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Home My WebLink About950813.tiffMATT RYAN, CLU, MBA Matt Ryan Company Insurance & Consulting 9080 Illahee Road N.E. Bremerton, WA 98311-9308 206-692-0186 & 623-2717 1-800-200-0186 March 25, 1995 Weld County Board of Commissioners Weld County Court House 915 10th Avenue Greeley, CO 80631 Dear Commissioners: Registered Representative Financial Network Investment Corp. Ko1 Center, 500 108th Ave NE Suite 255 Bellevue, WA 98004 (206)465-1800 Please enter this with the testimony on the proposed 10,000 foot North South runway for the Greeley Municipal Airport. In way of introduction, I was born in Greeley and currently own the western portion of the farm that lies North of County Road 64 1/2. The safety approach strip at the end of the runway will go through the eastern half which belongs to my cousins. I am currently serving a term on the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners in Washington State. Kitsap County is a member of the Puget Sound Regional Council of Governments. I serve on the Regional Transportation Planning Organization, which last year spent considerable time wrestling with the issues of airport expansion and location. The hearings were long and often acrimonious. The issue of airport noise is a chronic recurring theme. I strongly urge you to approve the expansion. Putting it off won't ameliorate the situation. Although I know this will not set well with the people renting my farm, it makes sense from a safety and noise standpoint alone. It is obvious that with the North -South runway, you can shift your holding and approach zones out over the relatively unpopulated areas to the East and away from the city. I would urge you to amend your comprehensive plan to keep those areas agricultural or in non populated uses to avoid future expenses for noise abatement. This would serve to protect further intrusion into a very vital and productive farming area. And keep your successors from having to deal with very valid noise complaints as traffic builds. With regard to my own concerns, I would like to see proper provision made for County Road 66 that runs on the Northern Boundary of the farm to be adequately developed to carry the traffic that by necessity will be diverted there. Specifically we have a concrete ditch and irrigation well on the North end. If you need additional right of way, I will still need a ditch lL j CA ,' Al'i-)6d4o#1 ,CU 950813 for that field and the well too. If it is your intention to abandon 64 1/2, this was land that was acquired from my farm and I would like it back. The study of the noise characteristics of the proposed runway shows a very narrow noise foot print which I feel is deceptive because they use a low traffic frequency and perhaps much smaller aircraft than the runway is capable of handling in their computations. The manager talked about use by corporate jets, but a 10,000 foot runway will accommodate almost any aircraft. As a condition of approval please require sound insulation of residences within one mile of the flight path on both sides of the runway. Enclosed is a copy of a Port of Seattle periodical that talks about their noise insulation program. I urge you to have your staff contact their staff regarding how they have handled this problem. The old farm house my dad lived out his life in sits about one half mile to the west of the end of the runway should as a minimum be insulated, if not purchased. There is a labor house on my cousin's half that abuts county road 66. You may wish to purchase it as it is very close to the road also. At one mile out, it is too close for audio comfort. If this is not agreeable, then please require the airport to pay for sound insulation and place restrictions on the hours of operation of the larger/older planes so people can sleep at night. I am sure that the airport will argue that the noise foot print will be too small to harm the nearby farms. However, it will be soon enough. Getting it done right to begin with will save you and the airports neighbors grief. It has been my experience that the if you don't ameliorate the noise, they'll sue. Here there are requirements as to the patterns on take off and landing to minimize the times when the aircraft are at low altitudes. Although road traffic from the east doesn't directly affect me, I suggest that in conjunction with the City of Greeley, you lay on the requirement to provide a traffic light at the intersection of 8th Street and the east side collector road when traffic counts reach an agreed upon level. Here we require them to help pay for mitigating the traffic impacts caused by the airport and the diverted traffic. I don't know enough about your traffic volumes to know if four lanes, etc. are required. Such improvements would enhance the industrial development potential and help encourage it there rather than on productive farm lands to the north. I passed through Greeley very briefly on my way back from the NACO legislative meeting in Washington. I had barely the time to make up a Rotary meeting and visit with your planning staff. They were most cordial and helpful. I'll not encourage our planners to visit Greeley because they'd want to have as new and modern a facility as you now enjoy. 950813 March 199.5 Airport neighbors affirm that noise insulation quiets their homes City of SeaTac Mayor Joe Brennan (seated with "C. C." in front of his new storm door, was one of the insulation program participants recently surveyed by the Port of Seattle. "It was a good experience," he said, praising the workmanship and quality of new windows and doors used in insulating his 35th Avenue South home. "It has cut the noise by 75 percent." In a recent survey of Port of Seattle noise insulation program participants, about 95 percent of the respondents said the insulation been effective or very effective in reducing aircraft noise inside their homes. The Port of Seattle has instdated more•tran 2;400 homes . .....- around Sea-Tac Airport since the program began in 1985. Each time a home is insulated, the residents arc sent a questionnaire that asks their opinions about various aspects of the insulation process. The responses provide feedback on the program for the Port and the Federal Aviation Administration (the two agencies that fund the insulation) and help the Port fine-tune the program by gauging satisfaction level and suggestions on how things could be better. Of the most recent group of 240 homeowners surveyed, 160 responded. "Overall the satisfaction level indicated by these and earlier survey responses is extremely good ---even greater than we anticipated," said Earl Munday, Noise Remedy manager for the Port. "According to the feedback, the insulation we arc providing is helping reduce noise for the Airport neighbors... About 92 percent of the most recent respondents said conversa- tion and speaking on the telephone were improved or much 4101. .E C ff*.r% Y,. unproved since insulation. About 90 percent also said the insulation has decreased or greatly decreased the noise they hear in their living rooms and kitchens. About 80 percent said the noise level in bedrooms has decreased or greatly decreased. The homeowners also were asked about how the insulation affected the appearance of their homes. About 82 percent said the overall appearance of their homes, inside and outside, was improved or much improved. Nearly all (98 percent) of the respondents said the quality and appearance of the upgraded windows was very good, and 95 percent said the quality and appearance of the solid -core and storm doors were very good. About 90 percent rated the ventilation that was installed as good or very good. (Adequate ventilation makes it possible fir homeowners to leave windows closed to keep out noise. To improve ventilation, the existing heating system is modified to bring in fresh air or forced air ventilation is installed,) Homeowners also were asked about the reactions of neighbors and friends to the insulation of their homes. About 88 percent said friends and neighbors thought the new windows and doors made their homes more attractive, and about 95 percent of the visitors thought the changes were effective or very effective in reducing aircraft noise heard inside the homes. In response to questions about home value, about 92 percent said they thought it would be easier to sell their homes after insulation, Sixty-five percent said they thought their homes had increased in value, 15 percent said the value had not increased and 20 percent said they didn't know. Of those who said they considered moving because of aircraft noise before insulation, 63 percer►t 4aitilhey.chaaged.their mind after insulation. Ali respondents said they would recommend the insulation program to their neighbors and nearly all said they felt noise insulation was a good idea. Each participant in the insulation program is required to sign an avigation easement in keeping with state law. It is a perma- nent legal restriction that prohibits the owner from obstructing the flight of aircraft through airspace above property, and limits the owner's ability to sue for noise or noise -associated damages. The rate of insulation is 11(1 homes per month. As of the end of January, 2,42E homes were complete, 890 were under way and 2,104 were on the waiting list. About 5,000 more homes are eligible for the program, which is scheduled to be finished by the year 2001. The latest improvements to the insulation program and other noise programs are described in the recently revised Sea-Tac Aiip►or t Noise Reduction Programs brochure. Call 431-5913 for a copy. JII Ita_it itett..14_11 95 U t Port. earmarks school site for future aviation support development The 16 -acre Seattle Christian School site, located just south of Sea-Tac Airport at 19639 28th Ave. S.. is being sold to the Port of Seattle for $11.3 million. The site is a key part of the South Aviation Support Area, which is being set aside for future development to meet airline demand for support facilities, such as aircraft maintenance. Seattle Christian School plans to build a new campus near Military Road and South 181st Street, and will continue using the 28th Avenue South site rent-free, as part of the sale transac- tion, while construction takes place over the next two years. The purchase is being funded from a 1992 revenue bond issue. Sea-Tac breaks another record Sea -Tae Airport served 20,972.819 passengers last year ----a nt'w annual passenger record that was about 2 million passen- gers, or nearly 12 percent, more than in 1993. Air cargo grew as well in 1994, rising nearly 9 percent to 415,141 metric tons. Both cargo and passenger volumes increased each month compared to the same month in 1993. Deadline near on Des Moines Creek technology Campus draft EIS People interested in commenting on the draft Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed development of a 90 -acre SEA-TAC AIRPORT FORUM == "ad PaPer We welcome your comments on what you read here. Please call us. Co -Editors: Barbara Stewart and Marlys St. Laurent, 433-5314/4604 Noise Remedy Ptngnun (Home Noise Insulation): 431-5913 Noise Abatement Office: 248-7452 Sea-Tac Noise Information Line: 433-5393 or 1-80X1-826-1147 Community Relations Managers : Rachel Gar ton, 248 6851 Marsha Holbrook. 431-4999 tiFA-fA(.' l'()RI \1 fort of Seattle A% ion Communications I N;partncut Seattle -'lacuna Inrrrnatiun,:t Airix%it I'.O. Box 657_27 Seattle. 11'Av8I(t\ Port of Seattle ('onrnrission Paul Schell. President tack Block Vairicia I ).n i t i:ti ( ;inns I'.ti e \1tltcr Executive Director \1. It. Ihnc:rntree Deputy Executive Director 1ndrea Riniker Managing Director, A%ialim' t'ivct \lari� .it!tkC) r'ort of Seattle technology campus on Port of Seattle property in Des Moines have until March 10. To comment, or to request information on the proposal, contact Robert Ruth, Des Moines City Hall, 21630 1 lth Ave. S., Des Moines, WA 98198, 870-6555. CaLevtdar Port of Seattle Commission Burien City Council Des Moines City Council Tukwila City Council Normandy Park City Council SeaTac City Council Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce Sea- Tac Noise Advisory Committee 4?.6579.5265 OMMISSIONER JOHsiH0)RSLFY 614 DIVISION STREET PPRT 9RCHARI) WA 98366 March 9, 1 p.m. work session March 14, 1 p.m., Port of Seattle Commission Chambers, Pier 69 2711 Alaskan Way March 28, 1 p.m.. Airport auditorium March 6 & 20 (special meetings) & March 27, 7 p.m.. (Council Chambers 415 S. W. 150th St. March R (special meeting) & March 23 7:30 p.m.. Council Chambers 2163011th Ave. S. March 13 & 27.7 p.m. Council Chambers. 62010') Southcenter Blvd. March 14, 7:30 p.m. Council ('!Cambers. 801 S.W. 174th St. March 14 & 28, 6 p.m. Council Chamber 17900 International Blvd.. Suite 401 March 17, 11:30 a.m. Red Lion Hotel 18740 Pacific Flighway S. March 23, 6:30 p.m. Aviation large conference room Airport Main Terminal (tail.. 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