By Bob Harris
The West Cunningham Park Civic Association and the Civic Association of Utopia Estates held a joint general membership meeting, where the new commanding officer of the 107th Precinct, Capt. Fred Grover, and Janet McEneaney and Bob Whitehair, president and vice president of Queens Quiet Skies, spoke.
Queens Quiet Skies gave an informative PowerPoint presentation which emphasized the fact that only the New York City metropolitan area does not have a community aviation roundtable with membership from elected officials, airports, the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots and concerned citizens operating under a specific, formal agreement.
It wants about 150 noise monitors placed all over the metropolitan area instead of the current half dozen or so with only one person to monitor them. Other large cities have 20 or 30 monitors with 10 or 20 people to monitor them.
Queens Quiet Skies wants the FAA to do an environmental impact study to determine the impact on our communities from “NextGen” and the “Northeast Airspace Redesign.” It wants Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the Part 150 bill, which will implement a Part 150 noise contour study to determine noise compatibility with land use around the Queens airports.
So currently there is no reporting of noise from our airports, nowhere concerned citizens can sit and implement changes in noise and flight patterns and no evaluation of the effect of noise on the communities surrounding our airports. Often the FAA will counter the request for flight pattern changes with the comment “for safety,” but satellites and computers can do a good job of controlling airplanes which have such powerful engines that winds are no longer a factor in flying. The Queens Civic Congress is concerned about this noise issue.
Regretfully, the ever-present lobbyists got a federal law passed in 2012 which says studies do not have to be conducted, but if we yell loud enough they can be done. The people have to counter the industry lobbyists. It is predicted that in the next 20 years airport use will increase 90 percent. One other factor which was not discussed is the fact that sometimes airplanes dump fuel prior to landing. Who knows where these chemicals land?
People should contact their city, state and federal legislators to express concern. Make noise complaints to the Port Authority at planenoise.com/panynj/daPRAbr9/. Indicate if the planes are too frequent, loud or low and indicate the date, time and seconds or minutes apart the planes are. For more information, contact Queens Quiet Skies at queensquietskies@aol.com. Watch the daily and weekly newspapers for information and meetings.
Grover said thefts of cars or handbags often take place at gasoline stations when people leave the keys to their cars in the ignition or their handbags on the front seats when they go pay for gasoline. Sometimes people leave their children in the car! A notice was given which warned people to leave nothing of value or that looks valuable inside a car where criminals can see them.
GOOD NEWS OF THE WEEK: Less than two months are left in this current mayoral administration.
BAD NEWS OF THE WEEK: The City Council catered to the wealthy real estate interests and listened to the lobbyists by voting to approve the Willets Point plan to build a mall on the Citi Field parking lot, which is still designated as parkland.
Where is the tradition of protecting parkland? Will another mall be successful? I read that the land was given for $1 and the city will subsidize the project to the tune of $99 million.
I just received a notice that there is a proposal to build an indoor sports facility and clubhouse in Cunningham Park. I am trying to find out what this is all about. Another giveaway for $1?
