KBJC Grant for a Part 150 Study from a Resident of Superior

Senator Hickenlooper and Senator Bennet,

I am writing to you after watching the September 6, 2024 Denver7 news story about the $1,400,633  grant RMMA will receive for a Part 150 Airport Noise Compatibility Study. Not only does this study cost an exorbitant amount of money, it will take approximately two years to complete. We do have another two years for the results of an outdated “study” based on noise models to document the present and predict the future when we have that information right now.

When Denver7 shared the concerns of the community they reported that: “Bennet's office responded saying the Senator has met with these groups and he's aware of their concerns”.  If you had talked recently to any of the citizens in our very active group, you would know that we have actual real-time data RIGHT NOW that shows flight patterns, time stamps, tail numbers, altitude measures, and decibel readings from each offending plane. We also have expert scientists that can tell you about lead being showered over our homes and children. You would also have been reminded that RMMA has been illegally operating flights over the town of Superior and illegally expanding the airport and its operations without any intervention or oversight.

Denver7 quoted Senator Hickenlooper as saying: "Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is still delivering improvements to make air travel safe and accessible for all Coloradans." Bipartisan by definition is: a decision resulting from the cooperation or compromise of two opposing political parties. This law can only be “bipartisan” if you, our representative and our voice, do not see that there are indeed two opposing sides in this matter and instead are in agreement with the airports and flight schools that they need not consider their impact on their surrounding communities.

We know that Senator Hickenlooper is on the subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, which includes oversight of the FAA. We want to be sure that you both truly understand what a Part 150 Study is and what it will and won’t do for our communities.

We, in Boulder County and beyond, are being subjected to constant noise and lead poisoning from inexperienced pilots in old equipment, flying dangerously low, in congested airspace, over a highly populated area. RMMA, an airport located not in our county, knows that since we have no vote or influence over their decisions, they can export all of their flight school noise, pollution, and risky behavior over neighboring counties while reaping the financial benefits (including grants that we, as taxpayers, fund).

If spending money on a Part 150 Study is your chosen course of action, you must believe that it will somehow benefit us. Are you aware that Centennial Airport is on their second Part 150 Study and despite the results from the first study have seen no relief, only an increase in operations, complaints, and more lead exposure (despite the introduction of unleaded fuel)?  We too used to ask for this study when we attended The Community Noise Roundtable held monthly at RMMA. That was before we realized that the noise contour maps are not based on real-time data, but projections made from some data points. Additionally, the existing Noise Contour Maps contained in RMMA’s current Master Plan and Strategic Business Plan are invented -no data was submitted for their creation (Jefferson County admitted to this in sworn testimony). Yet they are still used by RMMA to apply for and receive grants.

A Part 150 Study does not address that we are being poisoned by leaded fuel and particulates and we are putting ourselves at risk by simply living in our homes and neighborhoods. It does not warn residents that it is just a matter of time before one of these planes crash into our homes and that we may have to relive the fires that ravaged our neighborhood only a few years ago.

A Part 150 Study will not help you understand that we are not allowed to have an eight hour stretch of time to sleep at night, as it does not measure sleep deprivation or the effects of constant noise on our nervous systems and mental health. It does not show you the sick, injured, or stressed-out resident desperate for the required sleep to recover; the babies who are not allowed to nap in order to self-regulate and reach their milestones; or the children, teens, and adults who cannot reenergize and rebalance their bodies and minds because they are constantly having their sleep interrupted.

A Part 150 Study does not show you that the only time we can enjoy the outdoors away from planes is when it is too hot, too windy, too cloudy, or it is snowing. It is only during these extreme weather conditions that the planes stop circling overhead, and ironically prevent us from fully enjoying our time outdoors as well. However, it is also only during these times that we can safely open our windows and let the outside air in (please note: this is not hyperbolic speech… I was one of the nine houses that tested positive for lead in two different tests when the windowsill dust was sampled. I know the simple act of opening a window in my home is putting my family more at risk). 

A Part 150 Study does not produce a map of people who have sold, are selling, and/or are trying to rent their houses to escape the area. It does not show you that prospective buyers/tenants do not want to raise their families in a place where they cannot sleep, fear a plane crashing into their house, or do not want to risk having their children’s blood systems permanently poisoned. It does not adequately represent the feelings that your constituents have of being abandoned by their own elected officials, who keep choosing rich interests and exaggerated economic impacts over the lives and health of hundreds of thousands of affected people.

Denver7 quoted Senator Bennet as saying: "Colorado's regional and municipal airports help connect communities across our state and support local economic development."

As our senators (especially as a representative of the subcommittee), we need you both to be educated, informed, and engaged. That means understanding that “economic development” and economic benefits must include calculating the welfare, safety, and health costs of the affected population, the people you represent, and not just the reported income of airports and corporations.   

We are asking for you to meet with us and to engage us in conversation, so we can share data and problem-solving strategies with you. We are asking you take a stand as our local elected officials, Kyle Brown, Judy Amabile, and Shannon Bird did when they introduced and passed HB24-1235. We are asking you to put people before profits, sound bites, and photo opportunities.

We look forward to your reply.