Neighbors ask FAA to hear their concerns as traffic picks up at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport
Traffic is picking up at the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and neighbors in Broomfield are noticing. A report shows operations have increased 58% over the last 5 years.
Neighbors say there's too much noise and on Monday morning were set to take their complaints to the FAA.
For the past few years, neighbors near the airport have complained about the increased noise of planes in their area and they say it has only gotten worse. Laurie Chin Sayres, a longtime resident of the Rosewood neighborhood, is not happy about planes flying over her home.
"Last year was brutal. Absolutely brutal," said Chin Sayres.
Sayres says the noise has become intolerable over the years. She works from home and wears headphones to try to drown out the noise.
"If I don't leave my home, I will not hear silence in my neighborhood and it is so loud, so deafening that we can't work," said Chin-Sayres.
At this point, several neighbors just like Sayres are tired of complaining with no change.
"My biggest fear is no one is going to help us," said Sayres.
They feel their concerns have gone unheard, and now they will share them with the FAA on Monday morning during the Colorado Noise roundtable.
Charlene Willey, another concerned resident, is afraid a plane might crash into her home if changes aren't made soon.
"The noise is an issue but those airplanes also burn leaded aviation gas. Noise is a health concern as well, but the leaded fuel is a dramatic concern."
"At this point people have exhausted all their efforts. This has turned into a nearly fulltime job for a few of us and the rest of the people they are living with this increasing and growing problem and they are quite concerned about the health of their children and the noise," said Willey.
Neighbors have also received backlash for calling out the noise pollution, adding they've received online harassment and random messages from people asking them to quit complaining.
CBS News Colorado reached out to the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport advisory board and their response was as follows:
The community noise roundtable was established by the county and RMMA...while much is able to be discussed by participants in this meeting, the RMMA board only addresses items within our purview- which is on the ground operations. Once airborne, it is the purview of the FAA.
The lead concern is not on the agenda but residents still plan to speak about it.
We have exhausted all the polite ways of asking and now we are going to the roundtable and saying - this is supposed to be for noise only but really need to be heard and are asking you pay attention to us.
The community noise roundtable was set to take place Monday at 9 a.m. Centennial residents also plan to sit in support of the RMMA neighbors at this meeting.
