Following a meeting held at the Springbank Heritage Club July 15 that saw around 60 people in attendance, those concerned about the recent nighttime restriction lift on small jet takeoffs at the Springbank Airport can anticipate further public engagement.
According to Jody Moseley, senior director of communications for the Calgary Airport Authority (CAA; which operates the Springbank Airport), an open house will be held during the first week of September (date to be announced at ybw.ca) to engage the public with information about the airport and offer an opportunity for concerns such as noise to be voiced.
Following this, a comprehensive study on the expanding airport — including a noise study — will be conducted.
Lois Torfason is a Springbank community resident and seven-year member of the Springbank Airport Noise Committee. She has already been invited to sit on a panel to inform the coming noise study and is eager to take part.
“This is a very local problem and if you live more than two miles from the airport, you’re not even aware that it exists,” she explained.
Torfason attended the meeting last week along with four other committee members, including fellow Springbank resident and current Rocky View County Coun. Jerry Arshinoff, and three CAA representatives, including Moseley.
Torfason said that many residents in the vicinity of the Springbank Airport have faced growing concerns over the noise produced by the expanding airport — noted as the sixth busiest airport in the country according to a 2014 Stats Canada report, with 80 per cent of the movements at the airport related to training.
Pressing concerns according to Torfason include the open-ended nature of the restriction lift (estimated at 14/month, but no cap) as the airport continues to expand; the absence of baseline noise data due to no current noise monitoring installed at the Springbank Airport (noise monitors are installed at the end of runways and in nearby communities at the Calgary Airport); the need for comprehensive noise assessments; and a need for the noise committee to meet with the CAA more than once a year, to be provided an agenda and backgrounder for that agenda.
Torfason said that the absence of noise monitoring is troubling and doesn’t assist with correlating complaints with baseline information; she said one area resident called in just last week to complain about being woken up at 4 a.m. by some type of aircraft.
She is hopeful that the airport will better engage with the community moving forward — as is Arshinoff.
“The people who live in the area already know it’s too noisy…I hope noise complaints will be taken seriously,” he said.
Prior to July 13, small jet departures were not permitted on weekdays between the hours of 11 p.m.-7 a.m. and 9 a.m. on weekends.
The Springbank Airport Business and Pilots Association has been advocating for these restrictions to be lifted for years, based on the argument that turbofan jet aircrafts emit less noise than other machines that are permitted to take off at nighttime (producing between 58.3-71.8 decibels of noise during takeoff).
Torfason remains unconvinced, adding that she and her husband are already woken up during the night and have to sleep with earplugs, and is annoyed that the pilots who swore they would not seek takeoff restriction lifts back in 2011, following landing restriction lifts, have now gone back on their promise.
In the meantime, Torfason said the committee would continue to engage with the airport, the community and the media.
Moseley noted that the meeting provided a good opportunity for the CAA to engage with the community and begin dialogue; learn more about the Springbank Airport at ybw.ca.
To get in touch with the Springbank Airport Noise Committee, email [email protected].
