Port Authority meets on Noise Study
At the request of the Lee County Port Authority, representatives for the Town of Fort Myers Beach met with Port Authority personnel and members of ESA Airports group on June 15, 2011. ESA is a consultant group that has been hired by the Board of Port Commissioners to complete a required Federal Aviation Administration Part 150 Noise and Land Use Compatibility Study for Southwest Florida International Airport. The purpose of the meeting was for ESA to provide a summary of how the noise study will be conducted, what information will be included and the process that is used for approval. The presentation was followed by a frank discussion of the specific aircraft issues being experienced by property owners and visitors to the Town of Fort Myers Beach.
The presentation by ESA was informative. I will summarize key points, but have requested a copy of the PowerPoint presentation. If you would like a copy, please email me at FMBaircraft@yahoo.com. Completion of the Part 150 Study will take about a year, followed by hearings with the Lee County Board of Port Commissioners and Board of County Commissioners. The document will then be reviewed and approved by the appropriate State agencies and the FAA. The meeting with Fort Myers Beach citizens was the first outreach effort by ESA to municipalities having documented aircraft noise problems. A public workshop was requested for Fort Myers Beach in early Fall 2011. The presentation described how aircraft noise is measured, the noise limits set for SWFIA and what changes are taking place to decrease aircraft noise problems. Safety is paramount, however, quality of life issues are a key element of the Part 150 recommendations. Two Google Maps slides shown during the presentation were most interesting. The first slide showed the distribution of noise complaints surrounding SWFIA when the last Part 150 Study was completed in 2005. The second slide showed the distribution of noise complaints through April 2011. The location and number of complaints were dramatically changed. In October 2008 the arrival route changed bringing aircraft over Estero and the south end of Fort Myers Beach. This created a significant jump in complaints. We were likely chosen by the Port Authority to be the first interviewed because of the large number of logged complaints. Thank you to all who have contacted the airport.
The bulk of the three-hour meeting was spent discussing aircraft issues and potential solutions. The overarching issue is the increasing number of low flying aircraft over highly populated Fort Myers Beach. The impact to Islanders’ quality of life are noise, air quality and safety concerns resulting from bird strikes and ground-based laser beam use. Specific requests were to: (1) Decrease the number of over-flights by using alternative arrival routes bypassing Estero Island. (2) Implement procedural changes that would require aircraft to stay higher until they are east of Estero Island. (3) Have appropriately equipped aircraft use a quieter Optimized Profile Descent procedure. (4) Reduce the number of aircraft flying directly over the Town of Fort Myers Beach between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. (5) Implement a flight tracking system available to the public.
During discussions, a suggestion was made to form a SWFIA Community Advisory Board. It would be made up of representatives from all communities surrounding the airport and led by Port Authority personnel. Appropriate FAA participation would be included. CAB’s have been formed at a few smaller airports and have been successful dealing with issues in a proactive, fair and equitable way. An important agreement that came out of the meeting was that noise measurements would be taken at a few locations on Estero Island and would be included in the Study. We were informed that the flight tracking system is moving through the approval process. There was a reluctance to provide a firm date for completion; however, it is expected to be installed and operational by Fall 2011.
Please continue to make calls when aircraft noise is excessive. The number is 590-4466 or email noisecomment@flylcpa.com.
Tom Babcock is a former FMB Councilman and a resident of Fort Myers Beach. He has been instrumental in efforts to decrease aircraft noise problems over Estero Island.