UMC, neighbors make peace over helicopter noise
After four years of dispute, UMC and Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association officials have reached an agreement that would reduce helicopter noise while still allowing for emergency use.
The plan, expected to be finalized in January, calls for University Medical Center to use helicopters only for critical care patients en-route to the campus hospital, said Jim Kluger, Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association president.
The neighborhood association - which encompasses the area from North Campbell Avenue to North Euclid Avenue and includes East Grant Road and East Lester Street - began a protest in 1994.
The group became aware that the helicopters' noise levels register at about 82-100 decibels of noise for several minutes - well above the city limit of 55 decibels, Kluger said.
"It is a pulsating annoyance with an erratic pattern that can be difficult to deal with," said Kluger, who has lived in the area for about 22 years. "We don't want to jeopardize any lives, but our homes are a major investment. We have to do what we have to do to protect them."
The draft would formalize "fly friendly" procedures that would require the helicopters operated at the UMC to fly over commercial or industrial areas to minimize residential impact, Kluger said.
Alternative routes such as flying over North Campbell Avenue or East Speedway Boulevard are specified in the draft, he said.
The dispute dates back to a time when UMC had helicopters landing about 600 times a month from 1994-95, Kluger said. Under the new plan, the number of UMC helicopter landings each month would be reduced to about 125, he said.
Helicopter traffic has decreased at the medical center, which now averages two landings a day, said UMC Chief Operating Officer John Duval.
He added, however, that neighbors will have to endure some noise because UMC's level-one trauma center needs the helicopters for critical care.
"We are concerned about our neighbors," Duval said. "(But) aircraft is part of a trauma center."
The University of Arizona helped mediate the conflict because it owns the helicopters' pads, said Bruce Wright, assistant president of economic development.
"We at the university, because we are landlords, are committed to help resolve this problem," Wright said, who has worked with the committee for three years. "We want to make sure we are good neighbors and make sure activities do not harm neighbors."
Kluger said he hopes the plan is approved at a neighborhood association meeting in January.
"The fact that the agreement is in final form is certainly an indication we've come to a compromise," Duval said. "It is my hope the neighborhood will ratify the agreement."
Rachael Myer can be reached via e-mail at Rachael.Myer@wildcat.arizona.edu.
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