Understanding the new program and how we can continue to help
If you own a home in Burien, Des Moines, Kent or SeaTac, and have a sound insulation system (called a Port Package), you may be experiencing problems such as mold and water damage to your windows, doors and ceilings. You may also have just heard about a new update program and wonder what that means for you.
Last week the Port of Seattle Commission passed an order to create a Sound Insulation Repair and Replacement Pilot Program. And in Olympia, SB5955 should become law next month to help fund and monitor the program.
- The Port intends to assess all 9,400 homes that received Port Packages, create a system to prioritize homes for repair, what repairs need to be done, and who goes first. And they mean to do all that by December 31, 2024.
- The plan would then be to begin work on at least some eligible homes in 2025.
- They have allocated $5,000,000. The State plans to contribute another $1,000,000.
Who we are…
Sea-Tac Noise.Info is a community organization with no connection to the Port of Seattle. We advocate on many airport issues. We’ve spent almost seven years documenting problem Port Packages, helping to create this new program, and get these laws passed.
What we can do to help you…
The Port’s goals to evaluate and equitably prioritize all homes in nine months are extremely ambitious. Our goal is to make sure that all 9,400 homeowners are well-informed, that every home is properly evaluated for eligibility, and every eligible home ultimately receives a just settlement.
To put this into perspective, a totally new Port Package, costs over $100,000. Now most updates will not cost nearly that much, but $6,000,000 is nowhere near enough money to do every home. So that priority system will be critical.
Remember that this is a pilot program. Your home may not be fixed right away. But it is in everyone’s interest that this pilot program is run well, both by the Port and the State. Because the ultimate goal is to obtain funding from the Federal government to get every home fixed. This pilot program is the audition.
So we do not advise homeowners to simply wait for the Port to come to you. Because frankly, that is a big reason the original Port Package program ended up with the problems you are now experiencing.
If you have any Port Package problems, we encourage you to join over 1,000 homeowners and contact Sea-Tac Noise.Info We can do a very short site visit, identify problems you may not see–especially with indoor air quality, and help you gather the paperwork and history of your sound insulation system. The more homes we reach, the better educated you are, the easier it will be to insure that everyone gets the healthy and safe sound insulation system we all deserve.
Here’s how to do it: Port Package Problem Contact