"$30m plan aims to ease Logan airport noise"

Thursday, October 21, 2004

$30m plan aims to ease airport noise
Soundproofing of select areas to start in '05
By Katheleen Conti
The Boston (MA) Globe


Long plagued by the sounds of jet engines from planes flying over their
homes, Chelsea residents may finally get the relief they have been seeking
with a $30 million Massport soundproofing plan.

Everett residents are getting an earful, too.

Presented to city officials early this month by the Massachusetts Port
Authority, the Chelsea Soundproofing Mitigation Program is not in direct
response to the long-standing complaints, but rather part of the final
agreement reached for the construction of a new runway at Logan
International Airport, according to city officials.

City Council President Roy A. Avellaneda said he was told by Massport that
the new runway's flight pattern would not go over Chelsea, and that it was
the current flight patterns that qualified Chelsea to receive the
mitigation. But Avellaneda said the plan as was presented does not encompass
all of the areas in the city affected by airplane noise, particularly in the
waterfront district.

''There were some neighborhoods that I thought should be included," he said.

Seeking the inclusion of additional homes could be an uphill climb for city
officials because eligibility guidelines are set by the Federal Aviation
Administration, not Massport, said Avellaneda.

According to FAA guidelines, only areas exposed to an average 65 decibel
day/night noise level are eligible for soundproofing. District 8 Councilor
Ron D. Morgese, whose waterfront district is only partially eligible for
soundproofing, said the computerized mapping system used by the FAA to
determine eligibility is not an accurate reflection of the noise problem.

As a result, Morgese, along with other city councilors, including
Avellaneda, and City Manager Jay Ash, have written letters to US
Representative Michael E. Capuano, who represents Chelsea, to deal with the
matter on the federal level.

''I am pursuing, on behalf of my district, to humanize the lines selected by
the FAA," Morgese said. ''I'm happy for the people who do get
[soundproofing] because they deserve it, but not happy that some people who
deserve it will not get it. The city, or even Massport, doesn't have any
control over that, because the way the program works, it's mandated by the
FAA, and it's a computerized mathematical model."

The $30 million program, which is 90 percent funded by the FAA and the rest
by Massport, will cover the cost of soundproofing for 1,400 homes and
apartments in Chelsea, said Massport spokeswoman Barbara Platt. The first
phase of the program could begin next year, possibly during the spring, with
about 75 dwellings.

''That'll give an opportunity to assess what type of stock and material is
needed for the proper sound installation, and then we'll go on and do the
additional homes," Platt said, adding that after that initial round, the
project will increase to 300 to 400 homes per construction phase. ''It is
estimated that the entire program could be completed in 2008."

eligibility for soundproofing, Platt said, adding that during soundproofing
work, residents will not have to leave their homes and stay elsewhere, but
need to allow interior access. Soundproofing usually involves work likened
to the process of changing windows, Platt said.
  
As far as the map lines determining eligibility, Platt said there is not
much that Massport could do to increase the coverage area since the lines
are derived from an FAA guideline.

''It's fairly cut and dry," Platt said. ''It was approved as part of the
record of the decision approving the runway."

District 6 City Councilor Dora E. Santaniello said she does not know why the
city's noise problem is being addressed now after years of clamoring from
residents and city officials. ''However it happened, I'm glad it happened,"
she said.

''I think it's a great step in the right direction. I know this has been an
ongoing discussion for many, many years, but for the residents who live in
the waterfront flight patterns of the airport, I know this is a great relief
for them," said Santaniello, whose memories of being able to read the
numbers on the planes as they flew over her childhood home are still fresh
in her mind.

Just like Morgese's, Santaniello's district is most affected by the noise
problem, but not completely included in the soundproofing plan. While she,
too, would like her entire district to be covered under the plan,
Santaniello said that she would like the program to start as soon as
possible, as long as it can be expanded later to include other areas.

''I'm happy because I think the majority of residents that have suffered
with these patterns are going to get relief," Santaniello said. ''[But] you
need to revisit and keep updating [the program]. I think with all the
pressures [the FAA] has had with all the communities affected with this, I
think they need to work with the cities that surround it. . . . With
something like this, they have to accept the fact that these cities are
heavily populated and they have to work with the city and the residents. If
not, they're going to be stuck."

In her district, Santaniello would have preferred to see Central Avenue
included because of the heavy truck traffic and the Massport garage that is
located there. Avellaneda, who was at the Massport presentation earlier this
month, said the program covered from Everett Avenue to Williams Street, as
well as the Tobin Bridge area to Commercial Street. But certain
neighborhoods closest to the water should also have been eligible,
Avellaneda said.

''Medford Street, Beacon, Winnisimmet, Tremont should be included and
they're not," Avellaneda said. ''We're reaching out as a City Council, and
are planning to lobby and reach out to congressman Capuano . . . he's aware
of it and we're working with his office. We're now preparing a letter for
[senators John] Kerry and [Edward] Kennedy, for them to approach the FAA and
Massport to include those districts."

Avellaneda said he prefers the soundproofing program be expanded to all the
necessary districts before it gets underway because it has taken Chelsea
decades to receive this mitigation, and this program is ''a one-shot deal.

''The lines originally were drawn by a computer and Massport took those
lines, but because they cut blocks and homes in half, they humanized [them]
and tried to include whole blocks versus half blocks. So in other words,
there is a possibility that they have that power within them," Avellaneda
said. ''It's up to Massport. They did humanize some of the portions of the
area."

In the meantime, Avellaneda said eligible residents must try to stay on top
of the soundproofing program because it is up to them to sign up with
Massport.

''I plan to go out there with district councilors going door to door so
participation is at 100 percent," Avellaneda said. ''If you don't sign up,
you lose out."


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