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Home My WebLink About3/4/2015 - STAFF REPORTS - 00 Testimony to the Palm Springs City Council regarding the Airport Master Plan. March 4, 2015 Michael DeJong 2395 North Deborah Road, Palm Springs, CA 92262 Telephone: 917-563-5752 1 am Michael DeJong. My husband Richard Haymes and I purchased our home in Ranch Club Estates in 2012 where we now live full time. We were made fully aware when we bought our house on North Deborah Road that it is in the flight path of the airport and that we would occasionally hear the roar of large engine planes overhead, particularly during the height of the tourist season. We were happy to have purchased a house that had been outfitted with triple-pane windows and glass doors to muffle the sound as they do at the boarding gates in the airport. Recently, however, there have been exaggeratedly high levels of jet noise from very early in the morning to well past sundown. While the noise does come from commercial airlines, the number of military jets flying overhead has become relentless. This is not only a matter of public safety and wellness, but the frequency of military and commercial aircrafts and the deafening volume of noise they create overhead will potentially greatly deplete the quality of life of our neighborhood. The racket from the military jets in particular is so extreme and ear piercing that our entire house literally shakes and our dog, who, by the way, is a very unbiased constituent when it comes to decibel levels, and who is never bothered by fireworks, fire engines, police sirens, etc., lets out a baleful wail when these jets in particular fly overhead. We've learned from neighbors, that the noise is turing off potential seasonal renters who are reconsidering our beautifully restored and vital mixed-use neighborhood for other quieter neighborhoods in Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. Our neighborhood is seeing a tremendous growth as a vacation destination area in Palm Springs now that the Design District along North Palm Canyon Drive has become so vibrant. The Palm Springs International Film Festival and Modernism Week keep growing exponentially, again, drawing tourist dollars to our neighborhood and city. One of our fears is that because of the continuous airport noise, Ranch Club Estates will again be seen as an undesirable vacation spot, as well as an undesirable neighborhood in which to purchase a home, even though we are lucky enough to have a cluster of architecturally significant Hugh Kaptur-designed Mid-Century houses there. Lot 5 69144 , Cp.t"COT )a rC*te*Lr _VaTo 0&- We're proud to live in a town that has taken great strides towards sustainability through water conservation measures, an innovative lawn buy back program, and proactive bans on both plastic bags and leaf blowers. Property values have climbed and tourist dollars are once again making our beautiful city thrive. The City Council's consideration of these important quality of life issues needs to be expanded to include noise pollution from the airport and military maneuvers. Not considering important quality of life issues such as noise pollution, jeopardizes all of this growth, not to mention the havoc a jet tragedy could wreak on our citizenry since the airport is in the heart of town and flight paths traverse heavily populated neighborhoods. Both my husband and I were living in lower Manhattan at the time of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, so I don't mention this fact lightly. The greatest danger for any aircraft is when there is an engine failure during take off or landing. There is no ditch zone for these aircraft anymore, so it is a very real safety issue for those homes in the flight path. There are less populated and safer areas to our north where practice maneuvers can be performed without jeopardizing the quality of life here on the ground in Palm Springs. There is no good reason why these maneuvers shouldn't be practiced at the Thermal Airport where there are minimal threats to civilian housing and commercial buildings. As one of our neighbors who has flown for the military posted on NextDoor.com the day the 20 military jets flew over Ranch Club Estates...I'm quoting here because he used technical military terms that I have no idea of..."PSP is not a military airdrome; nor should it be. There are plenty of other options available for fighter ops. I have no complaint with C-130, P-3, or C-17 ops at PSP. Fighter aircraft, properly operated—meaning no afterburner ops except in the case of an emergency, or to climb to pattern altitude quickly. There should be no formation takeoffs either. The crews operating these aircraft have created a problem because they simply don't know how to operate in a civil environment. Several years ago the CG 3MAW advised that there would be no further ops at PSP. What happened to that? We need a 14 CFR Part 150 Noise Study conducted by the FAA to see if we have a problem. 1 ask you to strongly consider intervening with both the commercial airlines and military air forces to manage this important quality of Irfe issue." Another neighbor posted that "American Airlines MD80s are very old and noisy aircraft and the noise lasts even longer than the military jets. Forget trying to sleep as the first one departs at 6:15 am each day." We contacted our Councilmember Paul Lewin that day and he responded immediately, agreeing that the noise level was totally unnecessary and that he would bring it to the attention of the Mayor. He also stated that much of the military jet noise is not even from planned maneuvers but rather from the decisions of the pilots to land in Palm Springs rather than elsewhere. We contacted the military to ask about the 20 aircraft that flew overhead that day. We got an immediate response from Cpl. James Reba, Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma Public Affairs Office, Combat Correspondent, Community Relations Chief. He stated that"Since you are in the Palm Springs, California area, you can make a report to: ham://www.29palms.marines.mil/Staff/G5Com munityPlan_s_PAO/SoundRe�Drtina.aspx (...and we did.) You can also call the G-5 Operations Officer at (760) 830-3735. We understand that sounds coming from our training activities may affect you and be disruptive. Thank you for letting us know and as for Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, your noise pollution submission has been received and forwarded to our community planning and liaison office. If you require more information, feel free to contact our office. And he gave his direct phone number and email:which I will leave with you here: (928) 269-2942 ieba,james@Lllsi-ncl.mil as well as various web sites to go to for further information: www.mcasyuma.marines.mil www dvidshub.n_et/mcas httos://www.facebook.com/mcasyurna " Thank you for taking the time to seriously consider these issues. PROPOSITION 65 WARNING The area within one kilometer of Palm Springs International Airport contains lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. Lead is contained in the aviation fuel ("Avgas") that is used by small piston engine aircraft that take off and land at this airport. People living, working, or traveling near this location will be exposed to lead as aircraft take off and land. For more information, visit www.ceh.org/avgas