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Newshound (Newshound)
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 21, 2004 - 7:45 am: | |
Sept. 19-How will airport plans affect public health?,LB Press Telegram
By Felix Sanchez
Staff writer
Sunday, September 19, 2004 - A major hurdle to expand Long Beach Airport was cleared last week when a divided Airport Advisory Commission gave its OK to a proposal that would add nearly 90,000 square feet of new terminal improvements, concession stands and office space.
But now comes public debate on what many residents feel is a critical issue related to airport improvements: the impact on public health.
During nearly 11 months of hearings before the advisory commission on airport expansion, activists and residents living under the airport's flight path have passionately argued that any airport improvements will open the door to more commercial flights.
Neighborhoods in Los Altos and Bixby Knolls, residents argue, already are besieged by loud noise and pollution created by the passenger jet planes and any situation that could create more flights will aggravate those problems.
Residents say an EIR should look at the "quality of life" impacts, include a health risk assessment and study the effects if the airport took on more daily flights.
But the city has drawn a line in the sand.
"Such independent studies would not be proper topics to be included in an EIR for the type of project that has been proposed," states a Sept. 15 memo from assistant city attorney Michael J. Mais on what the scope of an EIR on proposed terminal improvements should be.
Mais said that the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires the city to analyze physical changes to the environment that a project could cause. "Whether or not the city should operate a municipal airport, whether or not the airport should operate differently than it does, whether or not the airport should accommodate more or fewer flights, or how the airport contributes to the overall air quality in the city are questions that are beyond the scope of this project," Mais said.
"And beyond the scope of a proper EIR prepared for the purposes of this project."
The commission has scheduled a Sept. 30 meeting to draw up guidelines for the EIR.
"We've looked at how this project might impact operations but there's nothing about the impact on neighborhoods," commissioner Bruce Alton said during a meeting last Thursday in which the board voted 6-3 to OK the expansion plan.
Alton voted against the measure.
H. Ronald Voelker, who has lived in Los Altos since the mid-1950s, said the most important element in the debate over airport improvements has been ignored.
"Those people who are living under the flight paths. You're not considering them," Voelker said. "I'm against embellishing the accoutrements here for people who living outside of Long Beach.
"This does not improve the life of the average citizen who lives and votes here."
Jan Sampson, another Los Altos resident, said life under the flight path has become too difficult.
"I can tell you, the extreme pollution and noise, it's unbearable now," Sampson said.
The city staff recommended improvements that will be studied by the EIR include 26,450 square feet of new passenger holdrooms and departure lounges, 4,100 square feet of passenger security screening area; 20,000 new square feet of concession stands, 2,000 square feet of restrooms, 6,180 square feet of ticketing facilities and 28,500 square feet of office space.
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