Letter to Commission: Port Package Updates 3 Easy Steps

An open letter to the Port of Seattle Commission

It’s been almost three and a half years since the Accelerated Sound Insulation program was passed by the Port Commission in 2020. The primary goal was to get all units not started from 1996, which are now inhabited by mostly BIPOC families, (finally) completed by 2026. Next would be an attempt to provide at least some opportunity for updates to damaged systems.

We are disappointed to see that, despite many other vigorous construction programs during that time, almost no progress has been made on either goal.

What made the 1996 Port Package program so fraught was the speed. The Port was funding hundreds of systems every month in order to get them all done before the Third Runway came on-line. Even with all the delays, it was simply too much.

We have a saying in engineering. “You can have it good, fast, and cheap. Pick two.” Over the past decade, the (few) systems the Port has done have been first class. But by continuing to delay now, you not only fail to honor long standing promises to the community, you increase the risk of going back to those bad old days. No one wants that.

Port Packages, both new and updates, are equity and justice. You give people direct relief from the single biggest complaint people have about living under the flight path, and you protect the value of some of the last true “middle-income” housing in the County for every subsequent occupant.

Quick Review

1. Port Packages are funded 80/20 from a fixed pool of highly competitive AIP grants.
2. Every year the Port can apply for AIP grants for various purposes including everything from a runway to a Port Package.
3. But you, the airport owner, choose what to apply for. The program does not require you to set aside money for sound insulation. So if someone preparing the grant apps for that year doesn’t make sure to apply specifically for SOUND INSULATION? Oops. Better luck next year.
4. At your February 25, 2020 meeting, the Commission established the principal of “pay first.” You agreed to pay for Port Packages out of pocket with FAA assurance that you could apply for a future AIP grant to cover those costs.
5. A budget line item is not a spend. If there is no way to spend the item, you just put it somewhere else. Over the years, the Port has, in fact, done exactly that when it comes to sound insulation.

Process…

So, you can simply do the outreach, an SFO Second Chance Initiative-style web site or 10,000 post cards. And if no one bites? Your cost is negligible.

But based on SFO’s experience--not to mention our own list, we are certain that your biggest challenge will be prioritizing the demand. And that is why we always favored a first-come-first-serve system (again like SFO.) Take ‘priority’ out of the equation. Let people sign up, and if they meet a basic criteria, when their number comes up? They win.

When new Federal funding kicks in? You get reimbursed. And you have a system that can help more missing-middle homeowners, immediately. That is equity and justice. Because the missing middle are,  increasingly, a BIPOC community, people who deserve a healthy place to live. And under the flight path, that means a properly functioning sound insulation system.

One worry. The new Part 150 process started this year. But it has a five year window. What we do not want is for the Port to use that to postpone updates until the process closes. Part 150 is a noise analysis which, according to Congressman Smith’s legislation (which the Port supports) has exactly zero to do with existing systems.

Three Easy Steps

In short: we want the Port to develop a second chance program in three easy steps:

1. Do the outreach, immediately.
2. Create an Order automatically budgeting at least  $1M annually for a first-come-first-served program modeled on SFO Second Chance. And do it for 2024–even though the outreach may take a few months. If the outreach is a dud, just yank it out in November.
3. But make sure that this program is not predicated on any FAA process (AIP grants or Part 150)

One easy step…

Or, you can simply copy SFO. Why re-invent the wheel?