HELICOPTER PETITION SIGNING WILL BEGIN SATURDAY 24th
Be sure to read the PETITION SUMMARY on the next page.
Lantana, Atlantis, Lanier Park, Lake Osborne, Floral Park, High Ridge Road,
Pine Street, everybody... this is the beginning of a sustained effort to force airport
tenants, helicopter training schools, instructors, students and pilots to comply
with the County Commission's NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES that were put in place
nearly a decade ago (updated in 2005 as well) to protect our communities from
further harm due to reptitive training operations over our heads.
PETITIONS will be available for signing between 11 AM and 3 PM Saturday April
24th, at the circled (in red) location above ...right on Lake Osborne Drive.
We are hoping that parking will not be necessary and residents can just drive
up, read and sign. We will update as necessary as the day draws near.
PETITION SUMMARY
THIS PETITION is simply demanding the relief we were entitled to receive FIVE
YEARS AGO and suggesting ways in which that relief can be secured.
This is about the future of your neighborhood and community. Unless political
leaders hear from you, by default they assume everything is okay and will do
nothing to secure the entitled relief measures they put in place for you and
your neighborhood.
And without action from the Commission, comes the certainty of projected increases
in helicopter operations that will eventually overrun your area sooner or later
even if you think you’re safe now. Remember, there are no consequences
or accountability for anything a helicopter pilot does near the airport. This
is a case where the tenant training schools and users have seized control and
terrorized the landlord... not the other way around as it usually is.
But the County Commission has entitled the communities surrounding Lantana
Airport to relief by first acknowledging the harm already done to the communities
surrounding the airport and by protecting you from further harm by formally
asking their tenant (training schools) to cooperate with some reasonable requests
called NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES.
These are standards of flight conduct describing specifically how tenant training
schools, other training schools, instructors, students and pilots should behave
so as to be a good neighbor and least disturb the community. It's all very much
common sense 'respect for others.'
Brief History
At no time, has the County ever agreed to allow helicopter training operations
around Lantana Airport. In fact, the record from the 90’s until now shows
the opposite.
The County approval of helicopter training schools at Lantana Airport was based
on an understanding that all training activities would take place over undeveloped
property west of 441. PROCEDURES, RECOMMENDATIONS and GUIDELINES at that time
reflected that clear understanding.
Years later, when that land was no longer made available, helicopter training
schools pleaded hardship and asked the County to allow them to train at the
airport where the County, recognizing the negative impact to the communities
near the airport, tried for years to gain compliance from schools to avoid training
over populated areas and keep their training activities above the Airport. They
published RECOMMENDATIONS, GUIDELINES and PROCEDURES to no avail. There was
no compliance.
By 2005, huge increases in training activity on and near the Airport brought
public outrage to a peak. Again, the County Commission recognizing the harm
already done to the community attempted to protect the public against further
harm by publishing a formal appeal and “pleaded” with all helicopter
tenants, operators, pilots, instructors and students: “PLEASE –
NO ACTIVITY OVER POPULATED AREAS.
KEEP ALL PATTERNS OVER AIRPORT – OPERATE AWAY FROM RESIDENTIAL AREAS.”
This formal plea was reiterated four times ...taking up four of the six HELICOPTER
NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES (2005). (See attached to this petition). Again, there
has been no compliance to this day… none.
The County has made every ‘good faith effort’ to protect the public,
but for economic reasons, tenant training school(s) and other users continue
to ignore the County’s express will for them to become ‘good neighbors.’
Meanwhile, the people silently suffer the consequences in the absence of any
regulation, any monitoring and any correction yet, the County has entitled us
to these relief measures and it's time they delivered.
