AIRPORT OFFERS PIECE OF QUIET; BURBANK RESIDENTS GIVEN OPTION OF SOUNDPROOFING.Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer Jets used to rattle Steve Eisinger's home like an all-day thunderstorm thunderstorm, violent, local atmospheric disturbance accompanied by lightning, thunder, and heavy rain, often by strong gusts of wind, and sometimes by hail. , rousting slumbering family members in the morning and forcing them to pause home videos while the planes passed in the evening. Although the Eisingers still live in the same house near Burbank Airport, a program to soundproof sound·proof adj. Not penetrable by audible sound. sound  proof v. homes inside a critically loud zone has
turned their pad into a safe haven 1. Designated area(s) to which noncombatants of the United States Government's responsibility and commercial vehicles and materiel may be evacuated during a domestic or other valid emergency.2. from noise - provided, of course, the windows stay closed. ``No matter what we do, whenever we are outside, we will always have the sound,'' Eisinger, 37, said from his front yard. He paused while an Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines, (NYSE: ALK) is an airline based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It operates hubs at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Portland International Airport. jet took off overhead, filling the neighborhood with a conversation-stopping roar. ``But when we're inside, we no longer have to pause videotapes when the planes go over,'' said the entertainment executive, who lives on North Evergreen Street, about one-third of a mile from the airport. ``It is so much quieter.'' The Eisingers and eight other Burbank families are human guinea pigs guinea pig (gĭn`ē), domesticated form of the cavy, Cavia porcellus, a South American rodent. It is unrelated to the pig; the name may refer to its shrill squeal. - the first to take part in an airport-sponsored program to insulate homes against the jet noise that has turned the city of Burbank against the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. Over the next 10 to 15 years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time airport plans to spend $110 million, mainly in federal grant money, to soundproof 2,300 homes in Burbank, Sun Valley and North Hollywood. In April, Vice President Al Gore Noun 1. Al Gore - Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton (born in 1948) Albert Gore Jr., Gore announced the airport's most recent grant of $2 million, giving it enough cash on hand to complete 75 homes, at a cost of as much as $37,000 each, in the next 14 months. Four schools near the airport also have been soundproofed, including Luther Burbank Middle School Luther Burbank Middle School can refer to:
``You had to stop your teaching whenever the planes went over,'' said Assistant Principal Debbie Fleiner. ``You just kept getting interrupted during your teaching day. Now you just can't hear them at all.'' A similar project is under way in the neighborhoods around Los Angeles International Airport “LAX” redirects here. For other uses, see LAX (disambiguation). “KLAX” redirects here. For other uses, see KLAX (disambiguation). Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX, FAA LID: LAX , which embarked on a $200 million residential soundproofing Soundproofing is any means of reducing the intensity of sound with respect to a specified source and receptor. There are several basic approaches to reducing sound: increasing the distance between source and receiver, using noise barriers to block or absorb the energy of the sound program last year. So far, 126 units have been completed. Expansion debate Burbank Airport officials hope that by touting their success in blocking out noise in the nine ``demonstration'' homes, they can encourage 2,300 more families to sign up for program, which is free to residents. These officials, who are pursuing a hotly debated plan to build a larger air terminal, are banking on the sound insulation campaign to generate goodwill in the community and to meet government sound-reduction mandates. But the city of Burbank, which is locked in a bitter legal battle with the airport over expansion, has not backed the program, making it harder for the airport to find residents willing to sign up, airport officials say. But after years of stalemate, U.S. Reps. Howard Berman Howard Lawrence "Howie" Berman (born April 15 1941) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1983, representing the 28th District of California (map). , D-Mission Hills, and Brad Sherman Bradley J. "Brad" Sherman (born October 24 1954) is an American politician. He has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1997, representing California's At-large congressional district. , D-Woodland Hills, said Friday that they are interceding to settle the debate quickly. Berman and Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control head Jane F. Garvey will be in town next month to act as broker among all parties, in an effort to get past technical, legal and other obstacles that have kept the matter frozen. But the battle continues. At the heart of the Burbank's complaint about the soundproofing program is that it is only a mitigating measure and not a cure for rumbling jet noise. ``The sound insulation doesn't solve the overall issue of making the airport more compatible with residential areas,'' said Peter Kirsch kirsch n. A colorless brandy made from the fermented juice of cherries. [French, short for German Kirschwasser; see kirschwasser. , special counsel to the city on airport matters. ``It is very much a secondary solution.'' One Burbank resident said he turned down a proposal from the airport to soundproof his home about a mile from the runways because he feared he'd become a ``prisoner'' in his own home. ``On a nice day, you cannot open your windows. You cannot open your doors,'' said Fred Koerner, 83, a retired machinist. ``You cannot get any fresh air. What the airport really needs to do is cut back on flights.'' The city also objects to an agreement residents must sign before any noise insulation work can begin. It requires residents to pledge never to sue the airport over noise, smoke or vibration caused by normal airplane operations in exchange for the free soundproofing. But airport officials counter that the agreement is fair, given what they say is the value the soundproofing program adds to homes. Although these officials concede the airport will likely get noisier in the future, the agreement in no way relieves the airport of its commitment to making itself as quiet as possible, said airport spokesman Sean McCarthy. ``We believe there is a sentiment being put out by the city that this is some kind of trap,'' McCarthy said. ``That is absolutely not the case. The airport is taking every effective step to reduce noise impacts around the community.'' McCarthy said the airport has pushed the airlines to fly only the quietest jets out of Burbank and that the FAA generally does not favor curbs or curfews on flights sought by the city. Baffling baf·fle tr.v. baf·fled, baf·fling, baf·fles 1. To frustrate or check (a person) as by confusing or perplexing; stymie. 2. To impede the force or movement of. n. 1. jet noise Eisinger knows the everlasting everlasting or immortelle (ĭm'ôrtĕl`), names for numerous plants characterized by papery or chaffy flowers that retain their form and often their color when dried and are used for winter bouquets and decorations. agreement scared some residents away from the program, but he had no problem with it. ``I am going to be dealing with the noise here forever,'' he said, shrugging. ``The airport is going to be here long after I am gone.'' Crews arrived in October at Eisinger's prim one-story, two-bedroom home and began installing new double-paned windows that muffle sound. Solid wood doors now hang instead of the flimsier ones that came with the 50-year-old home. The old roof came off, making room for a new roof with heftier noise insulation. As part of the deal, the Eisingers also got new heating and air conditioning air conditioning, mechanical process for controlling the humidity, temperature, cleanliness, and circulation of air in buildings and rooms. Indoor air is conditioned and regulated to maintain the temperature-humidity ratio that is most comfortable and healthful. systems with special sound baffles that prevent noise from sneaking into the home through ducts. Finally, because city law prevents any work from being done unless the house is up to code, the airport kicked in more than $5,000 of its own money to install a new electrical system. There has been at least one down side, Eisinger said. The work that the airport estimated would take two to three weeks dragged on for more than six months, in part because of problems with an airport-selected contractor, Eisinger said. And despite the improvements, Eisinger realizes that all the noise-busting work won't make an iota of difference the second a family member opens a window or steps outside. Nevertheless, his home has been transformed into a relative pocket of tranquillity below the flight path that starts at the airport's east-west runway, he said. CAPTION(S): Photo, box, drawing PHOTO Steve Eisinger looks out his Burbank home, which has double-paned windows and solid wood doors to cut noise from the nearby airport. Gus Ruelas/Daily News Drawing: Soundproofing against jets Gregg Miller Gregg Miller, inventor of Neuticles, was born in Independence, MO on April 28, 1953, He is a graduate of Truman High School and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Central Missouri State University in 1976. Box: Soundproofing tips |
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