Willow Glen Resident
News
Task force to study how to spend curfew fines collected at airport
By Monica Heger
Residents whose slumber is disturbed by airplane noise in the middle of the night will soon be rewarded for their rude awakenings.
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport has collected $299,500 in curfew fines. After soliciting the community for suggestions on how to spend that money, the list has been narrowed to transportation, environment, noise, airport facility improvements and educational programs.
Possible transportation improvements include installing new bicycle racks and bike lockers. Suggestions for environmental improvements include giving grants to airport operators, such as taxis and shuttle vans, to purchase or to convert to low-emission or natural gas vehicles. Three suggestions for noise abatement were recommended: purchasing additional sound and noise monitors, updating and improving the system for reporting noise violations and implementing the FlyQuiet program. The FlyQuiet program tracks the level of noise of airlines so residents can look online to see which airlines are the quietest and which are the noisiest. Free Wi-Fi in terminals and parking lots was suggested to improve the airport facility. Other suggestions included training for airport commissioners and funding to hire a consultant to develop the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens.
Airport staff gave the highest recommendation to a suggested airport internship program and an airline industry school curriculum for grades K-12.
The airport commission will take into consideration such factors as whether the suggestion is a one-time cost versus an ongoing cost, the benefit to the community and which suggestion will benefit the greatest number of people.
While the airport has collected almost $300,000 as a result of fines, curfew violations are down and annual revenue from the program is predicted to level off to around $50,000, so commissioners are looking for a project with lower annual costs.
The project that received the most community support was for an air-monitoring station that would measure air pollution at the airport. Citizens Against Airport Pollution was a major proponent of this project, saying air pollution caused by the airplanes posed a serious health risk for residents.
However, William Sherry, aviation director, said staff had looked into the project with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and found it was not feasible.
He said they determined air-monitoring machines could not differentiate where the air pollution was coming from: airplanes, cars or another source.
The airport commission is appointing a task force to study the feasibility of all nine programs and will then make its recommendation to the city council.
