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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-06-28 Airport Advisory Board Agenda III ,9'nW'ufW 1 �0. NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING THE DANIA BEACH AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL HOLD A PUBLIC MEETING ON JUKE 289 20079 7 P.M. DANIA BEACH CITY HALL 100 WEST DANIA BEACH BOULEVARD AGENDA DANIA BEACH AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE JUNE 289 2007, THURSDAY 7:00 P.M. 1. ROLL CALL AND SELF INTRODUCTION 2. EXCUSED ABSENCES 3 MINUTES 3.1 MINUTES MAY 24,2007 4. PRESENTATION OF SUB COMMITTEE REPORTS. 4.1 DISCUSSION OF RUNWAY PROJECT, MASTER PLAN UPDATE & PART 150 PROJECT, EIS UPDATE, TASK FORCE UPDATE.. 4.2 NOISE ABATEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING DISCUSSION 4.3 PRESENTATION OF ANY MEMBER RUNUP LOGS 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 6, NEW BUSINESS 7. ADJOURN A REMINDER FROM THE CHAIR: ALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND THIS MEETING SHOULD WRITE A NOTE TO DANIA CLERK STATING YOU WILL BE ABSENT OR YOU WILL BE CHARGED WITH AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE. THANK YOU. SEE YOU AT THE MEETING. Print This Article Posted on Thu, Jun. 07, 2007 Broward runway to grow; noise is the next issue By AMY SHERMAN The vote is in to extend the south runway of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to around 8,000 feet, but don't expect bulldozers on the flight line anytime soon. They'll be preceded by more FAA paperwork and most likely a lawsuit from expansion opponents. On Wednesday, those opponents were tired after rallying at a public hearing until the wee hours, cranky over their loss, and continuing to insist airport expansion is a bad decision. Still, though some observers expect the planned 2012 opening to slip a bit, the longer runway almost certainly is coming. Commissioners heard more than 150 speakers on both sides of the airport issue Tuesday evening, then --at about 1 a.m. Wednesday--voted 6-3 in favor of expansion. In the next several months, they will tackle the complex problem of deciding which homes will be subject to jet noise serious enough to require soundproof windows or attic insulation. Estimates are that 118 homes-- most in Dania Beach --would be affected by noise in 2012, with 1,051 affected by 2020 as flight traffic builds. The FAA will pay to help residents within a certain boundary, but many commissioners want to make it larger. The county bought out several hundred homes as part of a runway expansion in the 1980s, but commissioners don't support a massive buyout this time. One estimate of noise-reduction projects put the price tag at$730 million. Dania Beach Mayor Bob Anton, whose family has lived in the Melaleuca Gardens neighborhood since the 1960s, said government can't compensate homeowners for loss of enjoyment of their yards and that noise-reduction projects won't help. "I've got soundproof windows now, and I still hear planes inside from time to time," he said. "My canal behind my house is 57 feet wide. I can't talk to people across the canal when planes are taking off." Also at issue: how many airport gates will be needed to handle increased flight traffic. This goes to the heart of the debate between those who favor growth and those who prefer the Broward airport's size and ease of navigation to that of Miami's. Proponents said the expansion will address the airport's average flight delay of 13 minutes, expected to get worse. In May, the Federal Aviation Administration said Fort Lauderdale was one of four airports nationwide that must expand quickly to handle increasing demand. "The most important thing you now have is certainty," said Broward County Mayor Josephus Eggelletion Jr. "You know where you're going to go." Eggelletion predicted demand will eventually lead to the need for yet another runway, though, he said "for now, we are in great shape." ELEVATED RUNWAYS The selected runway option is similar to one endorsed by commissioners in 2003, during an earlier phase of a planning process that began in 1991. It will extend the 5,276-foot south runway to 8,000 feet, including an elevated section over U.S. 1. That's a concept that's foreign --and a bit frightening--to some. At the meeting, longtime commercial pilot Mike McKeever said he fears an elevated runway is unsafe. "This is a potential catastrophe waiting to happen," he said. "I would not use this runway." But Rusty Chapman, manager of the airports division for the FAA's southern region, cited elevated runways in Las Vegas, Atlanta, Seattle, Charlotte, Memphis, Denver and Detroit They meet FAA design standards and are safe. "Many pilots land on these runways with similar elevations," he said. The$695 million construction cost will be paid by the federal government and airport revenues. Passenger fees will cover some construction and noise reduction. George Platt, who co-chairs a pro-airport expansion committee through the Broward Workshop, said Broward needs more capacity to handle 22 million passengers a year--and counting. "Even if in-migration isn't quite what it once was, we are going to continue to experience growth," he said. Commissioners Sue Gunzburger, John Rodstrom and Lois Wexler voted against expansion, called for collecting more information and raised concerns about the harm it could cause. "For a runway to impact a neighborhood the way it impacts Melaleuca, you cannot recover from that,"Wexler said. "You can't sound-block. You can't mitigate quality of life." Not everyone believes the chosen plan will ease delays. It lengthens the south runway but calls for closing a noisy crosswind airstrip, leaving only two runways. That worries Robert Berlucchi, air traffic manager at the airport, who said in a May 10 letter responding to the FAA's draft environmental impact statement that the closure will create delays. "Gridlock in later years should be expected," he wrote. PASSIONATE DEBATE Tuesday night's meeting drew a rowdy crowd in dueling red and yellow T-shirts. Their protests were creative: Family members of expansion opponent Brenda Lee Chalifour baked a cake in the shape of a runway, decorated with plastic planes. By Wednesday morning, all Chalifour had to show for her years of fighting expansion was the cake and a ticket for trespassing. She was escorted out of the Convention Center by deputies after ignoring Eggelletion's warnings about speaking repeatedly on behalf of others. Chalifour, an attorney, vowed to fight her trespassing charge. All parties might wait until the FAA announces its preferred runway alternative later this year or next year to decide on any legal action. BUSINESS IMPACT Wednesday's vote won't end debates over the impact on the environment and whether the county made the best choice. Airport opponents raised concerns that the construction project will cause discounted airlines to flee the airport to avoid higher passenger fees. But JetBlue spokeswoman Alison Eshelman said expansion is good for its business. Fort Lauderdale is JetBlue's fifth-busiest airport. "We fully support the runway expansion because it's going to alleviate congestion at the airport, it's going to bring in more jobs in the community and provide more options for customers in the Fort Lauderdale area," she said. ©2007 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved. hftp://www.miamiheraid.com City of Dania Beach Airport Advisory Meeting Thursday,May 24"'9 2007 The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Chairman Jay Field. Members present: Betty Sokol Dick Sokol Beulah Lair Rae Sandler Jay Field Bud Witz Billie Phipps Don Hill Sulie Spencer Linda Sacco George Jason P � Members absent: Thomas Allen Loretta Murray Boisey Waiters,Jr. Clive Taylor Others present: Mayor Bob Anton Suzanne Witz Richard Ramcharitar Clive Taylor had requested an excused absence. Motion to grant excused absence made by Billy Phipps,seconded by Bud Witz. Motion carried. Chairman Field welcomed Mayor Bob Anton and thanked him for attending. He then introduced three new board members, Linda Sacco and Sulie Spencer who were appointed by Commissioner Jones and George Jason appointed by Commissioner Flury. Rae Sandler introduced her guest,Richard Ramcharitar. She said he is a member of the newly formed Tropical Shores Homeowners Association and is very interested in working with the Airport Advisory Board. Minutes of the April 26*Board Meeting were presented for approval. Motion to approve as written was made by Beulah Lair,seconded by Betty Sokol. Motion carried. The main subject for discussion was the upcoming"Airport Expansion Public Hearing" scheduled to take place on Tuesday,June S"'at the Broward County Convention Center.Chairman Field began by stating the position of this Board is NO EXPANSION WANTED OR NEEDED. Chairman Field and Rae Sandler gave a brief report on what had taken place at the May Vt meeting. They said Stiles Construction had bused in seniors and company employees to speak in favor of expansion and construction of the south runway. I, Stiles had also provided his group with free dinner and yellow tee shirts. Most of the group were from areas that aren't even close to the airport. All they knew was what they had been told,that being they should speak for airport expansion and the south runway as the best choice available. Many of those present had never been in the airport area and they knew nothing about the many homes that would be impacted. The day after the meeting the Sun Sentinel carried a big article about the major support for the south runway expansion. The CEO of the newspaper is a major supporter of the south runway preference,even though it will adversely affect the lives of thousands of Broward residents,cost much more than any other proposal, as well as do major harm to the environment. Mayor Anton stressed the importance of having a major turnout of resident's against the expansion at the June 5a'meeting He said the City will provide transportation to the Center for the meeting. Anyone planning on taking advantage of the free bus transportation should call to make their reservation as early as possible so it can be determined how many buses are needed. Bus pick up points are planned for City Hall,Frost Park and Meli Park. Residents opposed to expansion and particularly opposed to the south runway need to be seen as well as heard so he urged as many as possible to wear red shirts and sign is to be a speaker. It's important for everyone to realize that their quality of life will be seriously adversely affected in every area of the City. Linda Sacco expressed her concern about the possibility of major problems connected with the proposed building of a ramp over the railroad and Federal Highway. This could be an opportunity for a devastating terrorist attack or the cause of a plane crash into a heavily populated residential area. Chairman Field said Miami International announced a runway project after the Ft. Lauderdale project was proposed in 1986. That runway is now open and running and this one is not even on the drawing board. That is one reason we have been successful in delaying this expansion. The FAA really represents the airline industry and,as we all know,information coming from them is often inaccurate and untrue. This is evidenced by the EIS and other information received from them. After a lengthy discussion the unanimous agreement of the Board was to do everything possible to have a good representation at the June a public hearing and to make our position clear.NO EXPANSION NEEDED OR WANTED. There being no other business to bring to the attention of the Board,Chairman Field adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m. Jay Field,Chairman Respectfully submitted, Suzanne Witz These mfnates were done from meeting notes. No tape avaftNe 2.