June 7, 2021

In the Port’s community-wide survey last year, 164 of more than 1,100 respondents relayed that airport noise is a significant issue in their neighborhood. After nearly five years working to address noise issues at the Ken Jernstedt Airfield, including public meetings, a year-long public outreach process, and development and implementation of a “Fly Friendly” program, neighborhood noise impacts remain. The Port of Hood River formed an Airport Noise Work Group last summer to further study the issue, recommend actions to the Airport Advisory Committee (AAC), and ultimately identify additional solutions to reduce airport noise in the community.

The work group, comprised of three pilots, three residents and Port staff, formed the following purpose statement:

“Develop recommendations for Port actions to manage airport noise at a level acceptable to the community now and in the future for ultimate review and approval by the Port Commission.”

The work group conducted research and created a matrix of recommended actions. It then received input from the AAC, airport users and operators to reflect broad input and support from stakeholder groups. The matrix includes actions for future consideration that have full or partial consensus and may require further research or have budget implications. l

Prioritized
Recommendations include:

• Acknowledgement of Best Management Practices for Operators, including the Fixed Base Operator (FBO), concession and lease agreements.
• Report and respond to all noise complaints.
• Consider noise impact on all proposals for the airport with the goal of no additional negative impact to residents.
• Evaluate FBO business model and determine whether a subsidy is needed.