Sound Insulation Program Construction Begins On First One Hundred Homes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cyndy Johnson, (510) 577-4271
After Hours, (510) 577-4067

Note to Editors: Phase One participants are willing to meet with the media on Wednesday, June 6, 2001 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Interviews may be arranged by contacting the program manager, C. Kell-Smith & Associates, Inc., at (888) 807-6200.

Oakland, California, June 4, 2001 - Phase One construction begins today in Alameda on the first 100 homes eligible to participate in Oakland International Airport's $2 to $3 million sound insulation program. Construction takes about two weeks per home, with a 10-12 week lead-time for materials, and completion of Phase One homes is expected in November 2001.

Three Oakland-based firms are part of the Sound Insulation Program team - Muller & Caulfield Architects, CBK Designs (scheduling/construction management) and M. A. Lindquist, Co, Inc. (general contractor). San Bruno-based C. Kell-Smith & Associates, Inc. is handling program management responsibilities.

The sound insulation program is a voluntary, multi-phase program that replaces all windows and sliding glass doors with special acoustical, double-pane units; provides weather-stripping for exterior doors and replaces hollow core doors; modifies fireplace opening and dampers; and provides fresh air makeup to the existing heating system. In exchange for these home improvements, homeowners are required to sign a limited noise easement and construction agreement. All construction materials comply with each homeowner's association requirements.

The six-phase program is expected to take six years to complete, with approximately 100 homes participating in each phase. Eligible homes are accepted into the program on a "first come, first served" basis.

The eligibility area, approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is based on the 65-decibel Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) contour for Oakland International Airport in calendar year 1995. The area encompasses approximately 586 townhomes and 32 single-family homes located south of Fir and Oleander Avenues on Alameda's Bay Farm Island. Homes in that area built after 1976 are not eligible for the program because of existing easement agreements.

"The airport's noise contour has decreased annually as aircraft have gotten quieter but we felt it was vital to our relationship with the community to soundproof these homes," said Carole Wedl, noise management officer for Oakland International Airport. "We feel confident that these homeowners will realize continued improvement in their comfort and quality of life, based on the effectiveness of our 1999 pilot program that reduced the interior noise level in participating homes by 5.5 decibels."

In Fall 1999, four homeowners participated in a pilot sound insulation program to evaluate the effectiveness of the home improvements with the goal of bringing the homes into compliance with the state of California's requirement for interior noise levels of 45 decibels CNEL or less. A 5.5-decibel reduction in interior noise levels was achieved.

The $2 to $3 million program will be funded through passenger facility charges (PFCs), a user fee collected by the airlines on behalf of the U.S. government on every enplaning passenger at Oakland International Airport. The PFC collected at Oakland International is currently $3 per enplaned passenger. This project is one of many approved for PFC funding by the FAA.

Applications now are being accepted for the next phase of the program. Homeowners in the "eligibility area" may contact the Program Management consultant, C. Kell-Smith & Associates, Inc. at (888) 807-6200 for more information.

Oakland International Airport served more than 10.6 million passengers and handled more than 700,000 metric tons of air cargo in 2000. Oakland International has more than 190 daily flights on 12 domestic and international carriers to 31 nonstop destinations, including the Hawaiian Islands, the New York area, Paris, Tahiti, and several cities in Mexico. New service in 2001 includes four nonstop flights a week to Kona on Aloha Airlines, a nightly nonstop to Detroit on Spirit Airlines and two daily nonstop flights to Atlanta on Delta Air Lines. The airport is a revenue division of the Port of Oakland, an independent department of the city of Oakland.

Oakland International Airport is just beginning its $1.5 billion expansion program known as the Airport Development Program (ADP). The ADP is an umbrella program for 18 expansion and improvement projects that will enable the airport to serve 13.8 million passengers and handle one million metric tons of air cargo. Program highlights include the addition of 12 passenger gates, a six-lane parkway into the airport from I-880, a two-level roadway, a consolidated terminal building, and a multi-level parking facility. The ADP is expected to take five- to seven- years to complete.

Oakland International consistently has the best on-time record of the three Bay Area airports, according to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation. It is the only Bay Area airport with a dedicated shuttle that meets every Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system train at the nearby Coliseum station. On-airport parking rates are as low as $12 per day in the long-term lot and $10 per day in the economy long-term lot. A rate increase is being considered in the next fiscal year in order to build additional parking facilities. Visit the airport's Web site at www.oaklandairport.com for more information.