D-M forum floats ideas for reducing flight noise
By Carol Ann Alaimo
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
When it comes to military aircraft noise, there may be no way to make all Tucsonans happy.
Some residents were delighted, and others were distressed Wednesday night as a civic group unveiled its ideas for decreasing the decibel level at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
About 70 people who made their way to Santa Rita High School cafeteria on the city's Southeast Side heard draft proposals, including changing flight routes and landing patterns and making aircraft fly higher.
Some, like J.D. Garcia, were impressed with the ideas.
"I was generally pleased with what I heard," said the retiring University of Arizona physics professor, who lives in the El Encanto neighborhood northwest of the base.
Other were dismayed, saying the proposals fall short of what is needed.
"It's not enough," said Karen Martin, 42, a resident of the Broadmoor/Broadway Village area also northwest of D-M along a main military flight route. The changes would result in only a slight decrease in noise, she said.
What some residents seemed to want most was the one thing the committee could not give them: an assurance that existing noise levels would drop noticeably and not increase in the future.
Members of the Military Community Compatibility Committee, the civic group that put forth the proposals, said no one should expect miracles from their efforts.
After studying the D-M situation for months, group members came to "the realization that there is no silver bullet that will solve the noise issue," their report said.
Instead the best that can be hoped for is a series of small changes that will lead to "incremental improvements" in the most heavily affected neighborhoods.
The committee's recommendations come as D-M noise complaints are on the rise. The Tucson base saw a 31 percent jump in complaints last year, with 637 complaints in 2005 compared to 485 the year before. So far this year, D-M has had 229 complaints.
Among the proposals offered up Wednesday:
● Changes to existing flight paths that would funnel more air traffic over Interstate 10 and railroad routes.
● Redirecting some pilot-training activities — such as repeated touch-and-go landings — to airfields at Fort Huachuca or Gila Bend.
● Making jets land farther inside the boundaries of D-M — an idea that could be expensive because it would require runway modifications.
● Setting up a committee to find funding for a noise-proofing program for homes most affected by aircraft noise.
The committee also proposed a better way to alert home buyers in high-noise areas and to improve communication between the air base and the public.
Tahnee Robertson, mediator for the D-M committee, which is funded by the city, Pima County and the Arizona Commerce and Economic Development Commission, said the people behind the proposals knew their ideas would draw mixed reviews from the public.
"Not everyone is going to be happy with what comes out, but it's worth trying to come up with some recommendations that will improve the situation to some degree," Robertson said.
Public feedback will be taken into account before final recommendations are made. The final report is expected in June.
The final product will be sent to various levels of government and affected agencies, which then must decide which of the measures to adopt.
● Contact reporter Carol Ann Alaimo at 573-4138 or at calaimo@azstarnet.com.
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