This is from the same person that wrote the last piece.  Since then he has been a busy woodchuck.  I’ll let him explain:

Sentiments of Residents Living  in the Current F-16 and Proposed F-35 Noise Zone.

Over a three week period I canvassed about a third or so, some 300 houses, in the 65dB Jet noise zone of South Burlington talking to residents and trying to get a feel for how other people view or felt about the proposed basing. I live in the zone so I had reason to start this inquiry. What I found contradicts the view of so many people who do not live in this zone and of the wishful thinking pro-F35 crowd. Of those 300 some houses about 60% responded, the rest not responding from either not being at home, some other reason or declining to offer an opinion.  (To get to the 60% level I had to canvass streets twice.  I counted those who opened the door but had no comment in the 40% figure assuming “no response” was equivalent to not opening the door.)

If I subtracted out the guard members, their families or friends (as stated to me) then a strong majority of residents oppose the basing of the planes here. Even with the pro-guard persons included I still found that a majority opposed the basing. These residents presently have difficulties with the F16s. So imagine their feelings about going back to a plane that is at least as loud as the F4 which had a reputation of breaking windows in houses near the airport from its noise.

In a handful of houses with children the kids were terrified when the planes took off. In one case the parents said it took several years for their kids to adjust and that adjustment is still not complete.  At a day care center the owner was particularly irate about the jets take-offs since the kids in the yard would scream and cry from being terrified.  Across the street a woman felt the same but didn’t want to create internal family problems by voicing her opinions publicly. Fortunately most houses here do not have small children.

I talked to numerous residents who knew people who moved out because of the noise.  Others I talked to would follow suit when financial conditions allowed.  On my block alone a house that was purchased about two years ago is for sale. The owners want to get away from the noise.  Another is for sale just up the street.

But the overriding issue expressed to me was property values. There is a lot of mis-information and wishful thinking coming out of the pro-F35ers, but research in other areas with airports have clearly show the property values decrease the closer one gets to airports with noise issues. There is even a formula to calculate the decrease in value. Some homes I visited had damage to interior walls that they were convinced came from the planes.

Supporters of the F35 have been particularly abusive in their put-down to those with legitimate objections to the basing of the jets here by calling them whiners among other abusive language and suggest if they do not like it they should move out of the area. Well, that would mean at least a simple majority of homeowners would have to move. Consider what that would do to property values!

Roseanne Greco and the council were right to question it through the city council since it affects so many people living in this zone. To have not done it would have been irresponsible and would have shown the lack of caring about its impacts to nearby residents – a lack of caring I have seen in manifold amounts from the business community here and supporters of the basing. I laud the council’s decision to question the proposed  F35 basing here and Ms. Greco’s courage to speak out.

Ray Gonda

South Burlington