Why isn’t the city of Homer involving everyone in the area in a communitywide meeting to discuss the proposed expansion and come up with a creative solution to minimize the inevitable impact of creating a bigger airport — if indeed one is needed at all. This is something that affects everyone within earshot of an airplane — not just plane owners.
Well, it’s not too late yet to make written comment, so here it is:
First of all, to the folks at the city of Homer and planning commission: It’s already noisy enough out here. Do we want another LAX in our midst, or a San Diego? Maybe the folks near the Anchorage airport are resigned to their windows rattling every time a C-130 does touch-and-gos over their houses or jets roar overhead all day long, but I do mind very much, and so do my farm animals, not to mention my paying guests.
It’s to the point you practically have to wear ear plugs or yell just to have a normal conversation when one of those little, overloaded floatplanes takes off over the Homer Hills.
Don’t get me wrong. I think planes are romantic and an essential part of the Alaska scene. Forty years ago, it was actually exciting to hear the drone of the DC-3, our own Pacific Northern Airlines (“The Alaska Flag Line”), as it came slowly across the sky toward Homer. We would all run out of the log cabin and wave as it passed overhead.
But that was once a week, plus a few bush planes that dropped mail out of the sky and dipped their wings “hello” and maybe one circled your house a few times in greeting because you knew him.
Now you have to get up at four in the morning to even hear the birds sing before the planes dominate the sound scape over our cosmic hamlet — a noise level that I don’t think any of us came here to hear.
You know, it just sort of creeps up on us. We like to be supportive of our flying neighbors and their flying businesses, but suddenly there are military planes, choppers, jets and more and bigger planes each year coming and going without any regard for the people living below. Yet, if these were motorcycles or trucks flying over, we would have had mufflers put on them long ago or restricted their hours or their pathways. We certainly wouldn’t let them roar right over our fields and houses day and night without putting up a fuss or calling the cops.
What makes the airplane so sacred that we can’t be rational and say, “Hey, enough is enough already. Let’s think ahead.” They are talking about increasing landings from 38,000 a year to more than 240,000. That means a lot more noise. Is that what we want for the Homer area? Or do we want an enlightened community that cares about quality of life?
Before we subject all citizens of this entire magical Homer bench area to ever increasing noise and air pollution and create ourselves a monster, we should seriously get together and consider where our future airport should be located and build it there now, even if we have to drive a couple more miles to get there, like in Cordova.
It will be better for our nearby wetlands, our lovely lake, the birds and animals, our eardrums and our general serenity and safety.
We can still upgrade and keep our picturesque little airport in our midst, mainly for the use of locals. But why expand right here in Homer? Who exactly will benefit from this? At whose expense? How will this affect property values? Who on earth would choose to invest anything right under an air freeway?
Every Homer homeowner should rise up and object before we all go deaf. I hope the city of Homer will have a community meeting about this right away, so that not only the wants of the aviation community are addressed, but also the needs and rights and preferences of everyone who might be affected.
It is the right thing to do. Our grandkids will thank us for our foresight and consideration.
Mossy Kilcher is a lifelong Homer resident who lives directly under the flight path.
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