Home Page 3-col (2024)

  • The Issues

    Sea-Tac Is Expanding!

    Sea-Tac Airport is currently undergoing the largest and longest expansion in its history, collectively known as the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). Some of it you can already see, but you’re probably not aware of what it all means. Here’s what you need to know. continue...

    The Fourth Runway

    We’ve begun using the term “Fourth Runway” to describe two large projects (SR-509 and the Sustainable Airport Master Plan) as one system, which they are. The two projects have always been part of a regional plan begun over fifty years ago to meet the strategic goals of the Port Of Seattle and regional planners. The construction of SR-509 will affect the communities are great deal. But starting in 2027 the projects will also increase flight operations at least 33% and cargo operations by 300%. continue...

    SAMP For Dummies

    The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for increasing flight capacity by one third in the next ten years. It will have the same community impact as the Third Runway. In fact, it is happening now. How this is possible, and what it means for us. continue...

    The Port Package Explainer

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    Recommended Legislation

    A list of the changes to City, State and Federal laws we'd like to see, along with key legislation in process at the State and Federal levels. continue...
  • Top Stories

    Fifteen Percent?

    June 22, 2024

    1Below is the full text of a letter we received from Ryan McMullan, the Senior Manager for Noise Programs in response to our concerns about the 2024-04 Sound Insulation Repair and Replacement Pilot Program.

    If you've been following along, in May, the Port began an 'assessment' phase to last until December 31. This is supposedly to determine the extent of the problems, what specific problems would be addressed and which homes go first. They sent out 3,200 Surveys, which we found odd because that number represents only a third of the total number of homes that have received Port Packages since 1985. We believe Mr. McMullan's letter confirms what we've been worried about all along:

    These 3,200 homes, representing only fifteen percent of the population that originally received sound insulation, are likely the only residents that will be considered eligible for a Port Package Update.

    Background

    When the surveys were mailed out, we polled our membership and quickly realized that the Port was 'pre-filtering', only sending out surveys to homes that they believe would be eligible for FAA reimbursement if the home were to receive a first-time Port Package today. And that means the current DNL65, the 'noise boundary',

    The DNL65 (again the 'noise boundary') is determined by a Part 150 Study.

    The 1993 Part 150 (green) was completed before the Third Runway and provided eligibility for 67,000 residents. Here it is depicted in green. That is why 9,400 homes received sound insulation.

    However, the last one (orange), done in 2013, reduced the list of people living inside the DNL65 to 9,712. Or 3,200 homes.

    Again: It's not only one third the homes. Over 85% of the people living in homes that received Port Packages would now be considered ineligible for sound insulation today. And less than 15% of those residents are being assessed for an update program.

    Other problems

    In addition to the DNL65, there are other problems with the assessment phase. We feel that the survey itself is highly problematic. We completely disagree with Mr. McMullan's claim that this survey will accurately represent the full range of Port Package fails. Many of the questions are biased, misleading or just plain wrong (such as one question which insists that condensation--between the panes-- can be 'wiped away'!) This makes us question whether or not Mr. McMullan, or any member of Port Staff, have even seen these homes.

    We're also concerned that the assessment process is limited to acoustic testing of 30 homes.  Acoustic testing was not a prerequisite for the original Port Packages. One was considered noise-impacted simply by virtue of being inside the DNL65. Adding an acoustic testing provision seems like yet another way to exclude as many homes as possible.

    Other People's Money

    We believe this is not only unfair, it does and in fact go against the intent of the State of Washington and the Federal government. The Port received $1M in State funding specifically for this assessment phase. They also received $3M from an FAA grant--also for the assessment phase. Neither grant is limited to the current DNL65. And in fact, both State and Federal lawmakers assumed that all homeowners would at least be evaluated. We are asking both the State and Senator Murray's office to look into this.

    What should really matter: Severity and Longevity

    In our view the only criteria that should matter for updates are: severity and longevity. The severity of the issues you are experiencing and the length of time you've been dealing with them. In the example at left the homeowner first documented a complaint with the Port of Seattle twenty years ago. That home is now outside the DNL65. That home should go to the head of the line.

    That is true equity. And it is also the only way to ever get the FAA to expand the DNL65 to include more homes. If airports like Sea-Tac are unwilling even to assess less than fifteen percent of its inventory. why should Congress ever take this issue seriously?

    Action Item

    We ask you to write the Port of Seattle Commission (commission-public-records@portseattle.org) today and insist that they make a clear statement on Port Package Updates:

    • All homes that previously received Port Packages will be eligible for the SIRRPP.
    • And all those homes will be evaluated based on severity and longevity.
    • Members of Sea-Tac Noise.Info will invited to help improve the assessment phase to insure that that all affected homeowner's are properly heard.

    Help us fix the program to fix your Port Package!


    1The full text of Mr. McMullan's letter.

    Thank you for contacting us regarding the Port’s Sound Insulation Repair and Replacement Pilot Program. On February 27, the Port of Seattle Commission voted on, and approved, Order 2024-04. The order directs staff to complete an assessment for existing sound insulated packages followed by the establishment of a pilot program which develops methodology and incorporates equity guidelines for participation in the pilot program. That work is underway as of May 2024.

    The purpose of the assessment is to better understand the existing conditions of the Port-sponsored sound packages and what the correlation is between defects in these sound insulation packages and potential increases in interior noise levels of the homes. The assessment is occurring within the current Noise Remedy Boundary (or 65 DNL) following FAA guidance on the level of noise exposure that would be eligible for a Port-sponsored sound insulation package. The approximately 3,200 homes that received Port installed sound insulation packages over various installation timeframes and manufacturers included in the survey group is a statistically valid large study group. In addition, from an equity standpoint, homes located within the current 65 DNL are exposed to higher noise levels than those outside of the boundary. The program emphasis is on conducting the initial assessment to then inform the pilot program in an accelerated timeframe. Using the current 65 DNL boundary, homes closest to the airport will be the focus for the pilot program and then evaluated for beneficial outcomes and effect.

    We expect the information obtained from this assessment will be representative of all of the Port installed sound insulation packages, and will allow the Port to use the information obtained from the assessment to make program estimates, especially if the FAA adjusts its policy to adopt a lower DNL, or if the new Part 150 expands or changes the Noise Remedy Boundary.

    Thank you for your questions and we will continue to update the community periodically as this assessment and pilot program continues.

    Kind regards,

    Ryan McMullan (he/him)
    Senior Manager, Aviation Noise Programs

    Port Package Update Survey: more questions than answers

    Sample question from SIRRPP Survey
    June 9, 2024

    Including only a third of the homes is not the half of it

    As we've been reporting, the Port Package Update program, now called the Sound Insulation Repair/Replacement Pilot Program has had pitfalls at every turn.

    The most obvious concern we had is that the survey was sent to 3,200 homes, which is only a third of the single family homes that have received sound insulation. Why that particular number? At this week's Part 150 Workshops, Port staff seemed unsure as to the reasoning, but at least two officials suggested that it may be because those are the only homes the Port will consider for any update program.

    Port Packages and Part 150

    One official suggested that this may be because the noise boundary (known as the DNL65) has shrunk dramatically since the original Port Packages were installed. That is one of the main purposes of a Part 150 Study--it sets the boundary. If your home is inside, you may be eligible for sound insulation. If not? Tough.

    To understand why some people are eligible for Port Packages while others are not, let's say that you moved into your home in 2023. Your home is located somewhere between the blue boundary (determined in an older Part 150 Study) and the red boundary (determined in the last Part 150 Study).

    Everyone else on your street had a Port Package installed in 2002. But for whatever reason, the homeowner in your house at the time decided not to receive sound insulation. One of your new neighbors tells you about the Port Package program. So you call the Port of Seattle Noise Office and ask about (finally) having your home sound insulated. You are told that since you are outside the current noise boundary (the red) you are not eligible--even though all your neighbors received sound insulation in 2002.

    Now, another neighbor also moved into their home in 2023. Their home was one of the homes which had a Port Package installed in 2002. Lucky them! However, they are now having a bunch of issues with mold and water damage. Until this year they would be ineligible for a Port Package update.

    To summarize:

    • Until now, the Port of Seattle would only provide sound insulation to homes where they could receive Federal reimbursement for their costs.
    • The FAA will only pay once. They will not reimburse the Port of Seattle for sound insulation after an initial install (ie. an 'update'), regardless of what went wrong or who is responsible.
    • And the FAA will only pay if the property is within the current noise boundary, which is determined by the most recent Part 150 Study.

    So any other sound insulation work, either a 'first time' home outside the current DNL65 or an 'update' to an existing Port Package, must be paid for out of the Port's own pocket.

    This new program (providing an update program for bad Port Packages without having to wait for FAA funding) was the whole point of the new program!

    If the Port is now saying that homes outside the current DNL65 are not eligible for updates, it would go against what we were told by the Port in creating the new program. We need an answer. Now.

    The Survey

    As to the actual survey ( Sound Insulation Repair/Replace Pilot Program Survey 2024), we have several concerns. Here are a few examples of questions:

    [gallery size="full" link="file" columns="1" ids="21034,21033,21032,21030,21029,21028"]

    Many of the symptoms we've documented hundreds of times through in-home visits are not listed in the survey.

    These include:

    • Cracked windows due to vibration
    • Poor ventilation
    • Poor insulation in walls and ceiling
    • Structural issues due to water damage from poor installation

    Failing to include these options leads to a form of bias that can be easily exploited, namely: people only tend to answer the questions on the form. It puts the onus on the homeowner to understand their issues fully.

    One question mistakenly depicts condensation on the window panes...

    Rather than the much more common issue of condensation between the window panes, which you cannot 'wipe away'!

    Several of the questions have nothing to do with the condition of the home

    They are instead based on the people currently living there. These include questions regarding income, age, race, and ethnicity. These could be useful if there were plans for further outreach. But since that is not on the current timeline, we're concerned, because in our view the only criteria which should matter are:

    1. The seriousness of the issues with the home.
    2. Is the current homeowner the homeowner who received the Port Package. This cohort has been living with these issues for many years, who have previous complained and gotten nowhere, should be prioritized.

    Any other criteria should be scored much lower, or not at all because the purpose of mitigation is to protect the neighborhood, not the homeowner. It was a failure to make that clear in the original mitigation that led to so much confusion. We are sensitive to notions of equity, however, it is simply a fact that, using the Port of Seattle's own Equity Index, every home inside the DNL65 already has the highest possible score!

     One question asks if the homeowner would like to participate in an on-site visit

    The only answer should be yes because only with an on-site inspection can the full range of issues be assessed. However, since the Port has already announced that only thirty homes will receive such a visit, we see no point in asking. Given the survey design, we see no way to obtain a useful cross-section of all the issues we've documented with any set of 30 responses.

    Call To Action

    Of the $10.5 million allocated for the program, over half is for this assessment phase. From what we can see, that consists of 3,200 postcards, 3,200 surveys, followed by only thirty actual site visits before the final report to the Commission by December 31, 2024. This is unacceptable.

    1. Write the Port of Seattle SEARepairReplacePilot@portseattle.org and insist that they provide clear answers to all these questions.
      • Why only 3,200 surveys?
      • What are the real criteria for eligibility?
      • Will homes outside the current DNL65 be eligible for this update program?
    2. If you have not received a survey, call the Port Noise Office  (206) 787-6793 or email them SEARepairReplacePilot@portseattle.org immediately and insist on receiving one. If they refuse, ask for a written explanation in writing.

    The survey closes on June 28 so do it today!

    Let's fix the program to get your Port Package fixed.

     

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    Under The Flight Path

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