East Hills residents have been invited to participate in an aircraft noise and aircraft pollution survey to gauge the effectiveness of their elected officials in finding a solution to cutting down the frequency at which aircraft fly over village airspace.
The survey, posted on Underthepath.org and e-mailed to residents by the Brooklyn-based grassroots organization Prospect Park Quiet Skies, asks participants to detail their experiences in contacting their congressmen and senators to complain about aircraft noise, in addition to whether they think elected officials are receiving campaign contributions from the airline industry.
Aircraft fly over East Hills to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport’s 22L or 22R runways, which account for half of all landings into the airport, according to officials.
Though the route is only supposed to be used during the day, East Hills residents have said aircraft pass through village airspace at all hours, including during the overnight and early morning. In 2000, the Port Authority agreed to use those routes during overnight hours only for emergency purposes.
E-mails urging residents to participate in the survey say the results are taken anonymously and will contain no identifiable information, in an effort to “help community groups better serve your needs and determine where best to focus our efforts.”
Village of East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz said he did now know much about the survey, but said it involves multiple communities across the North Shore who are “trying to get on the same bandwagon together.”
Rob Liebowitz, a liaison between the Village of East Hills and the Federal Aviation Administration, has said aircraft noise complaints from East Hills residents have risen since the summer, when the village held a seminar outlining ways residents could voice their concerns to the FAA, Port Authority and elected officials.
According to Liebowitz, the East Hills area filed 219 complaints in July, but the number jumped to 638 in August.
Liebowitz has said aircraft passing through East Hills has registered at 80-90 decibels, even though he’s stated data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization that says noise is considered safe at 55 or fewer decibels and the FAA regulates noise safety at 65 decibels.
The village had previously gathered a petition imploring the FAA and Port Authority to find alternative routes for planes, and Koblenz has said he’s been writing letters to elected officials and Port Authority personnel since 1997.
Last month, U.S. senators Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand, and U.S. representatives Steve Israel (D-Dix Hills), Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) and Grace Meng (D-Queens) wrote a letter to Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael P. Huerta calling for the implementation of additional airplane noise monitors throughout the Long Island area to more accurately monitor airplane noise levels near JFK and LaGuardia.
“We understand that the Port Authority is in the process of upgrading the Airport Noise and Operations Monitoring System with the latest technology and creating a public Web site that will make data accessible within 24 hours,” the officials wrote. “We applaud the Port Authority for this effort. We believe that the next step should be adding additional noise monitors so that the affect of airplane noise can be understood in all communities.”
Schumer said in a statement at the time of the announcement that noise monitors are severely under-utilized in New York, as other airports in major U.S. cities use more than 30 airplane noise monitors while JFK and LaGuardia use only 14 combined.
“The bottom line is that we need more monitors so we can collect the best data and assess impacts and make decisions based on the best information,” Schumer said. “The Port Authority’s new transparent Web site is a step in the direction but additional noise monitors should be installed so that local residents can get an accurate read of noise levels.”
In early July, Koblenz met with Israel and other village mayors to discuss the flow of air traffic across the North Shore, and the village last week hosted a public meeting during which residents were informed of the proper ways of sending complaints about air noise to Port Authority officials.
Koblenz has urged residents in attendance at board of trustees meetings in recent months to write letters voicing their discontent with the noise to Israel and state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola), and the village created an aircraft noise abatement committee at its May 20 meeting to direct residents’ complaints.
Koblenz said he has also circulated a letter to other village mayors within the Town of North Hempstead to increase support, but said he was told his own village should take the initiative in combating the FAA.
