hearings. Seven other airports in the state require a variance because of their extreme noise levels.
The article reports that historically, variances are always granted. Those who want to reduce the noise often use the hearings as leverage to obtain noise mitigation measures instead of a direct refusal of the variance. When deciding to renew a variance, consideration is given to the public benefit of keeping the airport open despite noise, how useful the airport is in the community, noise problems for residents, and whether or not the airport is working to reduce noise.
The article notes that anti-noise people will be pushing to ban Stage 2 jets, which are louder but cheaper than the newer Stage 3 jets. Airport businesses say that it's too expensive to replace the jets before they wear out; when they do, they will be replaced by Stage 3 without the need for a ban. Statistics show, however, that numbers of Stage 3 jets have increased at a slower rate than Stage 2 jets in the last five years.
According to the article, another important factor in deciding whether to uphold the variance will be the Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) which is determined by averaging noise over an entire day. Noise at night is given more weight because it is more annoying to residents. A noise footprint is drawn around the land that experiences at least 65 decibels of noise from the airport. The 1989 variance said that the footprint must not grow. It has actually gotten smaller from 147 acres in 1990 to 57.6 acres now.
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Citizen
DATE: May 12, 1998
SECTION: City; City Editorial Page; Pg. C4
BYLINE: Dennis York
DATELINE: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA
The Ottawa Citizen published an editorial lamenting spring's double-edged sword: warmer weather and more daylight bring more noise.
According to the editorial, there are many sounds, such as that of a poorly tuned motorcycle roaring down the street, to remind Ottawa residents that winter has finally ended. There is a section of Ottawa's noise bylaws that say no person can make unusual noises which disturb people in the city, but once spring comes, the writer wonders, are there any unusual noises? Perhaps that's why motorcyclists don't seem to get tickets for being so loud.
The article goes on to say spring also brings out noisy cars revitalized by the warm new season. The drivers calling attention to themselves are reminiscent of birds calling attention to themselves during spring, the mating season. The author says if you're old enough you might remember back when you used to be able to hear birds. Music is another sound of spring, and there are plenty of people making sure you have ample opportunity to fully appreciate it. Music blasts from automobiles with windows open and the base turned up so you have to straighten the pictures on your walls after they pass. There are the loud noises of dump-trucks and jack hammers at construction sites that force you to wait until you've moved farther along before you can continue conversations. There's also the skateboarders, rolling down the middle of the street, clattering up and down off walls and sidewalks, yelling to their friends. Long after you've gone to bed in the evening, you can still hear the music, the cars, and the motor cycles. The City of Ottawa has a number citizens can call about noise because there are rules in a bylaw. But the writer asks, "You don't really want to call, do you? These are the sounds of spring."
PUBLICATION: The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News
DATE: May 12, 1998
SECTION: Local; Pg. B1
BYLINE: Eric Alan Barton
DATELINE: Stuart, Florida
The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News reports Martin County officials will hold a public hearing on a noise ordinance for the county. A Stuart pig farmer says the proposed noise law is aimed specifically at him and will alter his agricultural business.
According to the article, a Tropical Farms pig breeder, Paul Thompson, is being sued by a golf course for playing music to his swine. Thompson says he's the target of a proposed county noise ordinance. Martin County commissioners will conduct a public hearing today on the proposed noise limit, and may vote on the new ordinance later this month. David Wasserman, Thompson's attorney, said he'll be at the commission meeting to oppose the proposed law. He said the Florida Farm Land Act forbids laws that restrict the noise generated from agriculture businesses. "Something doesn't smell right with this new law," he said. "A lawsuit is filed against my client and all of a sudden this new law appears." Although the law will have broader applications, it was written to stop pig farmers from continuing their way of life, breeder Thompson said. "If you read the noise ordinance, 85 percent of it is about what they're complaining about in (the golf course's) lawsuit," Thompson said Monday. "They're aiming this right at me."
The article reports owners of The Florida Club golf course along State Road 76 sued Thompson and one of his neighbors last month, claiming music playing on a radio in his barn disrupts golfers and is a nuisance. The golfers are seeking an injunction barring Thompson and other farming neighbors from playing music as a way to calm the pigs. The county's ordinance would forbid agricultural businesses from exceeding 85 decibels - about as loud as a garbage disposal or household drill - and would forbid homeowners from playing music that disturbs neighbors 100 feet away. It also lists dozens of potential violations, including running a car without a muffler, keeping noisy birds without sound-control devices, and using loudspeakers as a way of attracting business. The ordinance would limit the hours some noisy activities could take place. Between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. the law would make it illegal to fix cars, operate construction equipment, use skateboard ramps, operate air leaf blowers, or play any radio or television so loud it disturbs neighbors.
According to the article, several efforts to establish noise ordinances in Martin County, specifically in Stuart and Port St. Lucie, died in the recent past. A draft noise ordinance for Stuart died in its infancy in March 1997 after commissioners failed to second a proposal that would have amended city codes to prohibit "disturbing noises" and excessive "amplified sounds." A Port St. Lucie noise ordinance was declared unconstitutional in 1994 after a resident challenged the law that allowed police to take decibel meters of sounds neighbors considered too loud. Martin County commissioners gave preliminary approval to a noise ordinance in January 1996, but gave it up weeks later after complaints from residents at a public hearing that it would restrict their way of life. That vote followed a similar rejection by the commission two years earlier. The most recent proposal is similar to the ordinance rejected in 1996 that carries a restriction on construction work that took heat from contractors. Builders claimed barring them from working before 8 a.m. would hamper their work.
PUBLICATION: The Capital
DATE: May 11, 1998
SECTION: Police Beat; Pg. A13
BYLINE: Stacey Danzuso
DATELINE: Anne Arundel County, Maryland
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mike Shylanski, president of the Greater Severn Improvement Association; Glenn Akers, president of the Greater Odenton Improvement Association
The Capital of Annapolis, Maryland, reports Anne Arundel County residents are exposed to ever increasing sources of noise. While many believe their world is too noisy, experts say it's all in how people perceive noise. The article provides an overview of noise standards, methods by which noise is measured, and some methods of noise mitigation.
The article reports with Baltimore-Washington International Airport expanding to handle more planes, several major highways running through the county, and a proposed speed way that would attract 61,000 people at least three times a year, residents say they are bombarded with ground and overhead noise. "It's too subjective to say it's noisier than in the past, but there are certainly more people and different kinds of noise, " said Mike Shylanski, who moved to the county in 1984 and is president of the Greater Severn Improvement Association.
According to the article, "There are different reactions and opinions on people's sensitivity to sound," said Gordon Bricken, president of the California-based Gordon Bricken & Associates Acoustical and Energy Engineers. "Take a dog barking - some people find that objectionable," he said. "But the people who own the dog are comforted because it warns them of strangers." While people may be bothered by loud noise in general, noise experts say they usually focus on how long sounds persist. "The number of events changes how people respond," Bricken said. Too much exposure can lead to what he refers to as "soundburn." That's why there are occupational safety laws to prevent workers from spending too long in deafening conditions, he said. "The laws say a worker can spend eight hours in a factory with a sound level of 90 decibels, four hours if the level is 95 decibels and two hours at 100 decibels," he said.
The article states that while a decibel is the standard measurement that expresses the intensity of a sound wave, most people associate decibels with loud noises. A rock concert would produce about 110 decibels. But what most would consider silence or a quiet night really produces about 30 decibels, according to information from the Maryland Aviation Administration. David Hessler of Hessler Associates in Cabin John in Montgomery County, said only noise levels above 85 to 90 decibels pose health risks. "Below that, they're just an annoyance," he said. And it's below those high-risk levels that most of the subjectivity of measuring noise comes into play. Hessler said people living near an airport or a highway, for example, can become desensitized to the noise and eventually forget it's there.
The article reports engineers measure noise with a sound level meter, taking a reading over a period of time. "We then take this complex series of numbers and produce an average noise level-not a maximum," Bricken said. Before arriving at an average, engineers make adjustments for nighttime noise. Noise occurring between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. gets a 10 decibel penalty, Mr. Hessler said. This "weighted" average is called the daynight sound level, or LDN. "I think the absolute peak ( noise) is more important to the residents," Shylanski said. "An extremely loud aircraft is more disturbing than the average."
Glenn Akers, president of the Greater Odenton Improvement Association, said residents need to be educated in how sound is measured. With so many activities that generate loud noises in north county, he said, people need to understand what these levels mean to them. "Sound measurement techniques are acceptable, but they need to be defined in layman's terms," Mr. Akers said. Sound can be difficult to quantify because it is measured exponentially. Two race cars are not twice as loud as one, but rather only a fraction higher. "Assume you have two planes that have the same individual sound level - you add three decibels for every double," Mr. Bricken said. This means that if a plane taking off creates 100 decibels of noise, two planes would make 103 decibels. Four planes would make 106 decibels, and eight would produce 109."
The article goes on to say minimizing the effects of noise can be difficult depending on where it comes from and who's affected. "Trees have some effect, but not much. As a rule, we don't account for the presence of trees when calculating noise levels," Bricken said. "But any structure - man-made or natural - will produce some reduction in sound level. It just depends on how big an obstruction and how far it is from the noise." Noise reduction measures include sound walls along highways, soundproofing communities near airports, or creating a bowl-style stadium that would help keep noise inside. There are guidelines for noise levels in residential communities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development said LDN levels of 65 decibels are acceptable, levels between 65 and 75 usually aren't acceptable, and anything above 75 decibels is never acceptable. The State Highway Administration uses its own guidelines for when to erect sound barriers along state roads. The SHA says noise levels must reach 66 decibels before barriers can be built. A barrier must reduce noise levels by seven to 10 decibels, cost less than $50,000 per home, and be approved by at least three quarters of the homeowners who would benefit.
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: May 10, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 14; Zones Desk
DATELINE: Los Angeles, California
The Los Angeles Times published two letters to the editor from LA-area residents about airport noise.
This from John Russell of Van Nuys:
I feel that Van Nuys Airport does have something to offer the Valley. However, I do not feel that anyone should have to live in a home that has become unlivable due to aircraft noise. These noisy Stage II jets are making life unbearable for many people. How can one justify more noisy jets? Are residents affected to move out and give up their homes because the aircraft industry has more money and more power?
The no-addition rule is a way of balancing residents needs and airport businesses' needs. It is impractical to shut down the airport for the sake of residents, but it is ludicrous to expect homeowners to live with continuous upset due to aircraft noise.
Another point to keep in mind: Has anyone ever thought about the effects of gross amounts of air pollution coming from all three of our valley airports? The aircraft industry is out of control. We need protection to preserve our quality of life. Residents need to support the no-addition rule, a phaseout of Stage II jets and a reasonable helicopter curfew.
Bill Friedman of Sherman Oaks wrote:
Gerald and Myrna Silver's criticisms of the Van Nuys Airport's noise problem are well-taken. ("Politics, Not FAA, Blocks Noise Relief," April 12).
There is absolutely no enforcement mechanism for any violations of the airport's "promises" to the community. Pilots essentially follow FAA rules only, which is to say, as far as those of us on the ground are concerned, no rules at all.
The airport's definition of the so-called noise contour, outside of which there is theoretically no noise problem, is especially galling. No part of Sherman Oaks, for example, is near the noise contour, yet our very thought patterns are often drowned out by jet noise. Small private jets could easily achieve quieter takeoffs perhaps at some loss of fuel efficiency or speed. The correctness of this assertion is easily tested as the type of plane involved can be easily determined from the ground some four miles from the airport.
The airport knows (what politicians have known forever) that one can steal a small amount from a large number of people and get away with it. Each jet operator can apparently steal a little peace and quiet from each of tens of thousands of people and get away with it.
PUBLICATION: Orlando Sentinel Tribune
DATE: May 10, 1998
SECTION: Seminole Extra; Pg. K1
BYLINE: Elaine Backhaus
DATELINE: Sanford, Florida
The Orlando Sentinel Tribune reports complaints about noise from large jets last month at the Orlando Sanford Airport were fewer than during the same period a year ago. However, numbers of noise complaints will likely rise again with increased international charter flights and larger aircraft during the British tourist season.
According to the article, Jack Dow, airport operations director, said more international charter flights and larger aircraft will be landing and taking off at the airport during this year's British tourist season, which began in April. Last year, an average of seven international flights arrived, and seven left each day at the airport during the tourism season, which runs between April and November. Daily, an average of nine international charter flights land and depart at the airport. On busier days - Thursday, Friday and Saturday - the average soars to 16 flights a day. More of those charter flights are larger Boeing 747 aircraft.
The article reports concerns about the airport noise will be discussed at a meeting on Tuesday with the Sanford Noise Abatement Committee. Last month, the committee learned the Federal Aviation Administration had approved a new instrument landing system for the airport's 27R runway approach. The homing beacon will allow planes to land and depart over less-populated areas east of the airport. Steve Coover, the airport's interim executive director, said last week that the airport has to meet a deadline to apply to the FAA for the $1.8 million system. If the deadline is met and approval from the FAA is granted, it is still unclear how soon the system would be installed. The airport also has taken other steps to reduce noise. Pilots have been told to approach the airport at higher speeds and altitudes to curb noise. They also fly over Lake Monroe instead of residential areas before turning and landing from the west.
According to the article, despite those steps, dozens of people continue to complain about noise generated by the airport's growth. In April 1997, residents complained about the noise 194 times, compared with 130 calls last month. The number of calls last month equaled the complaints made in March. Only 72 residents complained about the noise in February. Most of those who called about the noise in April were residents of the community of Heathrow, about seven miles west of the airport. Only 14 of the 130 calls in April came from people who had never complained before.
PUBLICATION: News Tribune
DATE: May 15, 1998
SECTION: Local/State; Pg. B6
BYLINE: Debbie Cafazzo
DATELINE: Tacoma, Washington
The News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington, reports school district officials and representatives of the Port of Seattle, which runs the Sea-Tac Airport, say they're trying to negotiate a solution to the long-running dispute over jet noise in Highline classrooms. Both sides say they could have an agreement within the week over how to pay for a noise study.
According to the article, Sea-Tac spokesman Dan Leach said the port is willing to pay "several hundred thousand dollars" for the district study that began earlier this year. The study, at an estimated cost of $330,000, is currently financed by both the school district and the state. Previously, the Port had offered Highline $50 million to pay for noise reduction improvements in school buildings. But district officials feared to accept, seeing the offer as a cap. They launched the noise study to get an assessment of the extent of the noise problem and the cost of fixing it. But Leach said the $50 million offer is not a cap. "We want to take care of the noise -related mitigation on those schools," he said. He said that if the cost of reducing noise in schools is more than $50 million, the port is willing to pay more. One disagreement between the school district and the Port of Seattle had been whether the Port would pay for air conditioning in schools that are sealed against noise. But since then, Port officials have said that if ventilation systems can't be modified to satisfaction, it would consider adding air conditioning.
The article reports part of the district noise study is being done by professional acoustics experts, who are measuring noise impacts in classrooms. In addition, students are participating throughout the district. Students at Pacific Middle School, who will present their findings to the school board next month, developed their own system for measuring sound and measuring the difference between buildings already insulated against noise and those without soundproofing. Students at Parkside Primary School and others in the district counted how many times jet noise interrupted their teacher in the course of a month. Results from the Parkside students show they are disrupted an average of 38 times a day by jet noise. At Southern Heights Elementary, it's an average of 11 times a day. Students recorded and graphed their results, then discussed solutions to the problem. First-grader Jasmine Wood has a simple solution to the problem of jet noise from nearby Sea-Tac Airport invading her classroom. "We could make the airplanes go at night," the first-grader told the Highline School Board this week. In addition to Jasmine's suggested night flights, students had these ideas: move the airport; invent an airplane that doesn't make noise; make airplanes go around the schools; or move the schools.
PUBLICATION: The Ottawa Sun
DATE: May 16, 1998
SECTION: Business, Pg. 23
BYLINE: Simon Tuck
DATELINE: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The Ottawa Sun reports that the 7th annual International Air Cargo conference ended yesterday in Ottawa, Ontario. Some industry members said the Ottawa International Airport could be a location in the future for a secondary air cargo hub. But airport officials aren't sure that's a good idea, the article says.
According to the article, at a key session of the conference yesterday, John Infanger, editorial director of Airport Business Magazine, said if the airport became a secondary air cargo hub, it would likely contribute millions to the local economy and create hundreds of jobs. Infanger said, "If you want to promote economic development, that's where the market is. My impression of (the Ottawa airport) is that it probably needs to be developed." He added that neighbors bothered by noise shouldn't block the pursuit of such a hub, because they should know there will be noise when they buy a home near an airport.
Meanwhile, officials at the Ottawa International Airport are less enthusiastic about the idea. Paul Benoit, the airport's president and CEO, said there's no plan to pursue the air cargo market, largely because the Hamilton and Mirabel airports dominate the central Canadian cargo market. He said, "It's not a field of dreams. Build it and they will not necessarily come."
PUBLICATION: Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)
DATE: May 16, 1998
BYLINE: Sharon Mack
DATELINE: Pittsfield, Maine
The Bangor Daily News reports Pittsfield, Maine, town officials hope to curb unwanted behavior with a new noise and public conduct ordinance.
According to the article, in Pittsfield recently letters were recently stolen off the Pittsfield Community Theater marquee; police summoned a half-dozen young drivers for squealing tires and speeding; and trees for sale in front of Reny's Department Store were hung upside down on a restaurant's air conditioner. This type of behavior is what town officials hope to stop with a new ordinance. The ordinance will be set at Tuesday night's council meeting, and a public hearing will be held June 2. The ordinance states the unwanted behavior "is preventing persons residing within these areas from fully enjoying their property and having a reasonable degree of quiet, particularly during nighttime hours. "
The article reports when noisy bands of youths gather in Pittfield's town square, either across from the town library or next to the Depot Museum, their behavior sometimes gets unruly. Neighbors' complaints and incidents reported to the police have been increasing. Earlier this week, the museum was vandalized. In her report to the council Wednesday, town librarian Lyn Smith noted that "several library users told us that they did not come into the library on days when many cars with teen-agers were congregating in the parking area. While the young people may not have been causing harm, library users feel less welcome and are less likely to come in. I do worry when the cars are driven too fast, with tires spinning." The proposed ordinance states it is created to "protect the ability for downtown Pittsfield merchants and public service facilities to attract customers and maintain a nonthreatening environment within the downtown."
The article goes on to state Pittsfield Police Chief Steve Emery said with only one police officer on duty most nights and the town curfew affecting only those under 17, it has been difficult to curtail some of the offensive behavior. Residents living near the downtown area have repeatedly complained to police that the gatherings are loud, obnoxious and dangerous. Also, Emery said, the legal process for such complaints is often unsatisfactory and not timely to the offense. The new ordinance would provide local control over some of those behaviors, such as squealing tires, loud noises and offensive statements or gestures to passers-by. The law would be in effect between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., and Emery said he would enforce the ordinance with an additional patrol unit. A violation of the law is considered civil and would result in a first-time fine of $50 to $100, with subsequent violations resulting in fines from $50 to $250.
PUBLICATION: Financial Times (London, England)
DATE: May 16, 1998
SECTION: Britain; Pg. 04
BYLINE: Gautam Malkani and Michael Skapinker
DATELINE: London, England
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Geoff Kirk, chairman of the West Area Residents association (War); Dermot Cox, chairman of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Hacan)
The Financial Times of London reports the inquiry into Heathrow's Terminal Five has been going on for three years now which makes it the longest inquiry in UK history. Opponents are still vocal, although some are experiencing fatigue and financial strain.
According to the article, inquiry officials say they expect to finish taking evidence by the last quarter of the year. Roy Vandermeer, the chairman, will then spend another two years producing his report to the government on whether the new terminal at London's principal airport - the busiest in Britain - should get approval. The inquiry has taken evidence from more than 200 witnesses. It has received 20,000 written submissions - 95 per cent of them against the terminal. The coalition of municipal authorities opposing the terminal has, for budgetary reasons, had to ask its top lawyers to stop attending. The authorities have spent $6.7 million on the inquiry so far. They will ask their lawyers to return for the end of the inquiry and will make written submissions in the meantime. Local pressure groups are still attending. Geoff Kirk, chairman of the West Area Residents association (War), has attended the inquiry since the beginning. "Being an old soldier, I'm familiar with battle fatigue. Now I'm familiar with inquiry fatigue," he says.
The article reports the three years have not brought the two sides closer together. BAA, the operator of London's airports, has told the inquiry it is prepared to accept a cap on aircraft noise at 1994 levels and a limit on the number of night flights at today's levels. It has also asked the government to rule out ever building a third Heathrow runway. The terminal's opponents say that Terminal Five amounts to a new airport. Dermot Cox, chairman of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (Hacan), points out that, on its own, Terminal Five would be the second biggest UK airport, handling more passengers than London's second-biggest airport, Gatwick. Sir John Egan, BAA's chief executive, says if Terminal Five is rejected, the south-east of England will run out of airport capacity in five years, with damaging effects on the rest of the economy. The new terminal would add 30 million passengers to the 58 million who used Heathrow last year. But because aircraft are getting larger, the terminal would increase flights by only 8 per cent, Sir John says. BAA also contends that its opinion polls show a growing proportion of local residents support the terminal. The latest Gallup poll, commissioned by BAA, shows 49 per cent in favor, with 24 per cent against.
PUBLICATION: The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
DATE: May 16, 1998
SECTION: National; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Steve Ritea
DATELINE: Mandeville, Louisiana
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mary Lou Jaeger, president of Fontainebleau Homeowners Association
The Times-Picayune reports a proposed go-cart track at Mandeville, Louisiana, miniature golf course has residents worried about noise.
According to the article, Putt-Putt Golf & Games owner Bryan Horridge insists noise from the track would be minimal, but Fontainebleau Homeowners Association President Mary Lou Jaeger is skeptical, and she has Councilman Jack McGuire on her side. McGuire said Putt-Putt developers promised at a 1993 Planning Commission meeting that they would not have go-carts. "The city has not only the right but the responsibility to Fontainebleau subdivision to deny any (such) plan," McGuire wrote Jaeger on May 5. "You may be assured that I will vigorously oppose any such proposal." Jaeger said some residents in Fontainebleau's roughly 200 homes have already complained about noise from Putt-Putt's batting cage as well as its laser tag game.
Thea article reports no formal plans have been presented to the city. Horridge, who opened Putt-Putt in 1994, has held two meetings with Fontainebleau residents since he proposed the 650-foot track this year. The track would replace one of two miniature golf courses between the Putt-Putt building and West Causeway Approach, Horridge said. Ten gas-powered carts would go about 18 mph, he said, and still keep their noise level at 45 decibels, 15 decibels lower than the music from his speakers. Technology has improved, he claims, and go-carts are quieter than many would expect. Horridge said customers have asked for a track since Putt-Putt has been open. "Besides, it would give teen-agers something else to do besides hanging out at Taco Bell," he said. Horridge said he hoped to open the track before Christmas.
PUBLICATION: The Washington Post (Washington, DC)
DATE: May 16, 1998
SECTION: Prince William Extra; Pg. V07
BYLINE: Dana Hull
DATELINE: Dumfries, Virginia
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Cate McKenna, resident and member of Barriers for a Better Life; Jody Kline, resident and member of Barriers for a Better Life
The Washington Post reports the noise level from traffic on nearby Interstate 95 is so bad for residents of Prince William Estates in Dumfries, Virginia, that they're asking the Virginia Department of Transportation to erect sound barriers along their back yards.
According to the article, 65 residents have formed a small coalition, called Barriers for a Better Life. The group believes big fences will make their neighborhood more pleasant. As a rule, the Department of Transportation does not usually retrofit sound barriers in neighborhoods that are already built. "It never stops," Cate McKenna said of the noise. "We hear the truckers coming into the rest stop between midnight and 5 a.m. There used to be a time when you would get some sleep after 9 o'clock, but now it is a constant noise. " McKenna said that when she purchased her home in 1990, she understood that the erection of sound barriers was in the department's long-range plan, as part of construction of high-occupancy lanes. But the barriers were never built. Barriers for a Better Life wants the sound walls installed on I-95 between mileposts 151 and 153. McKenna said she fears that planned construction on the bridge at Quantico Creek plus more traffic will only add to the noise pollution. In addition to the noise level, residents have complained that hubcaps, broken bottles and blown tires also land in their back yards. "I will not sleep peacefully until I look out my back yard and see a 30-foot concrete wall," said resident Jody Kline. "Other people might want a nice deck. But I want to protect my family from the noise."
The article reports the residents' plight has gained the attention of state and local politicians. Congressman, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R) wrote a letter to Transportation Secretary Shirley Ybarra on his constituents' behalf. And John Hishta, Davis's chief of staff, met with Dumfries Mayor-elect Christopher K. Brown and a representative from the Transportation Department earlier this week. "We basically spent the better part of the discussion encouraging [the Transportation Department] to revisit this issue," Hishta said. "They promised to take a good, hard, serious look at it. We want to see what [the department] is going to tell us." Although the erection of sound barriers in residential neighborhoods is a state matter, Davis's office has not ruled out the possibility of getting some federal transportation funds to cover the cost of the work. "We are looking into it," said Chip Nottingham, Virginia's assistant secretary for transportation. "We're looking into whether it should have been constructed in the past, and if it should have been, we certainly want to address the problem."
PUBLICATION: Chicago Tribune
DATE: May 16, 1998
SECTION: Commentary; Pg. 23; Zone: N; Voice Of The People (Letter).
BYLINE: Mary Rose Loney, Commissioner, Department of Aviation.
DATELINE: Chicago, Illinois
The Chicago Tribune published the following letter from Mary Rose Loney, Commissioner, Department of Aviation. In her letter, Ms. Loney seeks to clarify information reported in a previous Tribune article about the collection of noise data from O'Hare to establish noise contour maps:
Contrary to what was reported in the Tribune May 1 ("O'Hare monitors will be silent in new noise map," Metro), when the Chicago Airport System proposes the new aircraft noise contour maps to the Federal Aviation Administration for approval after this year, they will be the result of the unprecedented level of data produced by the Chicago Airport System's permanent noise -monitoring system. This will include the data collected by the noise monitors in communities near O'Hare and Midway. It is vitally important that this fact be clarified for readers who live near Chicago's airports.
The Chicago Airport System permanent noise -monitoring system is the latest technology collecting a vast amount of information, including aircraft flight paths, runway use, type of aircraft and climb and descent angles. The FAA continuously feeds radar data into the system through a direct connection from its radar facilities, and that information is correlated with the data collected by the noise monitors on the ground. Utilizing 1997 reports, an entire year's worth of FAA flight data will be used to generate noise contour maps for O'Hare and Midway. Other airports with less sophisticated systems only provide samples of data collected over the course of a year.
But most important, the data collected by the nearly 40 noise monitors will also be a major factor in creating the new contour maps. As explained to the Tribune reporter, but perhaps ignored, analyzing and correlating the data from the noise monitors will ensure that the maps eventually proposed to the FAA will be based on the most sophisticated and accurate data possible. This critical amount of important information has never before been available.
These are the facts. The new noise -contour maps will be the result of the extensive, sophisticated noise measurement data collected by the airport's noise -monitoring system.
PUBLICATION: Albuquerque Journal (Albuquerque, NM)
DATE: May 15, 1998
SECTION: Pg. 6
BYLINE: Elvia Diaz
DATELINE: Sante Fe, New Mexico
The Albuquerque Journal reports Santa Fe, New Mexico, city councilors on Wednesday adopted an agreement between the city and El Farol Restaurant & Lounge, ending a lengthy noise dispute with the nightclub.
According to the article, El Farol Restaurant & Lounge on Canyon Road agreed to restrict the hours of live music and reduce noise. The agreement includes insulation improvements to be made to the building to reduce sound. Live music at the restaurant is limited to no later than midnight Sunday through Wednesday. Music must stop playing at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday and at 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
The article reports in the past, city staffers had ordered El Farol to stop operating as a nightclub after they received complaints from some neighboring residents. City officials said El Farol had violated zoning and noise ordinances. Some residents had protested loud noise at El Farol while others had argued the restaurant is a Santa Fe landmark that should be preserved. Recently, councilors asked staffers to negotiate with El Farol owner David Salazar, saying they didn't want to shut down the popular gathering place. Salazar said the he was pleased with the results of the negotiations. "I didn't get everything I wanted," Salazar said. "I certainly can live with this agreement." Salazar said he also met with neighbors about the issue and said the agreement is an indication he can work with residents. "It brings the neighborhood together," Salazar said. "At least we're talking."
The article goes on to state the new agreement also specifies no other nightclubs will be allowed on Canyon Road. City Attorney Mark Basham said he will propose changes to the city's zoning ordinance prohibiting additional nightclubs in the area. El Farol has been closed since mid-April after a fire damaged parts of the restaurant. Salazar said Wednesday he hopes to reopen the nightclub by June 1.
PUBLICATION: The Columbian (Vancouver, WA)
DATE: May 15, 1998
SECTION: Front Page; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Jeff Mize
DATELINE: Clark County, Washington
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Judie Stanton, commissioner; Bob Torrens, resident
The Columbian of Vancouver, Washington, reports Clark County commissioners decided Thursday that a redevelopment plan for a former Army post should include police firing ranges, much to the dismay of nearby residents.
According to the article, Clark County Sheriff Garry Lucas walked away from Thursday's meeting on Camp Bonneville with a hard-earned split decision. While Clark County commissioners decided that a redevelopment plan for Camp Bonneville should include police firing ranges, they rejected a proposal to build an emergency vehicle course at the 3,020-acre Army post north of Camas. Thursday's discussion culminates a long planning effort that started when the federal government decided in 1995 to close Camp Bonneville. Next, Otak Inc., Clark County's consultant, will put together a final version of the plan, which commissioners will review and submit to the Defense Department. If the Pentagon OKs the development plan, there will be a separate process to approve transfer of the property to Clark County or some other entity.
The article reports not all the commissioners were like-minded on the development plan. Commissioner Betty Sue Morris provided the swing vote for firing ranges and against the 1.5-mile driving course. "I think we can manage the noise on the firing ranges," Morris said. "We need law enforcement to be well-trained, and this is not a bad site for it." Commissioner Judie Stanton opposed any cop training at Camp Bonneville. Commissioner Mel Gordon supported both uses. "The FBI's got one, the sheriff's office needs one," Gordon said about firing ranges. But Stanton argued that law enforcement training is not compatible with an outdoor school, a rustic retreat center, and other more quiet uses contained in the redevelopment plan. Research done early in the Camp Bonneville process concluded that 92 percent of groups would not use a retreat center if gunfire could be heard in the distance, Stanton said. "I just don't buy, 'Because it's always been that way to keep it that way,'" she said about shooting at Camp Bonneville. "That argument goes nowhere with me." Bob Torrens, a Camp Bonneville neighbor, said he was surprised that only Stanton had done enough homework to make a "sound decision" on firing ranges. "I think Commissioner Stanton is dead on, that this use will preclude other uses," said Torrens, chairman of the steering committee that opposed police training. "People will not come to this place with guns going off in the background." Asked if he would personally use Camp Bonneville, Torrens replied: "No way." Sheriff officials say they will build dirt berms and erect baffling, a thick rock-filled barrier, to contain any stray shots and to muffle noise.
The article goes on to report the process for redevelopment is far from over. Early in the planning process, commissioners decided that Camp Bonneville must be self-supporting. They expect to make most of their money, up to $ 200,000 a year, from selective logging. Stanton said additional studies could still discover that police firing ranges are too costly. "Bottom line is I don't think it's over because financial viability is still an issue," she said after Thursday's decision. Preliminary plans call for two ranges, one for handguns and another for rifles. The ranges would be used six months of the year, primarily during daylight hours in the winter. Lucas said his office wants some evening firing practice, most likely in the fall, but it will work out the details with area residents. "I look at this process as far from over," he said. Clark College wants to work with the Clark County Sheriff's Office to share classroom space. The college is interested in establishing an 80-acre environmental study area in the property's southwest corner. Sheriff Lucas was pleased to have commissioners support police firing ranges. "Our partnership with Clark College and the firing ranges are probably the two most important pieces of the puzzle," Lucas said after Thursday's decision. Other parts of the redevelopment plan include a regional park, picnic areas, equestrian and hiking trails, recreational-vehicle and tent camping, a small amphitheater and an Native American cultural center.
PUBLICATION: The Columbian (Vancouver, WA)
DATE: May 15, 1998
SECTION: Clark County/Region; Pg. B1
BYLINE: Thomas Ryll
DATELINE: Vancouver, Washington
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Lisa Hix, resident
The Columbian of Vancouver, Washington, reports complaint calls to the Port of Portland's noise abatement office are rising along with tests of new routes for jets departing Portland International Airport. The tests are being done to in an attempt to shift noise from areas that get a lot to areas whose residents might not notice. Next week, an airport noise committee holds a special meeting, and could cancel the test.
According to the article, one Vancouver resident who noticed the shift in plane noise over her house is Lisa Hix. When Ms. Hix took her coffee cup into the back yard one day earlier this month, instead of a peaceful summerlike morning, Hix felt like she was sitting on runway 32L at O'Hare International. One by one, eight passenger jets in a row passed over her Hough neighborhood house, in downtown Vancouver. "Some of them were so close that I could count the windows," said Hix, a parks planner with the consolidated city-county parks and recreation department. "It was so loud the cat looked up." Hix and her husband, John, a state Department of Transportation maintenance worker, have lived downtown for about a year. Hix says she expected and has become accustomed to a certain number of aircraft, given the proximity to both Portland International Airport and the city's Pearson Field. "We've always have had airplane noise, " she said. "But when it is nonstop, eight planes in a row, I'd say that's not working."
The article goes on to report Hix and a record number of people on both sides of the river have registered their complaints about changes to the routes flown by some passenger jets leaving the Portland airport. In the first 10 days, some 500 complaints were logged with the Port of Portland's noise abatement office -- 10 times the number of calls received in a typical month. The total is now over 1,000 complaints. "The calls are tapering off a bit," said Glenn Woodman, a Clark County resident who manages the airport's noise abatement program, last week. Woodman said while some callers clearly are imagining there are additional planes overhead, others like Lisa Hix are not hallucinating. Woodman said complaints have also come from official sources, among them the cities of Portland and Gresham. The volume of response has prompted a special meeting next week of the airport's Noise Abatement Advisory Committee, or NACC, the group that proposed the test. It was supposed to last 60 to 90 days, but could be canceled as a result of next week's meeting.
The article states that the test allows departing Stage 3 jets to turn north or south as soon as they reach 4,000 feet or four miles from the airport. Because the normal rules mandate a longer distance and higher altitude (they vary depending on whether a departure is to the east or west), the effect of the test is to put lower-flying jets over neighborhoods, such as Hix's, that have not experienced such flying conditions. The theory behind the flight-route revisions is that air traffic would be removed from areas that have historically borne the brunt of jet noise. Those areas, it was reasoned, would see fewer planes, while the increased traffic might not prove offensive to the affected neighborhoods. Another goal of the plan is to reduce the amount of time a given aircraft is flying over the county. If a pilot can turn sooner on a course to his destination, that means less time spent backtracking, thereby shortening flight times, saving fuel, and reducing the number of people on the ground exposed to aircraft noise. In theory, it should work. But residents say that's not the reality. "This is such a major impact," Lisa Hix said when she called Woodman's office, "I recommend you come to my back yard and try to carry on a conversation."
According to the article, the test has been highly publicized by the Port of Portland. Woodman said it was well understood that one risk of announcing revised air-traffic patterns is that people would notice, maybe for the first time, and complain about planes that have always been overhead. He is certain that has happened because some complaints have come from the east end of the airport -- while takeoffs, due to westerly wind, were occurring to the west. Woodman's office has also gotten complaints about arriving aircraft, when only departures are on the revised routes. "That is the chance you take," he said. "You sensitize people to noise that has always been there. But we wanted to be open and above board. Consider what the reaction might have been if we hadn't told people." Woodman said calls fall generally into three categories: the imagined noise increase, questions, and "true complaints."
The article goes on to state at this point, the noise abatement office is collecting complaints for the noise abatement committee. No changes will be made to the flight paths during the test, other than to attempt to have pilots conform as closely as possible to the 4,000 feet/four miles rule. The noise committee will consider more than the calls to the noise hotline. The port has a number of permanent noise monitoring stations whose measurements are automatically transmitted just after midnight every 24 hours to an airport computer. One of those stations is at Hough Elementary School, not far from Lisa Hix's house. Part of the analysis of the test will be the attempt to correlate specific noise complaints with actual aircraft flights, such as the eight-in-a-row observation by Lisa Hix. Woodman said callers can be most helpful by knowing date, time and address of the disturbance. Aircraft engine type (jet or propeller), airline or other information, such as a description of a logo or other markings, all will help authorities decide whether the test should continue.
PUBLICATION: The Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT)
DATE: May 15, 1998
SECTION: Town News; Pg. B1
BYLINE: Joseph Rocha
DATELINE: Hartford, Connecticut
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Edgar Villarroel, organizer of Hartford Areas Rally Together (HART)
The Hartford Courant of Hartford, Connecticut, reports Capitol area neighbors Thursday met and formed committees in hopes of solving parking problems and noise and other nuisances connected with a corner bar.
According to the article, 30 residents attended the session, sponsored by the neighborhood group Hartford Areas Rally Together. The neighbors' representatives will approach managers of several state office buildings on Capitol Avenue and the owners of the Shut Out Cafe. Neighbors hope that some cooperation can help eliminate the problems that residents of a section of Frog Hollow are experiencing. Residents say state employees park in their neighborhood, rather than at more distant, designated lots. "I've gotten into it with people who've driven up the end of Columbia Street and parked in on the grass of the park," resident Paul Shipman said. "You'd be amazed at the resistance. It's a problem and a safety hazard." HART organizer Edgar Villarroel said state office building managers are willing to discuss the matter with neighbors.
The article reports a second committee of neighbors plan to meet with operators of the Shut Out Cafe, located at Capitol Avenue and Babcock Street. Residents hope discussions will persuade the owners to regulate a clientele that neighbors say is the source of noise, debris, and a lack of civility. "The noise is continuous. They [patrons] are urinating on lawns," said attorney Arnold Beizer, who has offices across Babcock Street from the cafe. Shut Out operators have previously denied their clientele is the source of neighbors' problems, claiming the cafe is being unfairly targeted because it is next to Babcock Street homes. Residents at the meeting said the issue isn't proximity, but the unacceptable noise, debris, and fighting by the cafe's patrons. Police representatives at the meeting said they are aware of the complaints, and will take steps to curb more immediate violations. Meanwhile, residents vowed to prepare cases with the state Liquor Control Commission and possibly civil court.
PUBLICATION: Orlando Sentinel Tribune (Orlando, FL)
DATE: May 15, 1998
SECTION: Local & State; Pg. D3
BYLINE: Elaine Backhaus
DATELINE: Sanford, Florida
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Linda Stephens, resident
The Orlando Sentinel Tribune reports a group of Florida residents has suggested ways to curb jet noise from Orlando Sanford Airport, but the group feels their ideas have been ignored by the Noise Abatement Committee.
According to the article, several residents from Sanford and Lake Mary said that making nearly 40 suggestions to the Sanford Aviation Noise Abatement Committee was futile. "We have been making suggestions on how to reduce the noise now for more than a year," said Heathrow resident Kathy Sikes. "So far, [committee members) have taken every idea and shot it down. All of this has been brought up before. This is very infuriating and frustrating." Committee chairman Wes Pennington asked residents for the suggestions for the committee's review. The homeowners' list of ideas on how to curb noise includes sending back to Orlando International Airport all international charter business that has moved from there to Sanford. Another suggestion was to make Orlando Sanford a general aviation airport again, eliminating charter flights. The residents' other ideas included: requiring planes to land and depart over less-populated areas; limiting nighttime flights; requiring the city and Seminole County to limit construction of residential areas near flight zones; and giving the noise committee more authority to see that measures to reduce noise are put into place before additional growth is allowed.
The article reports several residents also questioned whether a new instrument-landing system for the airport's main, east-west runway approach actually would help reduce noise. Airport officials said the system would give aircraft an alternative approach to the airport over less-populated neighborhoods, mostly at night and when the wind is calm. Most flights, however, will continue to land from the west, where most complaints about jet noise have been generated. Hearing that more planes would be allowed to fly over her home five blocks east of the airport was not good news to Linda Stephens. "The noise is ungodly now," Stephens said. "Whatnots fall off my shelves. I can't hear TV. It is really, really bad out there."
PUBLICATION: Press Journal (Vero Beach, FL)
DATE: May 15, 1998
SECTION: A Section; Pg. A8
BYLINE: Drew Dixon
DATELINE: Brevard County, Florida
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Nancy Higgs, Brevard County commissioner
The Press Journal of Vero Beach, Florida, reports airboaters are organizing a demonstration on Sunday to protest a possible ordinance prohibiting airboats from operating in the Sebastian and Indian Rivers.
According to the article, the Brevard County Commission will hear a report Tuesday on a possible ordinance prohibiting airboats from operating in the Sebastian River. The Indian River County Commission is holding a public hearing on virtually the same ordinance June 2. Nancy Higgs, Brevard County Commissioner for District 3, the area bordering the north bank of the river, said she instructed the county attorney's office to investigate the possibility of outlawing airboats after she received several complaints. "The boats that are causing problems are causing excessive speed and noise and those are airboats," Higgs said. Higgs is expecting a battle over the issue. "It will be very controversial," she said
The article reports that one person who disagrees with Higgs' assessment is Bob Taylor, the owner Angler's Obsession charter-boat service in Sebastian. Taylor gives weekly airboat ecological tours of the river. He opposes the ban. "It smacks of totalitarian government," Taylor said. "I'll be put out of business. I just don't understand this." Taylor said if the government is concerned about noise, trains crossing a bridge over the river and airplanes landing at the nearby Sebastian Municipal Airport are noisier and run more frequently than any airboat. Higgs disagrees. "The trains obviously make noise, but they don't present other problems (such as wakes) and the planes are intermittent," Higgs said. "The airboats are running at full speed with the noise and they get very close to homes." Proximity to homes is one of the main problems, Higgs said. "We already have some restrictions on airboats in residential area canals," she said. She sees the Sebastian River, lined with homes, similar to canals. "It's an inappropriate place for airboats to operate, in my opinion," Higgs said.
The article states that some airboaters see the airboat controversy as an environmental justice issue. Sharon Anderson, one of 45 airboat members of the Indian River Boat Association, says Higgs' attitude is wrong for a government official to have about a public waterway. "It's a federal waterway. Everybody that pays taxes should have a right to go in there." Anderson said politicians want use of the Sebastian River excluded to those who don't own riverfront property. "It sounds to me like the only way you can use that river is if you have a $ 200,000 house and live on the river and that's not right," she said. Anderson and other airboaters are organizing a demonstration at 11 a.m. Sunday at Dale Wimbrow Park, Roseland, where airboats will travels the waters in a show of unity against the proposed airboat ban on the Sebastian River. Anderson said the demonstration originally was organized to protest Indian River County's proposed measure, but, "I'd like to pinch the ears of the Brevard commissioners."
PUBLICATION: Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, CA)
DATE: May 15, 1998
SECTION: Main News; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Emily Bazar and Marcos Breton
DATELINE: Sacramento County, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: John Gudebski, treasurer of No Way LA; Joseph Ripani, resident; Patricia Shortz, resident; Bill Carlson, resident
The Sacramento Bee reports when the supervisors in Sacramento, California, unanimously approved a proposal to widen Watt Avenue, including the American River's Watt Avenue bridge, they joined one of the county's most contentious debates of the decade.
According to the article, the plan to add one lane in each direction to a stretch of Watt Avenue and two lanes along the bridge has stirred passions and inspired more public involvement than any other local transportation issue. No one disputes that the thoroughfare is congested. But that's where most agreement ends. There's no pattern to positions, as neighbors, bicyclists, and even families disagree. Joseph Ripani pointed out the noise in the distance made by the ever-present rush of whizzing cars. "If that's a light hum to you, just double that hum," said Ripani, who has lived for 30 years just three blocks away from the American River's Watt Avenue bridge. Ripani said Sacramento County supervisors' decision Tuesday night to widen the bridge means more noise, more traffic, more ill in his neighborhood. Patricia Shortz, who lives off American River Drive, has breathing problems and thinks a widened bridge will attract more traffic, sending pollution levels in her neighborhood soaring. "The widening isn't going to help my health at all," she said. Her husband, disagrees. He thinks the congestion and idling cars spew out more emissions than free-flowing traffic. "I can see traffic backed up when I come home and go for work, and I sympathize," said Deon Shortz. "And since I live here I don't appreciate cars idling there twice a day."
The article states that in 2000, the county hopes to begin the $15 million project, widening Watt Avenue from two to three lanes each way from Highway 50 to Fair Oaks Boulevard. An outside merge lane will be added in each direction between La Riviera and American River drives, taking the bridge from four to eight lanes. County officials say widened pathways on both sides of the bridge will make it easier for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross. Daniel Pierce bikes across the bridge almost every day with tires screeching in his ears, carbon monoxide blowing into his face. He looks forward to biking without fear of running into other bicyclists or stalling behind walkers. But Bill Carlson opposes the bridge widening because he doesn't think it's necessary. "The bridge is fine the way it is," said Carlson, who jogs along Watt Avenue most mornings and runs across the bridge. "(The widening) is a huge expense that just isn't necessary. Traffic moves along at a reasonable rate. It just isn't that big a deal."
According to the article, "No Way LA," the group that most vocally opposed the widening, is considering suing the county to stop the project. The group questions the findings of the project's final environmental impact report, said treasurer John Gudebski. "We regard this as legally and politically challengeable," he said. The group has started a fund-raising campaign in case it decides to file suit It also plans to hold a community forum on the issue before supervisors meet June 10 to give their ultimate sign-off on the conclusions of the project's environmental document.
PUBLICATION: Chicago Daily Herald
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. 4
BYLINE: Chris Fusco
DATELINE: Schaumburg, Illinois
The Chicago Daily Herald reports in an effort to clarify rules that govern licensed entertainment establishments, officials in Schaumburg, Illinois, proposed changes to sections of the village's zoning code that regulates entertainment and noise.
According to the article, most of the existing 31 establishments would not be affected by the changes. But the clarifications would allow the owners of the venues to better understand the rules that govern them, Schaumburg planning director Frank Robbins said Wednesday. The proposed changes would apply to existing establishments as well as to future businesses.
The article reports Schaumburg's rules for entertainment businesses such as nightclubs, bowling alleys and arcades have been misinterpreted. In the past, some businesses had submitted plans that did not label areas such as dance floors or stages. Zoning board members and trustees would approve plans only to learn the businesses were sponsoring live music or disc jockeys. The village then would have to go through the arduous task of making sure the business complied with noise, parking, and other special entertainment standards. "Somebody's always trying to stretch the rules," zoning board member Harry Raimondi said.
The goes on to state one proposed change would require business owners to label the entire layout of their establishments on their plans. Another would empower village trustees to suspend or shut down businesses that do not comply with standards regarding items such as noise, outdoor seating, signs, parking, and lighting. The planned changes regarding entertainment and noise were endorsed by zoning officials Wednesday. Village trustees will consider them during their May 26 meeting. This review of the village's zoning rules was prompted by complaints from residents who lived near Family Billiards, on Schaumburg Road. Last year the business removed some of its pool tables to create a dance floor. Residents in a nearby town house development complained the business was too noisy. Sound tests showed Family Billiards exceeded the village's maximum noise standard of 55 decibels at the property line. Fifty-five decibels is equivalent to the noise of an everyday conversation. Family Billiards since has worked with a sound engineer to comply with the 55-decibel rule, Robbins said.
PUBLICATION: The Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT)
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: Town News; Pg. B1
BYLINE: Sherman Tarr
DATELINE: Stafford, Connecticut
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: David Dadalt, resident;
The Hartford Courant reports noise from a speedway during the daytime has led residents of Stafford, Connecticut, to submit a petition to the board of selectmen Monday asking that something be done about the problem.
According to the article, while neighbors have become accustomed to Friday night car races at the Stafford Springs Motor Speedway, mid-week test and practice runs during the day are another matter. The noise from those daytime sessions at the speedway prompted residents to submit a petition with about 200 signatures to their board of selectmen. Republican Selectman Bruce Dutton was named to head a committee to study the situation. The committee will hold a public hearing in the next few weeks before starting to look for a solution.
The article states Mark Arute, the track's chief executive officer, says the daytime runs began this year to help tire makers get the data they need to design tires with the proper specifications for the newly renovated track. "It was completed in October but we couldn't do any testing until the track had cured. It's a necessary evil because we can't jeopardize the safety of drivers," Arute explained. Arute said the test runs have been limited to Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. "with a mind that most folks are away at work or not at home. Most drivers and tire makers would have preferred an evening schedule" under conditions similar to the races," Arute said.
The article reports neighbor David Dadalt, who organized the petition drive, said Wednesday that the practice runs are not new this year. He says they were being run two to three times a week last year, and Arute told him they were held to make extra money. Arute acknowledged that daytime practice runs and tire tests did take place last year, "tops 20 times," but not as often as Dadalt claims. "I had a lengthy talk with him last year about the [daytime practice] and Arute would not bend a half-inch. We tried to talk to him and it didn't do any good at all," Dadalt said, explaining why the petition drive started. "He sees now that we mean business. We're not powerless and he has to do something so we can all live here together," said Dadalt, who has lived by the race track all his 52 years. "We're not trying to shut the guy down, but we have to live here too. You get a day off and you plan to do something and this [car noise] starts and ruins your day," Dadalt said. He said that over the years the noise from the track has gotten "louder and louder; it's three times louder than previous years." Dadalt said he suggested to Arute last year that the daytime runs be scheduled on Friday before the evening races. Arute said Wednesday that did not seem practical but added that he was willing to look at possible compromises. Arute said he is willing to work with Dutton's committee to resolve the noise complaints.
PUBLICATION: The Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT)
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: Town News; Pg. B3
BYLINE: Carolyn Moreau
DATELINE: Southington, Connecticut
The Hartford Courant reports Southington, Connecticut, officials have temporarily closed a newly opened recreation area while they work out a plan to control parking, noise and litter.
According to the article, neighbors of the new park have been calling town hall daily to complain about badly parked cars, noise and litter at the Plainville Reservoir which has been overrun by visitors since it was purchased by the town in early April. Town officials have temporarily closed the area while they work out a plan to control parking and litter. But ultimately, they say, neighbors will have to accept that they live next to a town-owned recreation area. Mary Sima, a resident who lives nearby on Shuttle Meadow Road, said she is not opposed to a park. But the crowds visiting the reservoir in recent weeks prompted her to suggest that town officials need to take a greater role in managing the area.
Thea article reports town officials hope the area can eventually be used for fishing, picnicking and non-motorized boating. But the experience of the last few weeks -- with up to 20 annoyed residents calling town hall each day -- has convinced town officials to temporarily close the area. A parking lot is obviously needed so cars are not left in hazardous places, William Masci Jr., the town's director of recreation, said. Police Chief William Perry said his department will also be assessing what it must do to keep the area safe. Town officials say the reservoir is likely to be closed for the next few months while improvements are made and regulations are drafted. However, officials said they are committed to reopening the area.
PUBLICATION: Los Angeles Times
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Part B; Page 1; Zones Desk
BYLINE: Jason Takenouchi
DATELINE: Thousand Oaks, California
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Leslie Gould, resident; Josie Bennett, resident
The Los Angeles Times reports that in Thousand Oaks, California, a developer that wanted to build a preschool had its proposal rejected by planners who worried about noise, safety, and health problems. The developer will appeal the ruling in City Council.
According to the article, the preschool developer, Woodcrest Schools, wants to open a preschool in a vacant storefront at an outdoor mall that could care for 160 children from 6 months to five years old. Company representatives said "There are 7,000 families that need child care in Thousand Oaks, and we feel this is a good use and a good place."
The article reports that nearby residents worry that playing children, who will be in an area starting at the back of the building and stretching into the plaza's low-traffic back parking lot, will be too noisy for their neighborhood. They also say that diesel fumes would be unhealthy for the children. They don't expect the city council to pass the appeal. One resident said "I can't think of a worse spot to put a preschool."
The article goes on, saying that the company is not giving up, especially because it has already invested money into a 30-year lease agreement and renovations at the site. Those renovations were the source of resident complaints earlier this year, since there was no building permit issued at the time. Also, residents complain that a city notification described the site ambiguously, so residents only realized that the school was planned for the mall site last month. The public hearing was scheduled in response to residents' letters at that time.
PUBLICATION: The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Pg. 1B
BYLINE: Steve Luttner
DATELINE: Medina, Ohio
The Plain Dealer reports there's a new law in Medina, Ohio, that restricts ice cream trucks from playing loud music.
According to the article, loud noise and ice cream are no longer compatible in Medina. Police Chief Dennis Hanwell said the law is a response to resident complaints about the loud music the trucks play to attract customers. "We get complaints each year," Hanwell said. The ice cream truck "can be two blocks away and you can still hear it." The new law requires ice cream trucks to limit the audibility of noise -producing devices to 60 feet. Violators could be fined. Repeated violations could mean jail time.
The article reports Al Barge, who operates two Uncle Al ice cream trucks, said the law is unfair. Barge said the new ordinance may hurt his business. "How are you supposed to cut off the noise after 60 feet?" Barge asked. "If you turn it down that low, it won't even reach the house. The music box is part of the business. I think it's unfair." He said a more reasonable limit for his trucks' music would be 100 feet. Hanwell said 60 feet was selected because it is the limit used in a similar city law that applies to automobile stereo systems Barge wondered why his industry is being singled out, and suggested that city officials examine the noise of lawn care workers or construction crews that are equipped with jackhammers.
The article goes on to state the new ice cream truck law does more than limit the sound levels of the trucks. The new city law addresses the appearance of ice cream truck workers. The law says they should "wear clean, washable outer garments or uniforms disclosing the name of the employer thereon," which Hanwell said was a response to citizen complaints about the appearance of some drivers. The ordinance also states that drivers shall "Maintain themselves in a clean and personable condition" and be "free from contagious disease." He said the thrust of that part of the ordinance is designed to ensure that the drivers are clean. The new law will take effect next month. First time offenders can be fined not less than $25 and not more than $250. Repeat offenses can result in a fine of not less than $50 and not more than $500 or 30 days in jail.
PUBLICATION: The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: Metro; Pg. 1B
BYLINE: Michael Sangiacomo
DATELINE: Clevleland, Ohio
The Plain Dealer reports the length of the proposed new runways at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport will be significantly reduced to appease residents who have objected to increases in the noise of aircraft taking off and landing.
According to the article, shorter runways mean planes gain altitude quicker, reducing noise near the airport. LaVonne Sheffield McClain, acting director of port control, said yesterday that a study showed that newer aircraft technology would allow aircraft to take off and land on shorter runways. Olmsted Falls Mayor Tom Jones, one of the most vocal opponents of the airport expansion, said yesterday that he was satisfied with the changes and pleased that airport officials are considering arguments posed several months ago by the suburb. A committee appointed by Olmsted Falls officials has contended that Hopkins does not need runways as long as once proposed in expansion plans. Under the new proposal, a new 6,450-foot runway will be built by 2000 and later extended to 11,250 feet, instead of 12,200, which was previously proposed. The second runway will be 9,000 feet instead of 10,000 feet. Mark Bohn, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the union had no objection to the runway lengths. "We don't mind as long as the runways are long enough to do the job," he said.
The article goes on to report Jones looks forward to serving on a committee of suburban mayors to recommend other changes at Hopkins. "These are the first significant changes to the airport layout since World War II," said Eric Waldron, assistant director of the airport. "We will have new runways, new taxiways. We are trying now to make up for decades where there were no changes."
PUBLICATION: Press Association Newsfile
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: Home News
BYLINE: Peter Woodman
DATELINE: London, England
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Dermot Cox, chairman of Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise
Press Association Newsfile reports the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (HACAN) asked the government today for financial assistance in its fight to stop a fifth terminal from being built at Heathrow airport.
According to the article, HACAN, the anti- noise group, today asked the government to fund local councils in their fight to stop Terminal 5 from being built at Heathrow. Eleven local authorities have been forced to withdraw their lawyers from the three-year long inquiry because they have run out of money. The councils have been told that their failure to make closing arguments could affect the inquiry inspector's ability to fully assess their case. Today, HACAN said the Government should "as a matter of extreme urgency provide the local authorities with the funds needed to present evidence." HACAN said it was particularly concerned that airport operator BAA, which wants to build the terminal, has millions of pounds at its disposal for the legal battle.
The article reports HACAN is also worried that the councils are unrepresented at a time when air safety is being discussed at the inquiry. "Up until now, we have had faith in the independence of the inquiry inspector, knowing that he will make a just decision if all the evidence on both sides is placed before him," said HACAN chairman Dermot Cox. "Now we learn that financial restraints mean that the evidence against a fifth terminal will not be presented in full to the inspector."
The article goes on to state BAA said it has addressed the main local concerns and that there was no alternative to the new terminal. The inquiry opened in May 1995 and is not expected to end until November. Inquiry inspector Roy Vandermeer is then likely to take a year to complete his report which will go to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott in his role as environment and transport commander.
PUBLICATION: The San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, CA)
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. A19
BYLINE: Carolyne Zinko
DATELINE: Menlo Park, California
The San Francisco Chronicle reports opponents of Menlo Park, California's, leaf blower ban said they will turn in a petition to City Hall today to force a public referendum on the issue in November.
According to the article, the City Council banned leaf blowers April 14. Since then, the newly formed Coalition to Stop the Leaf Blower Ban has collected an estimated 2,000 signatures on petitions -- 10 percent of the city's registered voters -- to qualify the referendum for the ballot. "The support is overwhelming. It's nice to know there are residents out there that believe in us and a compromise in noise reduction," said Juan Carlos Prado, a spokesman for the Bay Area Gardeners Association, a group of gardeners fighting the ban. Gardeners had hoped to prevent the ban by suggesting limiting the hours of leaf blower operation and educating workers on using equipment at half power, methods successful in other cities. But Mayor Chuck Kinney and Councilmen Paul Collacchi and Steve Schmidt voted for the ban, with colleagues Bob Burmeister and Bernie Valencia voting against it. Burmeister, who received 800 letters from residents along with phone calls and petitions before April 14, said this week that he would have preferred that the matter not go to a public vote. Even now, "The only thing I'm asked about is, How could the council be so unreasonable?' " Burmeister said. "When a 3-to-2 majority has decided to ban leaf blowers, there's no other choice than that it does go to the voters."
The article reports many gardeners see the issue pitting them as low-wage earners against the wealthy upper echelon of society. Without the power tool, gardeners also fear they won't be able to work as quickly and will have to increase rates. But Kinney, Collacchi and Schmidt say the issue is solely about noise and that there has been no proof that blower bans in other communities have led to rate hikes or reduced business. Ramon Quezadas, leader of the gardener's association, denied suggestions by the council majority that equipment manufacturers were driving the opposition. "They didn't know anything about what we were doing. They haven't given us any advice. We don't want them to run our group," he said.
PUBLICATION: The Santa Fe New Mexican
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: Local; Pg. B-1
BYLINE: Ben Neary
DATELINE: Sante Fe, New Mexico
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports an agreement between the Santa Fe City Council and a local business means the lounge will continue to offer live amplified music, but hours for live performances will be limited.
According to the article, El Farol Restaurant and Lounge will continue to offer live amplified music, although not as late into the evenings as it has done, the Santa Fe City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday. The council, with no discussion from the public, approved an agreement that the City Attorney's Office drafted with David Salazar, owner of El Farol. Salazar had appealed an earlier ruling by a city board that determined the business lacked proper zoning to operate a nightclub. He argued that the business had operated in its present location since the 1940s, under various names, and accordingly pre-dated the city's zoning law. While the council's decision allows El Farol to continue to operate, city officials made it clear that no more nightclubs will be allowed in the Canyon Road area zoned for residential arts and crafts.
The article reports at a contentious hearing last month, many area residents said El Farol patrons were disturbing the neighborhood by driving loud vehicles late at night and otherwise creating disturbances. At the last hearing, many El Farol patrons told councilors that the bar is a Santa Fe institution, and that the city would be poorer if the club weren't allowed to operate. After Wednesday's vote, Salazar said he expects his business to reopen by June 1. It has been closed since last month as a result of arson.
The article states before closing, El Farol offered live music sometimes as late as 2 a.m. Under the proposed agreement, live music would stop at midnight from Sundays through Wednesdays, at 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays and at 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. On Sundays and Mondays, the agreement specifies that one amplified musical instrument may be used to accompany live music. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the music will be entirely unamplified. The agreement would allow exceptions to allow amplified music on certain holidays. Patrons who ride motorcycles to the bar have told Salazar recently that as a result of the neighbors' complaints they will be more considerate about not racing their engines at night, he said. In addition to limiting the hours that music will be performed at the bar, the agreement specifies that Salazar will make improvements to the building to reduce noise, including installing insulation. The agreement specifies that Salazar agrees to comply with the city's noise ordinance.
PUBLICATION: The Seattle Times (Seattle, Washington)
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: South; Pg. B3
BYLINE: Dionne Searcey
DATELINE: Seattle, Washington
The Seattle Times reports the Port of Seattle and school officials say they're close to reaching a deal that would begin the process of outfitting schools near Sea-Tac Airport with insulation to muffle the noise of jets.
According to the article, although the process could take months or even years, the Port may be ready for an agreement "in a matter of days" that would cover the cost of a study for solutions to the noise problem in the Highline School District from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Port officials said. Highline has contracted with a Cambridge, Mass., firm for the study, which has been estimated to cost at least $365,000. "We are ready to offer several hundred thousand dollars for the study," said Dan Leach, spokesman for the Port, who attended a Highline School Board meeting last night. The Port and the district began talks years ago to discuss who should pay the costs of outfitting schools with soundproofing materials. The Port has offered the school district $50 million to fix the noise problem. Highline officials said they couldn't accept the money without first finding out whether it would cover all the costs of soundproofing.
The article reports at the board meeting last night, teachers and students reported results of their own study that showed the difficulties experienced in schools located under flight paths. For the past month students at several Highline schools have counted the number of planes that disrupt class time. During some school days, they counted as many as 77. "We had to do a lot of stopping. It felt really hard to hear you," third-grader Kyle Manes told Christin Weller, his teacher at Southern Heights Elementary School. Weller said the windows in her portable classroom rattle, and the building sometimes shakes when planes fly overhead. Some of her first- and second-grade students plug their ears or holler to be heard over the jets. Jasmine Wood, a first-grader at Parkside Elementary, said her class was noisy last week when windows were open during a period of warm weather. "Every time the airplanes went over, we had to stop, and then I didn't remember what we were doing," she said. "We had to do it all over again."
PUBLICATION: Star Tribune(Minneapolis, MN)
DATE: May 14, 1998
SECTION: Pg. 1B
BYLINE: Laurie Blake
DATELINE: Richfield, Minnesota
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mitchell Hadley, resident; Dan Linnihan, chairman of the city Planning Commission; Susan Sandahl, resident; Audrey Duffey, resident
The Star Tribune reports Richfield residents and officials pleaded with airport officials Wednesday to protect their city from the negative effects of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport expansion.
According to the article, residents are asking for a $214 million redevelopment of Richfield's east side part of the construction of a new north-south runway. They fear that more than 1,350 houses and apartments on the east side - just across from where the new runway will lie - will be made uninhabitable by bothersome, low, rumbling ground noise and vibration from planes on the new runway. This could result in the loss of the city's tax base and school population, they said, unless the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) agrees to a noise mitigation plan for the new runway that will include construction of a solid line of major commercial buildings including hotels and restaurants along Cedar Avenue, with townhouses to the west. "I think the question a lot of people are asking MAC tonight is this: Where is the moral obligation that you have to the community?" said resident Mitchell Hadley. "The airport should be an accessory, an advantage. It was never meant to be a destructive force. It's not supposed to wipe out a community, to destroy neighborhoods," he said. "The MAC is a big business, but it's time that we worshipped at a higher altar than the bottom line. Help us, work with us, please don't forget us."
The article reports MAC members were given information about low-frequency ground noise by a city council member who said vibration and noise in the "lower, longer range," occurs when a plane revs its engines for takeoff and reverses thrust when slowing to a stop on landing. "Low frequency noise is with you longer" than an overhead flight, MAC members were told. Dan Linnihan, chairman of the city Planning Commission, said the noise from the new runway is a threat large enough to prompt "wholesale disinvestment or mass exodus from the affected area." He dismissed as ludicrous the environmental impact statement on the new runway released by the MAC and the Federal Aviation Administration, which stated that the ground noise from the runway should be no worse than noise made by traffic on Cedar Avenue. Linnihan said he lives 2 miles from the current runways and still has the windows in his door rattled by ground noise. He said he is curious to know what sort of vehicle moving on Cedar Avenue would do that.
The article states MAC is willing to negotiate with the city about a mitigation plan. Although the MAC has up to now said that ground noise is not recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration as a noise impact to be mitigated, Commissioner John Himle of Bloomington told the crowd that the MAC is "willing and eager" to negotiate with the city to find a mitigation plan that works for Richfield and the MAC. "We are prepared to negotiate as opposed to litigate," he said. Resident Susan Sandahl said she was glad to hear Himle's offer to negotiate because "that's what we have been trying to do for two years, and I look forward to having it happen." Other residents cited example so the way the airport noise is already affecting the quality of their lives. One man said the noise made his deck unusable. Another said it's possible to detect the presence of jet fuel fumes in his back yard. And many reported window-shaking ground noise even without the construction of a new runway. "If or when you put in the new runway, our area will be unlivable," said Audrey Duffey, who lives about 600 feet from airport property. "So please, can we sit down and work out a plan that will benefit both the airport and all of Richfield?"
According to the article, about 1,000 residents and 35 businesses occupy the east side of the city where the ground noise would be most pervasive, according to the city. Redevelopment of this area as the city's new face to the airport would take six to 10 years and cost about $214 million, a plan presented to the MAC said. The $214 million redevelopment request compares with $55 million spent on the buyout of houses in the New Ford Town and Rich Acres neighborhoods of Richfield, which were east of Cedar Avenue. An estimated $182 million is being spent overall on the airport's overhead noise sound insulation program covering about 7,400 houses, 3,700 of which have been soundproofed. Richfield estimates that the $214 million redevelopment plan represents 13 percent of the $1.7 billion cost of the new runway.
PUBLICATION: Central Maine Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME)
DATE: May 13, 1998
SECTION: Local; Pg. 7
BYLINE: Doug Harlow
DATELINE: Benton, Maine
The Central Maine Morning Sentinel reports a new date for a hearing has been set to decide on a controversial proposal to build a motocross track in Benton, Maine.
According to the article, Benton planners agreed Tuesday night to set aside the results of a previous controversial public hearing on the proposal and to set May 26 as a new date for a hearing. Ronald Gagnon and his wife, Sandra, are hoping to build a motocross track on land about 2,000 feet off Route 100, on the Bangor Road Since the proposal was first raised, residents of the area have opposed the idea. They said dirt bikes would be loud, dusty and could lower property values. Residents cited published studies that say dirt bikes, even those equipped with mufflers to silence the noise - run routinely at 96 decibels, therefore exceeding a Benton noise ordinance.
The article reports both sides are frustrated over the slow process of getting a decision on the Gagnon's application for a conditional land-use permit. The couple appeared Tuesday night for the regular meeting of the Planning Board with their lawyer. Benton planners arrived with town attorney Clifford Goodall of Augusta. "I don't want this to drag on any longer than anyone else does," Dyer said after reviewing the Gagnon's permit application Tuesday night. By setting a new date for a second public hearing, Planning Board Chairman Clinton Dyer said the Gagnons now have time to provide new evidence that their plans meet all local standards. Goodall said the Gagnon's had submitted incomplete data in their first application. After the first hearing, no new information or paperwork could be submitted legally, he said, but most of the Gagnons' updated plans were turned in after the heated March public hearing. "The problem is that there have been a couple of procedural problems created by the process," Goodall said.
The article states Benton planners tabled the issue on April 30. After the delay in April, the Gagnons said the Planning Board had violated its own town ordinance by postponing action on the plan until Goodall could review the matter. According to the ordinance, the board had until May 5 to act on the proposal. But the Gagnons said the Planning Board had missed its deadline and, therefore, violated the ordinance. The Gagnons first presented their proposal for a motocross track to the Planning Board on February 10, seeking the special permit. Planning Board members toured the site on March 17. The delay issue was also set aside Tuesday night in favor of getting a completed plan which includes surveys and sound tests ready for the May 26 public hearing.
PUBLICATION: Chicago Daily Herald
DATE: May 13, 1998
SECTION: News; Pg. 4
BYLINE: Carmen Greco Jr.
DATELINE: Chicago, Illinois
The Chicago Daily Herald reports West Chicago city officials say they need more information and more convincing before they can agree to the "railport" being proposed by Union Pacific Railroad.
According to the article, the railport, where semi-trailer trucks would transfer freight to rail cars, would be located on 500 acres between Roosevelt Road and Fabyan Parkway near the DuPage County Airport. "They've got a pretty drawing. It's real nice," said city council member Richard Berendson. "But the questions we have asked have not been answered." Of most concern to officials and local residents is whether local roads can accommodate the 750 trucks expected to use the facility daily. Worries about air and noise pollution, and whether the project will bring the sort of economic benefits promised by railroad officials, also concern city officials and residents.
The article reports Union Pacific officials presented the latest draft of the plan to city council members and airport commissioners this week. Both groups would need to approve the project. Railroad officials say the railport would bring about $160 million into the local economy over the next 10 years, including property taxes and sales taxes from spin-off retail development. "The financials are going to justify taking the 400 acres and building this facility," said Mayor Steven Lakics. But city officials want more evidence that the city actually would see those benefits. They also want a traffic study showing which roads would be affected most by the influx of the truck traffic. "We really believe there will not be a preponderance of traffic on any one road," Union Pacific spokesman Michael Payette said. Moving the main entrance off Roosevelt Road should also provide for a better flow of truck traffic into the facility, Payette said. The bulk of the truck traffic also would occur during late evening hours, he said.
PUBLICATION: The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA)
DATE: May 16, 1998
SECTION: National; Pg. A1
BYLINE: Steve Ritea
DATELINE: Mandeville, Louisiana
ACTIVISTS, INDIVIDUALS, AND GROUPS MENTIONED: Mary Lou Jaeger, president of Fontainebleau Homeowners Association; Jack McGuire, councilman
The Times-Picayune reports a proposed go-cart track at Mandeville's Putt-Putt Golf & Games has residents in a nearby subdivision worried and at least one city councilman upset.
According to the article, Putt-Putt owner Bryan Horridge insists noise from the track would be minimal, but Fontainebleau Homeowners Association President Mary Lou Jaeger is skeptical. Councilman Jack McGuire said Putt-Putt developers promised at a 1993 Planning Commission meeting that they would not have go-carts. "The city has not only the right but the responsibility to Fontainebleau subdivision to deny any (such) plan," McGuire wrote Jaeger on May 5. "You may be assured that I will vigorously oppose any such proposal."
The article reports no formal plans for the go-cart track have been presented to the city. Horridge, who opened Putt-Putt in 1994, has held two meetings with Fontainebleau residents since he proposed the 650-foot track this year. The track would replace one of two miniature golf courses between the Putt-Putt building and West Causeway Approach, Horridge said. Ten gas-powered carts would go about 18 mph, he said, and still keep their noise level at 45 decibels, 15 decibels lower than the music from his speakers. In recent years, he added, technology has improved, and go-carts are quieter than many would expect. Horridge said customers have asked for a track since Putt-Putt has been open. "Besides, it would give teen-agers something else to do besides hanging out at Taco Bell," he said. Horridge said he hoped to open the track before Christmas. Jaeger said some residents in Fontainebleau's roughly 200 homes have already complained about noise from Putt-Putt's batting cage and its laser tag game.
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