SUMMARY

1.  Gail Cordy, the neighborhood representative on the MC3 Committee, gave a presentation on the neighborhood concerns over DM issues and new zoning regulations. She has previously given the talk to the MC3 Committee, legislators, and other groups.
2. Elections were held. New officers are: 

President Tom Arnold
Vice President Bryce Carey
2nd Vice President Michael Allen
Secretary Mary Mieler
Treasurer Rita Toland

1. A motion to raise dues to $15 (effective immediately) passed. The money will help fund several ongoing projects including neighborhood historical designation, the Treat walkway beautification, and Malvern Plaza. 

 

 

 

 

Brownies and ice cream were served before the meeting started.

The meeting started at 7:15

President Tom Arnold introduced Gail Cordy, who is the neighborhood representative on the MC3 committee.

Gail mentioned the next meeting date for MC3 (April 19th), tentatively at Randolph.

Gail presented a shortened version of the talk she has given to several groups on Northwest Neighborhood concerns. Some of the main points follow.

-DM complains of encroachment, and that we, the NW neighborhoods are encroaching on the base, but Northwest Neighborhoods were platted and developed before DM became a base in 1941.

-In reality, the base has added flights, jets, lengthened the runway , etc. after the neighborhoods were established.

-80% of flights take off to the SE but land from the NW. Encroachment on the base has occurred, but not from NW neighborhoods.

-City Council decided, despite a unanimous vote from the planning commission against adopting the JLUS and AEZ, and significant outrage from residents, to adopt both the JLUS and AEZ.

-The JLUS had no representation from neighborhoods at all, despite its claims. Everybody else (developers, city county, etc.) was represented. -At community meetings, the topic was encroachment from the SE, and the possibility that the JLUS would affect NW neighborhoods was never mentioned.

-City Council ignored planning commission recommendations and passed JLUS/AEZ a year in advance of requirements. Why? Because Developers wanted to know when and where they could develop to the SE and the city was chomping at the bit to get the $ from the developers.

-JLUS/AEZ increased homes w/in noise hazard coontouf from 1500 to 8000. Houses within the 65 ldn contour will have to add noise abatement at owners expense. Schools close. Julia Keene school has been converted to a warehouse. Is this good for neighborhoods? No churches or schools or day care centers?

-Residents were told 'Money will be provided to buy out property owners.' But how far will the state-wide total of 5 million go toward buying out houses in Phoenix, Tucson, and other towns?

-Residents have concern over loss of home value. People citing 'sounds of freedom' do not live in affected neighborhoods. Neighborhoods near noisy airports tend to be full of rentals with no community investment, following a pattern of community disinvestment and downward spiral of neighborhoods in heart of city.

-Noise:

1) for every increase of 3 decibels, sound intensity doubles

2) Percieved loudness doubles w/ increase of 10db

3) @300 ft, the A-10 = 100db, the F-16 = 110, and the F-22 = 120 db, which damages hearing after a couple of minutes.

-The Council is teilling the military that Tucson is great place for bigger, noisier planes.

-BBVNA is at tip of the 65 Ldn (day/night average_)

-Contours are hypothetical and do not accurately reflect what people experience. Noise does not end at the contour. Contours were developed by DM using F-15s, which don't fly here. The 65 Ldn represents noise of the flights averaged in with times of no flights, so does not reflect what is damaging over a few minutes.

Neither the city or DM had actually done any noise monitoring to develop noise contouring.

-Excessive noise affects children, particularly school children. It affects reading levels and long term memory and health effects due to increased stress levels (higher blood pressure and stress) because children can't hear new sounds correctly.

-For adults, increased level of stress hormones leads to heart problems including heart attacks.

-In an LAX study, moderately priced homes incurred $60,837 loss if impacted by airport noise or 1.12 % per dBA above a quiet threshold.

-Acceptable levels are 55dBA day background noise level; widespread complaints begin at 75dBA, complaints begin at 65dBA

-Monitoring inside a home in BBVNA recorded noise levels up to 90dBA.

-In Colonia Solana, noise levels above 80dBA and close to 90dBA were recorded.

-Overflights recorded in BBVNA are typically between 75-90 dBA, once in a while over 100 outside, and now often over 100 with F-16s

-A typical day has 70-90 flights.

-Oceana CA had a Naval base but was scheduled to be closed by BRAC. The military gave specifications for staying open such as reverse development (1 home per acre within the 70 dBA contour), which required 15million dollars/yr to buy out mostly poor homeowners who have no where else to go. Military was dictating to the city.

-By 2005, city limits had expanded to enclose base and land in only undeveloped corridor to SE is being aggressively developed. What happens to DM when it is fully encircled by development?

-Summary

1) Midtown has been encroached by DM not the other way around.

2) Chronic loud jet noise is proven to have negative effects.

3) Flights have increased over midtown neighborhoods since 9-11.

-The community forum will present solutions in mid-May.

For more information register at the MC3 mediation group to get the MC3 public documents

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MC3_solutions

MC3 meetings are open to the public and have a 10 minute comment period at end of each meeting; always on Wed at 6:30.

Annual elections are held at the March meeting.

Tom gave a description of offices and introduced current office-holders.

Tom asked for volunteers and nominations. There were no nominations, but Tom Arnold volunteered to continue as President, Bryce Carey volunteered to continue as VP, Rita Toland volunteered to continue as Treasurer, Mary Mieler volunteered to run as Secrtary, and Michael Allen volunteered to run as 2nd VP.

This slate was nominated by John Thomas and seconded and passed. Congratulations to our new (and old) officers.

Finally, we discussed raising dues to help pay for future projects.

1. Treat walkway enhancement
2. Neighborhood historical designation
3. Malvern plaza 

A Grad student in planning proposed getting BBVNA into a class where students do a historic preservation plan or even to turn our neighbohood into one student's master's report.

Tom reviewed where the historic process has come to date: we have been told by Marty McKuehen that our neighborhood is likely to make it through context survey and that the city will get some funding and do work and facilitate process. We can help the process along by getting a consultant to do analytical and historic reviews and coordinate nuts and bolts work. So the question is, do we spend our money or let city do it and save $ for Malvern Plaza?

The discussion over raising dues covered what people will tolerate (will contributions actually go down if we double dues to $20?),  more promotion of what we want to spend money on, raising money specifically for projects, and raising the number of contributors in neighborhood.

A motion to raise dues to $15 effective immediately was made and passed.

Connie read a letter from Wayne Anderson since he was not present. He urged board to vote in favor of hiring a consultant to help with historic designation in lieu of using funds for beautification projects. He believes this will improve neighborhood value more than beautification projects.

The door prize of flowers went to Mary Schultz of Stratford.

The meeting ended at 8:45