County officials will answer questions and present six options for keeping noise from the airport in check.
By MICHAEL SANDLER
Published September 3, 2003
CLEARWATER - This time, Pinellas County Administrator Steve Spratt will have more than a chair to stand on when he meets with residents concerned about St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.
Recognizing the first attempt in August did not go smoothly, Spratt and his team have scheduled two more public meetings in the coming weeks.
They hope to answer questions and allay concerns about the $223-million project that has people from Oldsmar to Feather Sound protesting. But Spratt won't just be fielding questions. He intends to present a plan aimed at one of the residents' chief complaints - noise generated by overhead planes.
At a recent meeting with the Times editorial board, Spratt offered six options he hopes will cut down on the noise.
"Every urbanized area has noise issues," Spratt said.
"I don't think it's a question of airports being noisy. I think it's how bad is it, and what are we doing about it."
Controversy over airport expansion grew so fierce last month, Pinellas County commissioners decided to indefinitely postpone a major zoning decision on the property.
They are hoping to rectify their performance at an Aug. 13 community meeting that dissolved into chaos.
County officials and consultants were prepared to discuss the rezoning but instead were met by a crowd of nearly 250 people who wanted answers about a proposed runway expansion, noise and the overall impact on their neighborhoods.
At that meeting, people catcalled and shouted at county officials and their consultants. One man stood on a chair to read a speech. He was silenced by the county's consultant, who stood on a chair to quiet the crowd.
County officials have since apologized for not being prepared and for allowing the consultant running the meeting to be rude with residents.
This time, Spratt will run the meeting. And when he takes the microphone, he has some suggestions for the noise.
First, he proposes installing a Web-based tracking system that will allow residents to track information about planes flying overhead. This, he said, will help airport officials monitor pilots and keep track of airport traffic.
Once established, residents will be able to find out the altitude of the plane, its origin and destination, the time it passed and the tail number. They will also be able to e-mail complaints directly to the airport.
"So they can tell us if these guys are following procedures," Spratt said.
Also in the plan, the county intends to:
Negotiate a reduction in early morning flights.
Prohibit new flights from landing or taking off from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Install new global positioning system navigation aids that will allow planes to fly over the bay, and avoid Safety Harbor, when landing in darkness or extreme weather conditions.
Commissioner John Morroni, who lives in Feather Sound and has been at the center of the airport controversy, plans to attend the first public hearing, set for Sept. 10.
Since the Aug. 13 meeting, Morroni says he has met with residents to personally answer questions. This week he sent a letter to the Feather Sound newsletter inviting people to next week's meeting.
"Again, I apologize, along with the other county officials for the lack of room and misjudgment of the turnout at the August 13th meeting," he wrote. "These next meetings show that the county understands the need for better communication."
