The vast auditorium at the state Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien proved big enough Sept. 29, to accommodate Highline residents with questions and concerns about jet noise from Sea-Tac International Airport.

Crowds overflowed the Des Moines City Council Chambers at an earlier meeting on Aug. 19 called by local lawmakers.

State Sen. Karen Keiser, Rep. Dave Upthegrove, Rep. Tina Orwall, Rep. Sharon Nelson and King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson attended the meeting. Des Moines Councilwoman Susan White introduced the speakers.

As at the previous meeting, speakers vented their anger at the airport and asked pointed questions of Port of Seattle and Federal Aviation Administration officials.

Upthegrove noted he was born and raised in Burien "under the shadow of the airport."

He recalled when 1,000 people showed up at Foster High School to protest construction of the third runway.

"The community has been down this road before and we came together to challenge the Port of Seattle," Upthegrove declared. "This community has a proud history of standing up for ourselves."

Keiser said she was concerned that the Port bought out and relocated about 1,000 homeowners for the second runway but only about 100 for the third runway.

"I also have questions about sleep,' Keiser added. ""With planes overhead at all hours, it's hard to get a decent night's sleep."

Stan Shepherd, airport noise manager, emphasized that Port officials operate Sea-Tac but the FAA is responsible for how the runways are used.

The first runway is set to reopen after being closed for three months for reconstruction, Shepherd noted. During that time, all arrivals came on the new third runway while departures took off from the second runway.

With the first runway opening, there will be a change in runway use, Shepherd assured the audience.

Port officials said the third runway was used 27 percent of the time before first runway construction began. The actual use was almost identical to the use projected by Port officials.

Port spokesman Perry Cooper has noted that the 27 percent figure was estimated as an average for the entire year while the actual use was measured during winter when the third runway was used more because of inclement weather.

Linda Pelligrini, FAA terminal radar control manager for Sea-Tac, said under normal conditions planes will depart from the first runway and arrive on the second runway.

However, during periods of low visibility or high demand, both the first and third runways are used for arrivals, according to Pelligrini.
She estimated that a backup of eight planes would be classified as a high-demand period.

The third runway should receive little use at night, she added.

Shepherd noted that the number of actual flight operations is far fewer than Port officials had projected.

In 1997, Port staffers estimated Sea-Tac would see 475,230 total flights in 2010, while current projections say that figure will be 321,00. The Port estimates there will be 317,000 flights this year.

"We told you so," a man commented. "The projections for the third runway were ridiculously wrong."

A woman declared, "In my business, if projections change dramatically, then plans are changed."

Other audience members also suggested the third runway is not needed if there are fewer flights.

But Shepherd countered that the third runway is still needed because of high demand at certain times and the need to reduce flight delays.

"The market place generates demand and overcrowding hurts market demand," Shepherd said.

The runway's final environmental impact statement said the runway's primary purpose was to reduce flight delays during poor weather but there were no restrictions on its use, Shepherd reported.

Meanwhile, the Port will launch the next formal Part 150 public process in the fall, according to Shepherd. Part 150 is the FAA program that provides federal funds for noise mitigation for those affected by noise from the third runway.

A Des Moines woman said she measured the average decibels form jet noise at her house between 70-90dbl. The standard to be considered within the noise-impacted area is 65 dbl.

Shepherd replied that a yearly average is needed and not just noise monitoring from a short period of time.

A Shorewood resident voiced his frustration concerning commuter planes flying over his home. He reported that he counted six small planes over his house at 11 p.m. one night. Three years ago, no planes flew over his house.

Shepherd said slower aircraft are diverted out of the north-south jet corridors but he wasn't aware of an increased amount of planes being diverted to the west of the airport.

"They are not all going over your house, even though it might seem like it," Shepherd said,

Des Moines resident Alli Larkin showed a container of black dust that she said had been falling on her house since the third runway opened.

Anti third-runway activist Debi Wagner said the dust falls from planes and can cause cancer.

"They are killing us, but they don't care," Wagner declared.

A Des Moines man, who lives near 12th Avenue South, said he loves planes but is "sick and tired of airplanes flying over my house.

"I can see I am fighting a losing battle. My eyes, ears and two-year-old baby tell me what is going on. How can I make my house quieter?"

Shepherd said the man might not qualify for noise mitigation because he lives in a newer home. He said homes built after 1985 had to meet tough noise insulation standards adopted by local cities.