The developers and Logsdon finally got their way with the Airport Authority. (See my uncertain post from earlier this month, below)

Steve Brown: Airport Authority decision
Submitted by Steve Brown on Tue, 05/12/2009 - 12:24am.

There is some arm-twisting going on at Falcon Field. It is very obvious this development plan is very wrong for that site.

I am concerned because attorney Doug Warner is probably involved.

Hopefully, the Airport Authority will have the guts to protect their interests, and, in the long run, our interests (because our tax dollars will have to bail them out of future trouble regarding such developments).

Researchers have known for years that exposure to excessively-loud noise can cause changes in blood pressure as well as changes in sleep and digestive patterns -- all signs of stress on the human body. The very word “noise” itself derives from the Latin word “noxia,” which means injury or hurt.

On a 1997 questionnaire distributed to two groups--one living near a major airport, and the other in a quiet neighborhood--two-thirds of those living near the airport indicated they were bothered by aircraft noise, and most said that it interfered with their daily activities. The same two-thirds complained more than the other group of sleep difficulties, and also perceived themselves as being in poorer health.

Perhaps even more alarming, the European Commission, which governs the European Union (E.U.), considers living near an airport to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke, as increased blood pressure from noise pollution can trigger these more serious maladies. The E.U. estimates that 20 percent of Europe’s population -- or about 80 million people -- are exposed to airport noise levels it considers unhealthy and unacceptable.

Airport Noise Affects Children

Airport noise can also have negative effects on children’s health and development. A 1980 study examining the impact of airport noise on children’s health found higher blood pressure in kids living near Los Angeles’ LAX airport than in those living farther away. A 1995 German study found a link between chronic noise exposure at Munich’s International Airport and elevated nervous system activity and cardiovascular levels in children living nearby. And a 2005 study published in the prestigious British medical journal, The Lancet, found that kids living near airports in Britain, Holland and Spain lagged behind their classmates in reading by two months for every five decibel increase above average noise levels in their surroundings. The study also associated aircraft noise with lowered reading comprehension, even after socio-economic differences were considered.

Citizen Groups Concerned About Effects of Airport Noise and Pollution
Living near an airport also means facing significant exposure to air pollution. Jack Saporito of the U.S. Citizens Aviation Watch Association (CAW), a coalition of concerned municipalities and advocacy groups, cites several studies linking pollutants common around airports--such as diesel exhaust, carbon monoxide and leaked chemicals--to cancer, asthma, liver damage, lung disease, lymphoma, myeloid leukemia, and even depression. CAW is lobbying for the clean up of jet engine exhaust as well as the scrapping or modification of airport expansion plans across the country.
.

What are the chances of postponing this vote until we have our new city council?

I'm no expert on this issue but seems to me that as stated by Mike Brady the FAA agreed the authority is adequately protecting its runway zone and it is not within the juridiction of the authority to take a stance either for it or against it, so what else could they say. No legal grounds to take a stance against it as far I can tell. And as for future lawsuits, I doubt it. I remember hearing some of the same comments when Planterra was built. Buyer beware as far as I'm concerned.

Pathway has agreed to include information for all homeowners notifying them of the airport’s proximity, Brady said. Doing that will “at best mitigate any future problems from residents in that area,” he added.

Well, it hasn't work for other municipal airports. Pathway will inform the first buyer and that's all. I predict that within ten years the PTC council will be faced with upset residents complaining about the noise and then safety issues. Lawsuits will follow.

-------------------------------------------
Caution - The Surgeon General has determined that constant blogging is an addiction that can cause a sedentary life style.

Tip of the iceberg here. Setting the plate for council to do a 3-2 vote again. We need to be very scared of what is going to happen.