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AICUZ necessitates some county safeguards
The
Navy has now given our county the final AICUZ [Air Installations
Compatible Use Zones]. I applaud those folks who are working to
assure that all of the Navy's studies were completed properly. I
also applaud the citizens who took their own decibel meter
readings to double-check the Navy's computer projection of
noise. It seems that the 120-decibel actual readings become 65-
or 75-decibel average readings after the computer model takes
into account all of the time the plane is not actually flying
overhead. My heart goes out to the affected residents who have
been overtaken by this conversion to new, more powerful
aircraft.
The
county will now take the time to carefully consider what changes
a new AICUZ will require in our land-use regulations. While this
process takes place, and everyone with a dog in the fight works
to influence those land-use changes, these new jets will keep on
flying. The danger and noise are real and they are here now.
Therefore, I have asked the County Commission to please
implement two immediate safeguards to protect county citizens
while the final plans are developed.
1)
Any time someone moves into a residence within the "discouraged
noise zones," that person must sign a fair disclosure statement
acknowledging the existence of the jet noise and/or danger.
Implemented right now, this is a wonderful defense against
future claims that, "You knew there was a new AICUZ and you
didn't tell me."
2)
Establish a temporary moratorium on any zoning changes, or
transfer of ROGOs [housing allocations] that would result in an
increase in living units (including transient) within the
applicable noise zones. Why would we want to do anything that
adds to the pool of residents already suffering from this noise?
If
these protections are not put in place after fair notice of the
noise and danger has been given, new residents will have every
right to ask why the County Commission failed to take immediate
and prudent action to protect its citizens. Let's not continue
"business as usual." Those jets will keep on flying.
Bill Hunter, Stock Island |
