By Jonathan Cronin
Residents in the Five Towns and Valley Stream whose windows--and nerves--have been rattled by the rumbling of overhead jets will be provided with some relief, according to an agreement signed last week.
The agreement, which went into effect on Friday, September 1, calls for the rotation in the use of runways at Kennedy Airport, which is designed to reduce jet noise, particularly during the hours between 11 P.M. and 7 A.M. A "Letter of Agreement" was struck between JFK's Tower, New York TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) and TVASNAC (Town-Village Aircraft Safety and Noise Abatement Committee), a group comprising local community leaders which has long sought ways to reduce noise produced by overhead jets departing from and arriving at JFK. The idea for the runway rotation program was hatched to mitigate airplane noise so that no one particular community that borders JFK will be hit too hard. TRACON monitors and assists in the arrival and departures of all local New York airports.
Members of TVASNAC claimed victory at their monthly meeting held on Monday, August 28. The meeting, held at Lawrence Village Hall, was attended by community leaders in Lawrence, Inwood, Atlantic Beach and Valley Stream, who reacted to the news of the agreement.
"We consider this a victory for TVASNAC," said Kendall Lampkin, executive director of the group, adding that it will bring relief to neighboring communities because of a stipulation to guide planes over the water--and away from residential communities--during nighttime hours.The runway rotations will be made every eight hours, with preference given to water approach runways. The agreement has been hailed as the most significant attempt to reduce noise from air traffic in more than five years.
"It's a very positive step... if only we can get the airport to stick with it," said Carl Baessler, a TVASNAC board member from Atlantic Beach.
But others were a little bit more skeptical, drawing upon their experiences with past Tower Letters of Agreement. "It's a big bag of wind," said Tom O'Neil, a Valley Stream resident who attended the August 28 TVASNAC meeting. "I'm very negative towards the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration). They usually don't honor their agreements. They don't notify when they shut down runways even though they said they would."
FAA spokesperson Jim Peters said the agreement has been hammered out with a variety of groups representing communities surrounding local airports. "It may bring relief to some communities.
"When we can, we'll abide by the Letter of Agreement," Mr. Peters said. But he added that a number of conditions may force airport officials to temporarily abandon the terms of the agreement. The rotation program will never take priority over safety and the agreement will be broken when inclement weather or wind shear conditions prohibit runway rotation or when snow, slush, ice or standing water is reported on the runway. The agreement may also be broken if a runway is under repair or already has too much traffic.
Mr. Baessler said previous agreements with the airport have not been upheld. When a certain runway has a number of incoming flights, and a surrounding community is being hit hard with jet engine noise, the airport responds to complaints by offering excuses without backing them up with documentation, he said.
"It's a guideline for them to follow," Mr. Baessler said. "When we find violations for this agreement, there's not much we can do." Since it is only an agreement, the JFK Tower administrators cannot be penalized for breaking it, he added. He interpreted the enforcement of the agreements as: "This is what we'd like you to do, but we can't force you to [do it]...While our committee does not haver power [to enforce the agreement], we try to be an influence."
Dr. Jack Levenbrown, deputy mayor of the Village of Lawrence and TVASNAC committee member, said there are several circumstances under which the agreement may not be followed to the letter. "There are no fines or repercussions [if the agreement is violated]. It is totally in the hands of the shift supervisors in the tower."
He added that runways facing the Five Towns, Valley Stream and surrounding communities should be used less. "Over Lawrence, we still get planes, but for the most part it is being followed."
He added that he is "cautiously optimistic" about future attempts to muffle air noise.
Former State Senator Carol Berman said of an agreement, "It's certainly good to have one. The problem is the enforcement." Ms. Berman has been a persistent fighter for more jet noise abatement. In the early 1970s Ms. Berman and Joe R. Lewis, the former TVASNAC chairman, led a successful protest consisting of two cavalcades of cars to JFK Airport to demonstrate against the production of more Concorde jets, which she said would have produced more deafening noise for surrounding communities.
Local elected officials have recently asked the FAA to permanently ground the existing fleet of 12 Concordes from American airspace in the wake of the recent Air France Concorde crash outside of Paris.
The agreement also has a special sub-section governing Concorde departures to reduce disturbance to neighborhoods by these supersonic aircraft.
Of the latest agreement Ms. Berman asked, "Will it be on the desk of every traffic controller? And if it is not enforced, will it be investigated?" She recalled the first JFK Tower Letter Agreement was struck about six years ago, an agreement which may have "been thrown to the wayside" with a change in staff at the tower.
Anyone with complaints about airplane noise or low-flying aircraft may call JFK at (516) 747-1417, said Dr. Levenbrown.
