Burbank Airport

* Re “Expansion of Airport Is Cleared for Takeoff,” Aug. 5.

Unfortunately, it appears Judge [Carl J.] West’s concerns were well-founded. In an unwarranted rush to complete a deal on the airport in advance of any public debate or scrutiny, Mayor [Stacey] Murphy and Council Member [David] Golonski have made a deal that does not offer any new protections for the city of Burbank or its neighboring communities.

I am deeply concerned, as were the numerous Burbank residents I spoke to at [the Aug. 4] news conference, that the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority has achieved a one-sided compromise. Homeowners and residents get no reduction in current noise or protection from increased noise (especially given that no curfew is on the horizon) while the authority gets a bigger airport with no new mandatory use restrictions.

The authority’s promise (not unlike unkept promises of the past) that it will pursue a Part 161 study offers no relief because that study will be based on the sham referred to as the Part 150 study.

A similar authority promise to enforce existing rules is equally hollow. The airlines have no interest in changing their operations or preempting any possible growth, and the authority has shown no willingness to confront the airlines on behalf of the communities surrounding the airport.

I am also deeply offended that Murphy sees this dispute as a fight between those who want to “shut down” the airport and those who want to expand it. The residents of Studio City, Valley Village, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks and other communities appreciate that the airport is a valuable asset. Our only desire was that it act like a conscientious neighbor. Now it appears we have given away our best chance of making it do so.

CHRISTOPHER BARNES

Member Burbank-Glendale-

Pasadena Airport Part 150

Study Advisory Committee

Studio City