Do you want to weigh in on noise around the airport and do so in an official capacity?  Well, now’s your chance.

The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority is preparing to update the former Noise Compatibility Planning Study for Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA).   That study was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in November 2008, in accordance with federal regulations known as “Part 150.”

The Airport Authority has hired an airport noise consulting firm – HMMH: Environmental and Transportation Planning Consultants – to help the Authority with the update.

As part of that process, two committees will be formed to advise and offer input to the Authority – the seven-person governing board that runs the airport.  There will be both a Citizens Advisory Committee and a Technical Advisory Committee.

According to a statement sent out by the Airport Authority on Wednesday, May 15, the committees “will provide input on current noise conditions around the airport, will review existing measures that are in place to reduce aircraft noise exposure on neighborhoods, will advise the Authority if any adjustments may be needed to those measures and will comment on study results.”

Each of the committees will meet four times over the course of the study update – which is expected to take about a year.  A team from HMMH will help run the meetings.

The Authority has requested that the mayors of Greensboro and High Point, the chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, the chairman of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners and the mayors of other area jurisdictions assist them by selecting members for the Citizens Advisory Committee. That committee is expected to include about 20 members.

People interested in serving should contact one of those elected officials.

The Citizens Advisory Committee will be selected from six districts around the airport, with three members being chosen from each district by local officials in Greensboro, High Point, Guilford County, Jamestown, Kernersville, Summerfield and Oak Ridge.  Winston-Salem and Forsyth County will also be asked to appoint one member each.

The Technical Advisory Committee, on the other hand, will include those with some specialty in airports or land use.  That committee will consist of airline representatives, FAA Airport Traffic Control Tower personnel, airport tenants, representatives from local planning jurisdictions and others with expertise in some aspect of airport operations or land use planning.

In order to get even more public participation, the Authority and HMMH will hold two public workshops with “an open house format” to explain the study, present information and to solicit public comments.  The location and date of those workshops will be publicized later.

According to the Airport Authority, the Part 150 study “will recommend updated Noise Exposure Maps and possible changes to noise mitigation measures for consideration by the Authority’s governing board.”

The Authority notes that the FAA has final authority to accept the airport’s noise exposure maps and approve any changes to the noise compatibility program, if any are recommended by the Authority.