North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and Councilman Dennis Walsh helped successfully lobby the Port Authority to place a noise monitor at Michael J. Tully Park in New Hyde Park. The monitor will help fill a gap between two existing noise monitors in Floral Park and East Hills as part of an ongoing effort to track noise pollution by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from constant low-flying planes in residential areas on Long Island.
“I’m glad the Port Authority agreed to this noise monitor, as it helps identify noise pollution as it actually happens,” DeSena said. “North Hempstead residents deserve a lot better than the seemingly endless stream of flights the FAA has allowed over their homes. This is a step in our fight to stop it.”
This noise monitor comes on the heels of a joint petition filed by the towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead, and other local and state officials to request the FAA investigate alternative flight routes and patterns. The coalition plans to file an official lawsuit against the FAA if it does not respond to its original petition within 90 days.
“While a new noise monitor helps, it’s not nearly enough to satisfy our residents and families,” Walsh said. “The FAA has neglected our town for too long, and we deserve a change immediately.”
In July, elected officials on Long Island wrote to the FAA to formally request it adhere to the terms of a 2019 agreement that prevented aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet when outside 15 miles of Kennedy Airport. The FAA has not publicly commented on the apparent breach of agreement, the recent petition, or the pending lawsuit.