Northern Hills Homeowner's Association

Consider This! by David Carpenter

Nov 29, 2000

This was published in the Northside Recorder,
November 9th, 2000

by David Carpenter

Today is D-Day for airport noise abatement in San Antonio. The San Antonio City Council will vote today on sending the updated Federal Aviation Regulation 150 study, or FAR, to the Federal Aviation Administration. Years of work by the contractors, city and concerned residents will be concluded and placed in the hands of the federal government for further study and approval. I want to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has sacrificed a great deal of time and energy on this project.

When I took office in June 1999, I was made aware of the problems created in our neighborhoods near the San Antonio International Airport by ?“airport noise.?” Neighbors being subjected to the noise were telling me about their inability to carry on normal telephone conversations, as well as enjoy the free use of their yards. So, I began to follow the work being done on updating San Antonio?’s noise abatement policy by Ricondo & Associates Inc. Assigned by the city to work with Ricondo was the Technical Advisory Committee, which included neighborhood leaders acting as a sounding board. All neighborhoods near the airport were invited to participate. The study, including citizen participation, has now been completed and a public hearing was held last month at the Coker United Methodist Church. At that hearing, residents were able to see the final proposal Ricondo will present to the council. The overall mood of the event was one of both understanding and support. Each neighbor was able to ask the consultants questions and make comments on the record, all of which is being sent to the FAA. What was presented was an update on the home-insulation project, the land-use compatibility program and some of the smaller components of the study.

As long as we have the airport, airport noise will be an issue. After examining the FAR 150 study, I believe this is a step in the right direction, which will make the area around the airport better for all. I encourage everyone who is interested in the study to stop by the libraries and review the study. After looking at the report, fell free to call my City Hall office at 207-7276 if you have questions.

Residents can also call the Airport Noise Mitigation Office at 207-3471.

In my opinion, assisting citizens with additional insulation for their homes in the areas where the greatest noise occurs is the best we can do at this time. As always, I want to know your opinion, so call me either at 207-7276 or 590-7184.

In closing, I want to wish each of you a very happy Thanksgiving. We certainly have a lot to be thankful for, including the rain we have needed for months.

Please look elsewhere in the Newsletter Section for Mike Gallagher's response.