Port Package Update Call To Action: Postcards

Make a public comment on May 28th to improve the assessment process

After the passage of State law SB5955 and the Port’s Order 2024-04, the Port said it would begin developing a repair/replacement program for failing sound insulation systems (Port Packages). The Order says that the first step was to do an assessment of all homes that had received Port Packages, to complete that assessment by December 31, 2024, then to begin actual updates in 2025. We told you then that the battle to get your Port Package fixed was far from over, and here is the next skirmish. The assessment phase has begun and it has not begun well.

So again, we need your help!  If you’re short on time, skip to our Call To Action.

Background

The Postcards…

Last week the Port sent out a postcard alerting some homeowners of an upcoming survey. However, the Port did not explain the process ahead of time.

Almost immediately we began hearing from homeowners concerned that their neighbors had received postcards, but they had not. Others told us that they had received the postcard but had discarded it thinking of it as junk mail.

Highline Forum Presentation Creates More Questions

At the May 22, 2024 Highline Forum, there was a Sound Insulation Repair/Replacement Pilot Program Presentation from the Port’s new Noise Manager Ryan McMullen.

• The postcard was only sent to 3,200 homeowners–a third of the total number of homes that have received Port Packages since 1985.
• The postcard is only to alert homeowners that a survey is coming.
• That survey will be used to determine the extent of the problems, not to determine eligibility.
• The survey mentions only doors and windows, not HVAC, ventilation or other acoustic treatments such as insulation.
• The Port intends to use the survey results to then choose thirty (30) homes for site testing.
• Although the audience included one person with a Port Package as well as Rep. Tina Orwall (co-sponsor of the new State program), there was no one ‘at the table’ qualified to comment on the details of the study.

We’re concerned about this and we think you should be too.

• Why not explain the process to cities and various groups before sending out postcards?
• Why 3,200 postcards rather than all 9,600 homes?
• The QR Code on the postcard only links to the general Airport Noise Office, which will mean nothing to homeowners.
• Based on the information in the Port’s presentation, how can one determine the scope of the issue based on thirty homes?
• During the discussion their were hints that the Port still doubts the merits of the issue. The limited number of homes surveyed, the scope of questions and the tiny number of homes to be site tested seem to bear that out.

It is common to sample a low number of items when doing a statistical survey. However, that is usually done when it would be impossible to survey all items on a list. Due to the lack of public awareness about the original sound insulation program, we see this as an opportunity to under-report the number of affected homes and the types and severity of problems.

We have no idea how that list was determined and we question many aspects of the survey. By not capturing the experience of as many homeowners as possible we run the risk of the survey results minimizing the scope of the problem for everyone.

We do not agree that site testing thirty (30) homes could provide a proper representation of the condition of all 9,600 homes, either in terms of noise, equipment, construction, ventilation, or other possible impacts to the property and health of occupants.

Finally, of the $10 million currently allocated to the program, at least half of that has been allocated for this assessment phase. Frankly, we’re wondering how sending out 3,200 postcards, a survey, and then 30 site visits translates to $5,000,000 in value for residents with failed Port Packages.

Action Items

It is essential that this assessment phase be improved! So we have two important and time-sensitive requests:

1. Whether you’ve received a postcard or not, and whether or not you have a Port Package, call the Port of Seattle Noise Office (206) 787-5393 and email us. Tell them how important it is that everyone be included in this survey!
2. Make a public comment for the May 28 Port of Seattle Commission Meeting at Sea-Tac Airport. You can do this in person, or virtually via Microsoft Teams, or by writing an email to Commission-public-records@Portseattle.org. Here are instructions on public comment (including directions and parking and how to sign up for Teams. And here is a template you can use for your comment (but feel free to use your own words, of course):