The East Hampton Town Board will go forward with an application to the Federal Aviation Administration to request restrictions on flights at the East Hampton Airport.
At a Town Board meeting on Thursday, October 5, four of the five board members—Councilman Fred Overton was not present but had previously expressed his support—moved to authorize attorneys and town officials to prepare a Part 161 application. That refers to a provision in the Airport Noise and Capacity Act that allows some municipalities to apply to restrict aircraft traffic to limit the effects of noise on residents.
The application, which will take an estimated three to five years, will require extensive analysis of airport traffic and noise as well as of how flight restrictions at the Wainscott airport could affect aviation-related businesses, and an exploration of alternatives to imposing restrictions.
Attorney Bill O’Connor of the Morrison Foerster law firm has said it will cost an estimated $1.5 million to $2 million to complete the survey and noise analysis, Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, the Town Board’s point person on airport matters, said after the meeting. The cost will be covered by airport revenues.
The next step will be for the town to issue a request for proposals to hire an economic consultant, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez said. Town officials will continue to seek community input on precisely what restrictions the town would seek.
“We’ll be engaging the community to determine what restrictions to look at,” she said. “We’ll be engaging all of our stakeholders.”
