Affected residents in Belmont and Watertown have begun to organize in response to an increase in airplane noise due to the Runway 33L departure procedure. Click here for our first report on this in February. Recently, Senator Brownsberger’s office has heard from many residents negatively impacted by the new departure procedure.
Affected residents are encouraged to register noise complaints with the Massport Noise Abatement Office. The Massport Noise Complaint Line is (617) 561-333 and is staffed from 7:00 am to 4:30 pm on business days. You can also register your complaint online athttp://www.massport.com/environment/environmental-reporting/noise-abatement/noise-complaints/. The Boston Globe reported in September that the noise complaints from Milton had caused the FAA to extend their review of the departure procedure.
Belmont has joined the Logan Airport Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and appointed Myron Kassaraba as its representative; Watertown is likely to follow suit, after a subcommittee of the Watertown Town Council voted last week for the Town Manager to consult Town Counsel with an eye towards making an appointment. We have learned from Myron Kassaraba that the FAA’s extended review is strictly internal, without an opportunity for public comment. Senator Brownsberger’s office is in the process of reaching out to both MassPort and the FAA in an attempt to provide for greater public and community input in the process.
Last night, Myron Kassaraba and Belmont’s CAC alternate representative, Bob Reardon, provided a comprehensive overview of the Runway 33L RNAV departure procedure and the role fo the CAC.
Concerned residents of Belmont, Milton, and Arlington also attended, and suggested that future collective action among the affected towns would be most likely to effect change.
Anne Johnson Landry
Committee Counsel and Policy Advisor
Office of State Senator William N. Brownsberger
Update, December 19
Congresswoman Clark’s office is taking an interest in this issue and working on next steps.
It will take some weeks to get things in line, but the conversation about how to “scatter” the routes a bit so that just a few people don’t bear so much of the burden will occur with the support of several members of our congressional delegation.
It seems like there is enough interest in the issue at the Congressional level, that the issue will get fully aired, although I’m not sure what the outcome will be. We should expect that this process will take several months.