FAA To Visit New Castle Over Westchester Airport Noise

CHAPPAQUA, NY — The Federal Aviation Administration and Westchester County officials will hold an open house in New Castle Jan. 22 to discuss air traffic, noise and operations at Westchester County Airport.

It's an informal event, said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. Residents can drop by at any time during the two hours and speak one-on-one with a variety of experts. There will not be formal presentations.

There will be representatives from HMMH, the environmental and transportation planning consultant that is conducting a study to collect hard empirical data on noise and flight patterns to supplement anecdotal evidence. The area of study includes analysis of historic data, including flight patterns and type of aircraft, to note changes over time which could explain why certain communities reported experiencing noise issues when they had not in the past.

HMMH reported some preliminary findings to the airport Advisory Board in October including: while the number of overall aircraft operations in and out of the airport in 2018 than in 2013, air carrier operations increased. Also, there was a shift in runway use, and there were more aircraft noise events above 70 dB since 2013 in the Chappaqua/Thornwood area.

"We want the residents of New Castle and the surrounding communities to know that we hear their concerns, and we are making every attempt to make this process better," Latimer said. "If we can work together with the FAA to reduce the impact on those affected by aircraft noise, we can ensure that Westchester County Airport reminds a vibrant transportation hub, an economic benefits driver, and above all else a good neighbor to our residents."

The visit was requested in July by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Senator Charles E Schumer, and U.S. Congresswoman Nita Lowey. Lowey said she was pleased that the FAA was taking community concerns seriously.

"This meeting with the FAA is an important step towards finding fair, equitable solutions for Westchester communities, including New Castle, that have been adversely impacted by airport noise and other environmental concerns," said New Castle Town Supervisor Ivy Pool. "We are pleased to host this meeting and look forward to a productive exchange."

(Pool will be sworn in Jan. 27.)

John Ravitz, executive vice-president of the Business Council of Westchester and founder of the Coalition for Westchester Airport, told Patch"One of the things we have always stressed and have continued to stress was if there are legitimate noise complaints they should be addressed."

"If there are recommendations to improve the quality of life of the communities around the airport the FAA should listen to them and act," he said; however, those noise complaints should not stop plans to enhance the services at the airport, keeping it an asset to the county's economy.

He said the amount of noise complaints can't be taken at face value, because there have been more than 1,000 calls a month from two or three households.

Here are details about the open house:

• WHAT: Open House with the FAA, county officials and noise study consultant
• WHEN: 6-8 p.m. Jan. 22
• WHERE: New Castle Community Center, 10 Senter St., Chappaqua, NY 10514

Editor's Note: The consultants' presentation to the airport advisory board in October was a preliminary report, not a completed study. The area where more noise events above 70 dB were reported was Thornwood/Chappaqua. Patch has modified the original version of this article to correct the errors.

ALSO SEE: New Check Of Noise Levels Around Westchester Airport