TagPort Of Seattle(1845)

The Port of Seattle's 2020 Budget document, prepared by the Finance and Budget Departments, outlines the financial plan and operational guide for the Port for the fiscal year beginning January 1, 2020. The Port previously received a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) for its 2019 budget, recognizing it as an effective policy document, financial plan, operations guide, and communications device. The 2020 budget has been submitted to the GFOA for consideration of the same award.

The Port of Seattle's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report covers the port's financial activity as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and for the fiscal years ending 2019, 2018, and 2017. Prepared by the Port's Accounting and Financial Reporting Department, the report includes audited financial statements, management analysis, pension and benefits disclosures, and ten-year statistical trends for the enterprise that oversees Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and related maritime facilities. While primarily a financial document, it provides official context for understanding the Port's operational scope and fiscal health during the period.

This December 2019 report by ESA for the Port of Seattle analyzes two standard Noise Abatement Departure Profiles (NADPs) used at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: the Close-in profile, which reduces noise near the runway end, and the Distant profile, which reduces noise farther along the departure path. The analysis finds that the Distant NADP provides the greatest noise relief to the residential and developed communities surrounding Sea-Tac Airport. The report includes background on departure profiles, noise analysis results, and recommendations for the airport's noise abatement policy.

In November 2019, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) presented findings from the SR 518 Corridor Planning Study to the Highline Forum in Des Moines, WA. The study, mandated by a 2017 legislative proviso and funded with $500,000 from the legislature plus an additional $400,000 from the Port of Seattle, examined traffic conditions and improvement alternatives along the SR 518 corridor near Sea-Tac Airport. The presentation covered traffic analysis, alternatives screening, and recommended improvement packages, with a final report due by November 30, 2019.

This document presents findings from a Sea-Tac Airport Ground Noise Study, shared at the Highline Forum on November 20, 2019. It explains how aircraft ground noise travels and changes with distance, noting that sound levels drop by 6 dB every time the distance doubles and are further reduced by atmospheric absorption and soft ground surfaces. The study also covers how temperature gradients affect noise, with sound bending upward in normal conditions and downward during temperature inversions, potentially increasing noise impacts on nearby communities.

This document summarizes six near-term action items developed by the Sea-Tac Airport Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART) Aviation Noise Working Group as of November 2019, aimed at reducing aircraft noise for surrounding communities. The actions include a Late-Night Noise Limitation Program, a revised Runway Use Program to limit 3rd Runway use at night, a glide slope adjustment for Runway 34R, a ground noise analysis study, a Noise Abatement Departure Profiles Study, and outreach encouraging airlines to install vortex generators on older A320 aircraft. Each action identifies the responsible parties, current status, and the specific communities expected to benefit from reduced noise levels.

In November 2019, the Port of Seattle Commission approved Motion 2019-14, directing the purchase of up to five portable noise monitors to measure airplane noise in areas not currently covered by existing monitoring systems, with data made publicly accessible and at least one monitor placed on Vashon Island. The motion also authorized negotiating an agreement to advance the Miller Creek Culvert Replacement, Fish Passage and Stream Restoration Project near Des Moines Memorial Drive to improve water quality and fish habitat near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Both projects were identified as community-supported priorities under the South King County Fund initiative.

In November 2019, attorney Steve Edmiston and community members Sharyn Parker and others discussed conditions for re-engaging with the StART (Sea-Tac Airport Roundtable) community advisory process, which had been suspended. Key demands included collaborative agenda-setting, mandatory advance distribution of written materials, equal time for public Q&A, annual review of the facilitator, no restrictions on topics including the airport's growth and environmental reviews, and a request that the Port of Seattle pause its SAMP (Sustainable Airport Master Plan) work pending environmental review. Sharyn Parker's written responses indicated support for re-engagement only if those conditions were met, and called for the Port to conduct a new Part 150 noise study, accelerate sound mitigation, and create a 'second-chance' insulation program for affected residents.