From Stark
It seems as though it’s been a long time coming, but Bellingham International Airport’s neighbors are now speaking out in public about the impact that the dramatic expansion of commercial air service is having on their lives.
For years, airport neighbor Matt Paskus has been showing up at almost every Port of Bellingham commission meeting, usually with a slide show prepared, to make the case against further port investments in airport growth. Besides the noise and pollution impacts, Paskus has argued that a bright future for commercial aviation is far from assured here.
Until Thursday, April 19, Paskus’ voice was a lonely one. But on that date, the port scheduled public information sessions on the airport master plan update, and airport neighbors took the opportunity to express their dismay. After the meeting, they gathered in small groups to exchange phone numbers.
I was frankly surprised that the burgeoning flight schedule at BLI didn’t seem to be generating the kind of community pushback that resulted in the 1980s, after a southerly extension of the main runway brought aircraft noise much closer to the airport’s southerly neighbors.
I could only speculate that many or most Whatcom County environmentalists and neighborhood quality watchdogs were willing to overlook the drawbacks of airport growth because they enjoy the convenience of our local airport even more than Canadians do. Environmentalists love to travel.
(My last trip to Sea-Tac three weeks ago took three hours. Traffic backups started just north of Marysville.)
It’s easy for some people to say it’s their fault for living near an airport. For anybody who bought a house there in 2011, that wisecrack might be valid. But many have been in their homes for a lot longer than that, dating back to a time when few could have predicted non-stop flights from BLI to Honolulu and major California metro areas.
The airport master plan process is expected to take the rest of 2012, and a draft plan will be subjected to more public comment later in the year. If you want to weigh in before then, you can visit the relevant page of the port’s website here, and link to the comment form near the bottom.
Favorite online comment from the story link above: ”I don’t mind the airline noise. The noise from the bands that practice at the U-Haul storage area on Airport Way is worse.”
After I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now each time a remark is added I get 4 emails with the identical comment. Is there any means you possibly can remove me from that service? Thanks!
Environmentalists love to travel on airliners out of Bellingham International.
That’s why they never complain about aircraft noise.
It sounds silly even when I say it.
They could be busy with more pressing matters but who knows.
That Southerly Runway Extension was added for a widely-acknowledged safety shortcoming so most understood the project
and many the closest neighbors had their homes taken by the PoB which might have cut down on the complaints as well.
If I remember right,
SW Air was the only carrier flying jets back then and the total traffic wasn’t close to what is being planned.
Concerned about the impacts to your community through hosting Canadian passengers sick of YVR?
You too might be a Quality WatchDog!
Maybe we need more passenger trains!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
John,
Thank you for your blog page. Sometimes you have to work really hard to keep things you love. As I have noted, the Port of Bellingham made a serious mistake in 2008-9. They had an opportunity to work with the neighbors and communities and decided not too and approved a number of projects. The outreach you are seeing now was done after the majority of major projects were completed. The 3-0 vote to expand the terminal, expand the taxiways, parking lots, and the tarmac were all done without regard to any outreach program. I define this as a “death by a thousand cuts”. The Port of Bellingham knew that the FAA grants had a timeline based on both the FAA requirement and from pressure by Allegiant Air so they decided to approve every grant.
I have a passion to save what’s left and I decided to try a Masters up at Huxley. My work can be found at http://www.spinningGlass.org. My findings as many of you already know, is that the aviation industry which includes the FAA, is very powerful and what you are seeing here is happening all over the country. The other key point is when the Port Commissioners signed the first FAA grant, local governments lost control over the number of flights and type of aircraft used. The airlines control our airport and they won’t stop unless the demand goes away. As some of you know, Abbotsford would like their catchment back and with Everett intent to have their own airport, will take our catchment away.
Feel free to drop me an email if any one has a concern or question. matt@spinningGlass.org. If you have a concern about job loses, you should be asking the Port of Bellingham why?
Thank you John Stark and I hope this article is not to late.
Here’s a video of a landing in the Belling-Dale area in 2050.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFEtJOF2UpU
The port has been saying the larger planes are quite a bit less noisy. I’ve taken them at their word…
The other thing that’s really annoying some people I know are the helicopters flying above the Birchwood neighborhood. What’s up with that? They are super loud. I don’t live there but that’s what my friends that live there say.
Cool link Clayton!
Good music too!
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!
Yes, I love the sound of airplane noise.
May I break it to you very LOUDLY that your airport KBLI is about the only exciting thing in Bellingham.
There is just something very all-American about standing on the KBLI tarmac while a Heritage Flight Museum A-1D Skyraider lifts off… about the purr of Val-Halla’s Merlin engine… strapping into a Q400 and climing into the clouds at dawn from KBLI to after a beautiful sunrise over Glacier Peak land at Seattle to conduct two days of training operations in open government to Save Our State…
If your heart is not beating at least 10 paces quicker, something is wrong. Methinks its you.
Mr. Paskus appears to have turned his obsession against the airport into his own cottage industry by majoring at Huxley and creating research that will aid him in this fight. Sorta like the movie Lorenzo’s Oil. Not only is he the president of the Hate the Airport, he is a client! Well, the sticky wheel gets the grease and it looks like Mr. Paskus is collecting a rag-tag team of followers. Huzzah!
Edward57 shoot me an email. I can understand wanting to be anonymous. I’d be happy to meet with you. My number is in the book, call me. And we will see who you are and we can enter your concern in public record together.
Rag-tag team sounds pretty good! I like it!
If I am not mistaken that very same team played against the British in the late 1770′s. To be called Anti-American by Art Choat, the Aviation Director, during a BIAAC(on record) sort of puts him on the wrong team if you get what I mean.
Edward57, I really don’t hate the airport we just don’t need one of this size here. My job for Boeing has taken me to more airports than you can imagine. I also hope you donate to my new cottage industry or at least give me a hand. The Port of Bellingham, the contractor(URS), General Aviation and the FAA won’t fund it so how about you?
Stop on by some time.
Cool link, indeed, Clayton.
John, since air travel, like drinking water, is rather a given, isn’t “Environmentalists love to travel” more than just a cheap shot?
And they like to travel well, don’t ya know!
“…Global Warmingist-in-Chief, soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore, was seen getting off a private, fuel inefficient jet at San Francisco Airport before stepping into a non-hybrid, Lincoln Town Car….
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/09/10/will-media-report-al-gore-s-hypocritical-private-plane-flights#ixzz1syiRsxqr
AFY!!theheelotsheepdog!!!