Tagcommunity engagement(226)

This January 2021 report documents public engagement efforts conducted by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) as part of its Regional Aviation Baseline Study, a federally funded project examining aviation needs across the 29-airport central Puget Sound region. The study gathered community input through surveys, focus group interviews, technical working groups, and virtual public meetings to understand priorities and concerns about managing future aviation growth. The findings are intended to inform future regional airport planning decisions, including considerations around noise, capacity, and community impacts.

The PSRC Aviation Baseline Study surveyed 1,416 residents and gathered public input through interviews, virtual meetings, and an online open house to understand regional priorities around aviation. Across all input methods, participants consistently favored spreading air service across multiple regional airports rather than expanding Sea-Tac or building a new airport. While randomly selected survey and interview participants emphasized economic benefits and meeting aviation demand, self-selected open house participants were more focused on noise and environmental impacts from aviation.

The Port of Seattle's South King County Fund 2020 presentation, delivered at the Highline Forum on September 23, 2020, outlines a grant program distributing $1.5 million to communities near Sea-Tac Airport, including $250,000 each for Economic Development and Environmental Grants, plus $1 million in Economic Recovery Grants. The program was developed through extensive community outreach, including presentations to six cities, feedback sessions at the Highline Forum and StART, and interviews with dozens of leaders from under-represented communities conducted by the Port's Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

This document is an invoice from ABCx2, LLC to the County of Arlington, dated July 4, 2020, for $15,212.50 in consulting services, approved for payment by Richard Roisman on July 5, 2020. The attached budget summary from NowGEN shows the work was part of a larger $250,000 project, with three billing periods from April through June 2020 totaling $36,325.00 across four components. The remaining project budget stood at $213,675.00 as of June 30, 2020.

This document package from ABCx2, LLC includes a consulting invoice for $7,750 billed to the County of Arlington (Invoice #1158, dated June 12, 2020, approved for payment July 5, 2020), along with a supplemental budget summary prepared by NowGEN as of May 31, 2020. The budget summary shows project expenditures across four components totaling $21,112.50 out of a $250,000 project budget, with the $7,750 supplement added to the June invoice. The materials appear to relate to NextGen aviation consulting services, which typically involve airspace modernization and flight procedure work relevant to airport noise policy planning.

A 2020 study gathered input from 48 community stakeholders near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, finding that while residents valued the economic benefits, jobs, and convenient access the airport provides, noise and air quality were the top concerns—especially for those living to the south and west under flight paths. Stakeholders raised issues including late-night flights, NextGen procedures concentrating aircraft noise, ultrafine particle pollution, and the limitations of existing noise mitigation programs. Traffic congestion and potential public health impacts from aircraft emissions were also frequently cited challenges.

Washington State's Environmental Justice Task Force, convened by the Governor's Interagency Council on Health Disparities, was established to recommend strategies for reducing environmental health disparities across the state, with a final report due to the legislature and Governor by October 31, 2020. The Task Force focuses on improving health outcomes for communities most severely impacted by environmental hazards, including low-income populations and communities of color. Its work includes developing guidance on community engagement, measurable health disparity goals, and model policies prioritizing vulnerable populations.

On August 14, 2019, Representative Orwall held a stakeholder meeting at Kent City Hall to discuss Port noise-insulation packages affecting homeowners near Sea-Tac Airport. The agenda included background information from an airport study, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and a review of legislative action, followed by homeowner testimonials describing issues such as failed insulation, mold, structural damage, sleep disruption from flight noise, and air quality concerns. Residents shared personal accounts dating back to the 1980s and 1990s, highlighting ongoing frustrations with inadequate soundproofing and health impacts tied to airport operations.

The South King County Fund (SKCF) was established by the Port of Seattle Commission on November 27, 2018, to provide resources and support to communities surrounding Sea-Tac Airport. The fund designated $750,000 for 2019, with total funding not to exceed $10 million between 2019 and 2023. This presentation by Environmental Engagement Program Manager Andy Gregory outlines the fund's origins, guiding principles, legal spending boundaries, and community outreach plans.

The Des Moines, Washington City Council held a Study Session on June 6, 2019, with aviation noise and policy among the key topics on the agenda. The city welcomed aviation consultants James Allerdice and Jason Schwartz from abcx2.com, along with Emily Tranter from federal relations firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P., to brief the council on aviation matters relevant to the Sea-Tac Airport area. Public comments were accepted for up to 20 minutes, limited to agenda items per Council Rule 10.