The Vermont Air National Guard will explore options to help reduce noise from F-35 jets, but says it will not impact immediate operations because mission changes are determined at the federal level by the Secretary of the Air Force or higher authority.
Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski passed resolutions in recent months to change the F-35 mission, citing noise from the jets at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport in South Burlington as being too loud and too frequent.
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, along with Leahy International Airport aviation director Nic Longo, met with National Air Guard leaders earlier this fall as the city waits to find out whether the state legislature will take any action based on the resolutions adopted earlier this year. The next legislature starts in January.
Guard leaders told Mulvaney-Stanak and Longo that the resolution will not change the military process for determining their mission.
Ahead of the legislative session that begins in January, Mulvaney-Stanak and Longo gave an update to residents on their work with Guard during this week’s City Council meeting.
What is the Vermont Air National Guard doing to stop the noise of the F-35s
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VTANG efforts to reduce noise:
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VTANG wants to work with communities to explore change. They have historically made changes to the F-35 program, including changes to flight paths, and may do so again.
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VTANG will continue to explore operational (and not mission) changes to reduce noise in the community, including the way aircraft take off. This may take some time as a federal environmental review is required.
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VTANG provided the necessary data in a timely manner so that BTV Airport could update their noise exposure map.
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VTANG wrote a letter of support for the airport’s recent grant application to gain access to the Ministry of Defense Noise Funding. It’s a new federal program that provides millions of dollars annually to airports with Air National Guard bases.
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If awarded, all of the money will go toward increasing the current $5 million used for the airport’s soundproofing program.
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VTANG representatives also cautioned that it would not adjust all of the unit’s flights, as the VTANG fire department was established well before the F-35 mission and supports not only the airport but also surrounding towns.
How many homes and businesses are affected by the noise from Leahy Airport
According to a new report, an estimated 5,515 people living in 2,368 housing units – which could be an apartment complex or single-family home – are severely affected by airport noise. The sound includes all aircraft, not just the F-35s.
The figure comes from the new noise exposure map that describes “the layout and operation of the airport, the exposure to aircraft noise, the land use in the vicinity of the airport and the resulting compatibility between noise and land use”, which Longo presented during the city council . The updated map was completed with the help of a 2023 federal Noise Compatibility Program, which also helps pay for mitigation.
Essentially, the map shows the geographical boundaries of those affected by noise from airport operations by calculating the decibel count in terms of the day-night average noise level value.
These are the commercial and residential properties that can apply for federal money to alleviate noise. The average renovated home costs about $130,000.
Mitigation comes in the form of new insulation, new doors, new HVAC systems and more. Although it is still early in the project timeline, Chamberlin Elementary School has a new HVAC system and noise monitoring systems have been installed, along with in Winooski and Williston.
Sydney P. Hakes is Burlington’s city reporter. Contact her at SHakes@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Mayor of Burlington, airport director overview: Mitigation for F35 noise
