My husband and I attended the Jan. 4 environmental assessment hearing regarding commercial flights at Paine Field. The experience was like entering some kind of alternate reality. No matter what the issue — air quality, noise, traffic, airport access, parking, police and fire services — everything was labeled no impact. Fictitious projections of minimum airline traffic were used to conceal the fact that once commercial service is allowed, no limits can be made on airline traffic growth.
Two huge issues were completely ignored: the negative effect on home values and the effects of airplane noise on children in schools.
This study was written by a firm in Tulsa, Okla. They and the airlines don’t care about our neighborhoods, nor does the FAA. This assessment is a glossy fantasy catering to the commercial airlines’ desire for a cheap airport. The reality of its impact on our neighborhoods and schools will be totally different.
Property taxes pay for schools, roads, police and fire departments, social services, and the safeguards which insure clean air and water. When property values drop, how will everything be paid for? Airplane exhaust degrades air and water quality; we’ll need more roads, possible relocation of schools, more police and fire protection — and that’s just the beginning.
The FAA regards commercial air service into Paine Field as a done deal because our Snohomish County administration has simply laid down and rolled over for them. It’s time for our administrators to stand up and protect us — the taxpayers — as we elected them to do.
Diana Bock
Lynnwood
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