More noise worries near Boeing Field

Neighbors of Boeing Field thought today would be the biggest step yet in a decadelong effort to get back, in part, the quieter lives they once had.

They hoped for good news when, after 10 years of discussions and public meetings, and a $490,000 study, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to approve most or all of 10 plans to curb airplane noise in the area, including one that would spend as much as $85 million to install new insulation, doors and windows in neighboring homes.

But then came news that King County has been talking to Southwest Airlines about bringing its 29,000 passenger flights a year to Boeing Field. And even though the talks are still in early stages, it's enough that some neighbors fear the FAA plans won't be enough.

"It will take five years after this before any improvements are made to my home," said Randy Eatherton, whose 1906 house in Georgetown, two blocks from the airport, has single-pane windows. "And in the meantime, Southwest and any other airline can do whatever they want."

In addition to the home-improvement plan, the FAA is expected to approve several other measures, including studying the viability of buying homes with very high indoor-noise averages, selecting a site for a "hush house," a special hangar for testing airplanes, and studying the cost and viability of restricting nighttime flights.

Airport officials already have received some indication that the FAA will approve and fund all or most of the plans, said airport director Robert Burke.

The long process started in 1995, when noisy cargo planes became a staple of the airport. Neighbors of the airport say they enjoyed relative quiet before that. But the cargo planes fly in and out at all hours and frequently wake neighbors at night.

Eatherton and his neighbors asked the airport, the county and the federal government for help.

Eatherton that year became part of an ad hoc committee, and then from 1999 to 2001 he was on an official study committee helping county government and airport officials create options for the FAA to reduce noise. He currently sits on the King County International Airport (Boeing Field) Roundtable, developed in 1997 to deal with varied airport issues.

Under the home-improvement plan, nearly 2,000 homes and one school near the airport would be tested by the end of next year to determine whether they are eligible for improvements. The buildings were selected based on proximity to flight plans and the airport.

For the tests, consultants hired by the airport will go into each home and monitor indoor noise levels for one or two hours. If the consultants find it's too noisy, the residents will be eligible for up to $30,000 in improvements.

But under the FAA plan, the money for improvements would be doled out only in $5 million annual grants, meaning many homeowners could have to wait years for their turn to fix their homes.

"Now we're looking at who gets what when," said Eatherton.

The 2,000 homes were selected based on predictions made on balanced growth of the airport based on current air traffic. The study didn't count on a passenger carrier moving in.

"You can't use the prediction because we didn't know [Southwest] was there," said Gary Molyneaux, the airport planning manager who recently oversaw the noise study.

Molyneaux said the increase in flights that Southwest would bring probably wouldn't greatly increase the number of homes affected by airplane noise.

If it does, the airport will study and revise that figure in a few years and possibly add homes to the list, Molyneaux said.

Ed Wojeck, who lives in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, was on the same study committees as Eatherton. He represented Magnolia and North Seattle neighborhoods.

He often was frustrated during regular meetings about how long the study and recommendation process took. "It's like counting how many angels dance on the head of a pin. It's tedium like that," Wojeck said.

The process also has been excruciating for neighbors of Boeing Field. They have complained about the noise for 10 years, and now they face the possibility of not getting any relief for years more.

"When you joke that it takes an act of Congress to get anything done, that's what I see this as," Wojeck said.

Burke, the airport director, said once the FAA plans are approved, the actual fixes will be quicker. "We're going to move this as fast as we possibly can and, of course, that's contingent on funding," he said.

He said the lengthy process helped make sure that everyone affected would be helped and informed on the issue. "It gave us the ability to say this is a community-supported project."

Airport and FAA officials also point out that since the neighbors first complained about noise, most cargo planes have gotten quieter, some by as much as 70 percent, with newer engines.

Even so, Burke said he empathizes with the neighbors' long wait. "For that, we're sorry. But we think it's going to be more successful."

Nick Martin: 206-464-3896 or nmartin@seattletimes.com