Tulsa World: 1,000th home sound-proofed

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1,000th home sound-proofed
Airport neighbors spared jet noise through program

John and Sadie Neil stand in their back yard Friday near Tulsa International Airport. Their house is the 1,000th insulated against aircraft noise in the neighborhood south of the main runway through the QuieterHome Program. JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World

By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer
Published: 4/4/2009 2:22 AM
Last Modified: 4/4/2009 4:04 AM

It's like the old days at Sadie and John Neil's home near Tulsa International Airport.

Following more than $30,000 worth of insulation and construction work on the house, the jet engine noise that drowns the neighborhood much of the day has been muffled, and the Neils are able to talk to each other when planes fly overhead.

It's almost as if the clock has been turned back to 1954, when they bought their new home in the Layman Van Acres Addition south of Tulsa International's main north-south runway.

In those days, jet aircraft were a relative rarity.

"The difference these windows and the insulation made is unbelievable," John Neil said. "The aircraft noise is way down."

Sadie Neil said that before contractors working for the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust installed double-pane windows and insulated the attic, ceilings and walls, the couple's ability to conduct a conversation during aircraft operations was "nil."

"On a scale of one to 10, it's a 9 today," she said. "It's totally different."

The Neils' home is the 1,000th residence completed under TAIT's QuieterHome Program.

The Tulsa aircraft noise mitigation effort began in 2000 after Federal Aviation Administration acoustical surveys determined that 1,672 homes, four schools and three churches were eligible for assistance. The acoustical studies established the neighborhoods south, southwest and southeast of the main runway experience 24-hour average aircraft noise levels of 65 decibels — comparable to the sound experienced by a person standing at the edge of a busy freeway.

Under the QuieterHome Program, eligible homeowners are offered three options:

A one-time cash payment of $2,500 for a flyover easement;

A sale assistance program offering homeowners a cash payment in compensation for the difference between the final sale price of the home and the fair market value of the property as determined by an appraisal, and

Insulation and reconstruction of the home to reduce the impact of outside noise levels.

In addition to the FAA funding, the noise mitigation program is funded by a 5 percent contribution from TAIT.

The program is managed by C&S Engineers of Syracuse, N.Y., which has employed several Tulsa-area construction contractors to insulate and reconstruct homes.

Typically, groups of 50 to 70 homes are assembled in work packages that are bid by construction firms. In the last few years, about 200 homes per year have been completed.

At the present pace of construction and funding, the last homes in the program are expected to be completed in 2012, officials said. The eligible schools and churches will be addressed after the homes are completed, they said.

To date, 51 homes have been sold through the sales assistance option, and 77 homeowners have received cash payments.

"Tulsa's noise program has helped more than a thousand homeowners affected by the air operations at Tulsa International Airport," said Airports Director Jeff Mulder. "We are pleased that this program has been so well received by the community."

John Neil said his home's 24 windows used to rattle when aircraft flew over.

"We've actually had Sheetrock come down in the garage from the vibration," he said. "These windows, there's no rattling."

QuieterHome Program data

Program launched in September 2000.

Total number of eligible properties: 1,698.

Number of homes funded to date: 1,352.

Number of homes under contract and under construction: 150.

Number of homes reconstructed for noise insulation: 1,000.

Program expenditures to date: $53.6 million.

Average cost per home for noise insulation: $36,900.

Projected program completion date: Second quarter 2013.

Projected total program costs for eligible properties: $80.5 million.

D.R. Stewart 581-8451
don.stewart@tulsaworld.com By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer

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	Report Comment wilson, (4/4/2009 6:03:50 AM) Now that's the way a government program should work. Kudos to all involved.
	Report Comment Observer3, Tulsa (4/4/2009 1:16:12 PM) Actually, Anative Tulsan, we taxpayers are the ones who are footing the bill. I'm with you, if you buy a house near an airport, even decades ago, you know it's going to be noisy. I will never understand why we have to bail out people who buy in flood plains or near airports, etc. When are people going to be responsible for the decisions THEY make?
	Report Comment Matt, (4/4/2009 10:45:46 PM) The question here is why on earth does that old house have 24 windows???
	Report Comment CPT Ron, Lawton (4/4/2009 11:04:55 PM) My house only has 13 windows. It might be cheaper to put mufflers on the airplanes. I think the new generation of aircraft are much quieter. And yes, there were no houses there when the airports were built. Airports are always built out of town. The houses were added later.
	Report Comment CPT Ron, Lawton (4/4/2009 11:08:20 PM) Oops, I forgot that when the houses were added near the airport the planes used propellers and did not make as much noise as the jet planes do. It would not do any good to move the airports out of town again. People would just build houses around them again.

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