Category : Correspondence(195)

Letter from Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Frank B. Brouillet to Mrs. Virginia Dana responding to her request for assistance in developing legislation to close public schools located in F.A.A. cleared zones. The superintendent suggests working directly through legislators and promises cooperation in seeking passage of such a proposal.

In this July 19, 1974 letter, Donald G. Shay, Director of Aviation for the Port of Seattle, writes to the FAA's Planning Department to clarify the Port's intentions regarding land acquisition near Sea-Tac International Airport. He explains that negotiations with Highline Public Schools will result in the purchase of Maywood Elementary and Sunset Junior High schools, with educational buildings bought outright for extended clear zone land use, while playground and recreational areas will be handled separately and made available to the surrounding public. Shay emphasizes that recreational use is a high priority in the acquisition area and that any further development would undergo full citizen and government review.

In this July 1974 letter, George L. Buley of the FAA's Airports Planning Branch writes to Arthur H. Yoshioka of the Port of Seattle regarding the SeaTac/Communities Plan study. Buley recommends holding two or three public meetings in the study area to present the study's conclusions and recommendations to citizens before they are brought before elected officials of the Port and King County. He emphasizes the importance of well-publicized meetings that allow citizens adequate opportunity to ask questions, and urges that the topic be discussed at the upcoming July PAC and TAC meetings.

A April 3, 1974 letter from FAA Northwest Region Chief of Airports Planning George L. Buley responds to Seattle resident Mrs. Virginia Dana regarding the possible closure of Sunset Junior High School. The letter acknowledges that the school falls within an area the Port of Seattle proposed to acquire under the FAA's Airport Development Aid Program, and confirms the FAA was actively working with the Port on an environmental impact statement covering the proposed acquisition. Both Sunset Junior High School and Maywood Elementary School were being considered in that environmental review process.

In early 1973, Washington State Representative King Lysen introduced House Bill 519 to reform the Port of Seattle's commission structure, partly in response to jet noise from Seattle-Tacoma Airport exceeding 100 decibels in some Highline school classrooms. The bill proposed expanding the Port Commission from five to nine members elected by district rather than county-wide, aiming to give affected communities like Highline more direct representation. The bill passed the House 74-20 but stalled in the Senate Constitution and Elections Committee, where Chairman Senator Gary Grant pledged to continue pushing for its passage.