Residents Upset About Increase In Flights At Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) -- Residents around the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Northern Jefferson County are banding together to try to get something done about the increased traffic and noise in the area.
"I've had these planes come over 600 feet over my house, and my house isn't the tallest thing around. And a lot of them are from flight schools," said Jim Shima, a Superior Resident.
On Monday, Congressman Joe Neguse will host a "listening session" with constituents from Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, Broomfield and Superior to discuss the issues with RMMA. The airport's most recent report says complaints tripled from 2017 to 2018. And after a runway expansion in 2014, total flights increased from about 115,000 operations up to about 170,000 in 2018.
"The major thing is, they're really low," said Shima. "This is a daily occurrence. They wake me up every morning. I don't need an alarm clock anymore."
Shima and many residents around Superior's Rock Creek neighborhood say they know they bought a house near an airport, but while usage has increased, there's no accountability for FAA regulations around flight altitude and noise.
"I think on one Saturday I could sit here and get five or 10 violations, every couple minutes they come over," Shima said. He started documenting flights with a range finder and a camera to photograph the airplane and its tail number, but he thinks his complaints to the airport are ignored.
"When you call them it's just a message. So I think I've put in 10 or so complaints. As far as I know they go into a digital trash can... Nothing has happened in terms of what I've perceived around here," Shima said.
The cities of Superior and Louisville have been working with a consultant to address the issue with the airport, but local politics could continue to play a role as Jefferson County oversees the airport.
"Right now, it's sort of a blame game of, 'go talk to this person, go talk to this person, go talk to the FAA,'" Shima said.
"It's not going to slow down it's just going to get worse."
Neguse's meeting will be held Monday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Louisville Public Library.