Report Due July 13th

Like so many residents who live near airports, folks residing close to the Destin Airport in Okaloosa County, Florida, don't like the noise. We'll leave the NIMBY discussion about airports and neighbors for another day. In this case, airport officials would like to apply for federal noise abatement grants, but first, the FAA has to determine if the level of noise is, well, loud enough. Destin residents should get their answer July 13th.

5 years ago, the county hired a consultant to study airport noise, and recommend potential solutions. That company studied airport movements, the kinds of planes using the facility, traffic growth projections, and other factors.

The FAA has a formula for calculating predicted noise, and the results served as a basis for the consultants recommendations. They include things you'd normally expect in such a case, including buying up homes from residents in the noisiest areas who were willing to sell, building a noise abatement wall around parts of the airport, and zoning changes to discourage new homes from being built where the noise is the highest.

Which would get us back into that NIMBY argument.

Based on the results, the consultant recommended sound-blocking walls around parts of the airport; buying up homes in the worst-affected areas, if and only if the owners wanted to sell; offering to insulate other homes; and changing city zoning to discourage further development in high-decibel areas.

The county has waited since 2004 for the FAA to make a decision, and County Airport Director Greg Donovan told The Destin Log that he expect a report in about a month. That report will determine if Destin Airport can qualify for those noise abatement grants, money that the county would otherwise have to pay out of pocket.

But in the intervening 5 years, airport traffic has fallen by more than 15 percent, according to a new study done at the FAA's request. Now, only 4 homes would qualify for buyouts, where 20 were identified earlier. Neither study recommends what homeowners have most often said they want: A ban on loud jets and night operation restrictions.

FAA approval of the study is just the first step. The county would still have to apply for the grants, and, of course, compete with other airports for the money.

FMI: http://www.flydts.com