Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee

TOWN-VILLAGE AIRCRAFT SAFETY & NOISE ABATEMENT COMMITTEE One Washington Street, Hempstead, New York 11550 (516) 489-5000 x3296 – TVASNAC@tohmail.org Meeting Minutes Monday, May 22, 2023 In Attendance Carl Baessler, Village of Atlantic Beach Andrew Weiss, Village of Floral Park Laurence Quinn, Village of Garden City Richard Pallisco, Village of New Hyde Park Sean Wright, Village of Valley Stream Shaynee Kessler, Village of Woodsburgh Edward Lino, Town of Hempstead Deputy Town Attorney’s Office Carol Renta called the meeting to order, attendance was taken, and a quorum was established. Carol Renta asked if everyone had reviewed the April 24, 2023 minutes and if there were any changes. Hearing none, Carl Baessler moved to approve the minutes, and Andrew Weiss second the motion. Carol Renta asked if everyone had reviewed the 2023-2024 Calendar of Meetings and if there were any changes or comments. Hearing none, Carl Baessler moved to approve the calendar and Sean Wright second the motion. The committee discussed holding a few off-site meetings; the July 31, 2023 meeting will be held at Valley Stream Village Hall. Other suggested locations would be the Five Towns (Lawrence Village Hall) and Floral Park/New Hyde Park/Garden City (Floral Park Village Hall). These villages’ representatives will inquire at their respective village. Edward Lino provided an update on our F.O.I.L. request – Following the April meeting, Edward Lino sent a second F.O.I.L. request to the FAA and Port Authority requesting all records of raw data from noise monitor locations 55, arrivals Floral Park and 4, departures Inwood, for August 2022 and September 2022. Raw data, meaning flight numbers, decibel volume, altitude, angle of inclination, etc. - not requesting “DNL” but rather requesting actual numbers used to calculate said DNL. Mr. Lino received the standard response letter from the FAA and Port Authority stating they are looking for these records and will respond to the committee by July 7, 2023. Richard Pallisco stated that he had some complaints/concerns from residents about the airplane exhaust chemical trail effects, and he would follow up with Meredith Hughes from Legislator Richard Nicolello’s office to see if she received an update from the Nassau County Department of Health on this matter. Richard Pallisco further explained that in New Hyde Park, on foggy nights you can smell the airplane exhaust in front of your home. 1 Andrew Weiss suggested following up with Assemblyman Ed Ra on Bill A2140 from the 21-22 Legislative Session. This Bill was to study the health effects of airplane pollution in communities surrounding the airports, and we should get an update to see if the study is still being conducted or if it has been completed. Richard Pallisco volunteered to call Assemblyman Ra to inquire about this Bill. Present at tonight’s meeting were New Hyde Park residents Michael McCarthy and Andrew Faglio. • Andrew Faglio advised the committee of low-flying helicopters above his home, one block south of Jericho Turnpike/New Hyde Park Road following the Long Island Rail Road Tracks. Mr. Faglio believes the helicopters are from a commercial business and are traveling extremely low and fast. o Laurence Quinn advised Mr. Faglio that helicopters are permitted to fly as low as 500 feet over congested areas, including residential areas. As a comparison, airplanes currently fly 1,600 – 2,000 feet over our homes where they should by flying at 2,400 feet. • Michael McCarthy reported seeing frequent police helicopters in New Hyde Park and asked the committee if they knew why this was occurring. o Andrew Weiss informed Mr. McCarthy that police pilots are required to fly the helicopters a certain number of hours every month for training purposes, and Laurence Quinn further stated that during these police training sessions, the helicopters typically land in the parking lot of Sewanhaka High School. Carol Renta asked if anyone had any items to add. Hearing none, Richard Pallisco called for the meeting to be adjourned and Laurence Quinn second the motion. Prepared by: Carol Renta Secretary, TVASNAC 2