The officials hoped the question-and-answer session would relieve rising tensions as a controversial home buyout program proceeds around the airport in South Burlington. In September, the airport announced 39 new home buyouts. More than 100 homes have been bought since the program began in 1997.
Much of the noise comes from F-16 fighter jets based at the airport. The din is expected to increase with the arrival of louder F-35s sometime in 2019 or 2020.
Critics argue that the buyouts reduce affordable housing stock and raise property taxes. Members of the South Burlington City Council have complained about a lack of communication from airport officials concerning the FAA’s plans.
Nearly 70 people showed up to the meeting on the airport’s mezzanine to hear what the officials had to say.
Richard Doucette, an environmental protection specialist for the FAA’s New England region, offered business cards to attendees and volunteered to sit down with council members. “I have a phone that works pretty well; you’re welcome to call me anytime,” he said.
The airport is currently finishing home buyouts, and will begin implementing a program to insulate other homes from noise, explained Nic Longo, director of planning and development for the airport. The airport will continue to host public meetings as the process continues, he said.
South Burlington’s situation presents a unique challenge for the FAA, Doucette said. “I’ve never heard anybody say they don’t want a noise plan,” he said. “There’s a conflict between protecting housing stock and noise mitigation.”
In submitted written questions, some residents expressed worry about the effects of noise on Chamberlin Elementary School. Doucette said the noise isn’t dangerous, though he noted that the FAA continues to research the subject.
Others wondered whether the airport will create a new noise map for the F-35s. The FAA is considering the idea, Doucette said, though the updated map wouldn’t be complete until at least 2018.
“The government does nothing quickly,” Doucette said wryly.
Some audience members asked for opportunities for noise mitigation, berms or other ways to halt home buyouts. “We’re certainly aware that South Burlington wants no more acquisitions,” Doucette said. “I’ve read every letter.”
Doucette, though, told the crowd that there’s little he can change. “In the words of a famous football coach, ‘It is what it is,'” he said.
Longo and director of aviation Gene Richards urged public participation. “It’s your neighborhood, we want to know what you’re thinking,” Richards said. Following the meeting, airport officials promised to transcribe the submitted questions and answers and post them online for the public to see, said Longo.
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Somebody who knows about these things told me a very important thing the community needs is a firm commitment from the Guard to NOT use afterburners during F-35 takeoff unless some emergency or other critical conditions require it. This would be a noise reduction at the source that we should be able to get. The afterburners are not necessary in “normal” conditions. Is anyone out there working on this with the Guard?
(PS: I live in Burlington, off East Avenue near the hospital, and the current fighters taking off register 85+ on my decibal meter when they take off. I simply do not believe the current EIS saying that my house and the hospital are not in an impact zone. The EIS claims that the F-35s will “improve” our situation. All I can say is “Ha! No way. Especially if the afterburners are on.”)
Beware people of Bulington! F35’s fly here in Arizona and they are MUCH LOUDER and I am nowhere near the flyway. On cloudy or overcast days (like Vermont most of the winter) the noise is even greater! Good Luck to everyone living in a 10-mile radius of BTV! Life will not be as you currently know it.
Regarding F35 afterburner use, at the FAA meeting last night we heard a completely different story than the one we were told by the Air Guard when they were actively campaigning for the basing In 2012, which was this:
An F35s is SO powerful it would NOT need any afterburners on take off.
Then last night, the Air Guard finally admitted in public that there will be at minimum of 5% afterburner use under some particular circumstances” to ensure safe takeoffs. One such circumstance, it was casually mentioned, will be when the F35s will be equipped with EXTERNAL FUEL TANKS for extended flight missions.
WHAT!?! External Fuel Tanks? Thats EXACTLY what happened in 2008 when the current F16s were equipped with external fuels tanks for extended training missions. The F16s have been flown in 95% afterburners ever since, directly causing the buyout and demolition of 200 family homes in So. Burlington due to the resulting intense noise impact.
Since the F35s have ridiculously small flight ranges (another defect of this aircraft) its likely the same thing will happen again the continuous use of external fuel tanks and higher percentage of afterburner use.
Worse yet for those who will be trapped on the ground, the USAF F35 noise map that depicts the future impact on So. Burlington, Williston and Winooski neighborhoods does NOT include any afterburner data! So, its already inaccurate in the breadth of its impact.
How much further will these unsuitable for residential use zones extend with 5% or higher afterburner? How many more hundreds or thousands of our neighbors homes will be lost to this insane F35 basing decision?
Is this REALLY what we, the people, want for Vermont? Hell, no! Keep speaking out and working to turn back this terrible and inappropriate fate for our wonderful communities!
But after just describing the afterburner issues, I want to be clear that the argument is not whether there should be afterburners or not. It is the question of the F35 being here at all. The answer is it should not be. Dont stop fighting this; it does not fit here.
FACT: Burlington Airport has had commercial and military jet aircraft operations since 1970. FACT: Anyone who purchased a home and/or rented near the airport since 1970 KNEW jet aircraft would be operating over and around their home. FACT: Since 1970, home purchasers who chose to locate near the airport were advised that eminent domain purchase for airport expansion was always a possibility. FACT: The purchase prices of homes near the airport have been appreciably lower than comparable size homes in other parts of South Burlington since 1970 due to noise issues.
Bottom Line: Airport-adjacent home buyers were warned in advance. You opted for the “bargain” purchase price near the airport. Don’t complain now.
I trust Jamie Longtin, who posted below about her experience living in Arizona, where they are already flying the F-35A. The forced VT basing of the F-35 fighter jet, against the Air Force’s own wishes and own objective ratings system, is a failure of politics. A classic example of why so many people have tuned out altogether. When Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders refuse to even meet with a single constituent losing their homes thanks to their interference to force the F-35 here, the country is going to end up with someone like Donald Trump because “the opposition” refuses to offer an alternative.
Former NY Times journalist Chris Hedges has described the “sacrifice zones” across America of neighborhoods and people’s lives destroyed for the profit of corporations like Lockheed-Martin. On the one hand, the rhetoric of Hedges is hyperbolic: Its the willingness on the part of people who seek personal enrichment to destroy other human beings And because the mechanisms of governance can no longer control them, there is nothing now within the formal mechanisms of power to stop them from creating essentially a corporate oligarchic state.
On the other hand, if you are among the immigrant refugees; working poor; or elderly of Winooski, South Burlington, Williston and parts of Burlington, among others, it rings true. Fortunately, there is still the legal system and the 5th Amendment/Takings Clause of the US Constitution, which, if applied by nonpartisan judges, will require just compensation to every property owner within the newly expanded “not suitable for residential use zone.”
@Senator Bernie Sanders, “progressive”, “democratic socialist”, and self-styled “revolutionary” fully supports military-corporate SACRIFICE ZONES. And of course they’re in the poorest towns and neighborhoodo, where neo-liberlistas’ donations don’t attraCT action. He and @Senator Patrick Leahy have sold out working people to keep the corporate donations and the blessings of their military controllers.