Southwest LV residents seek quieter skies

Timothy Pratt and Judy Odierna

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | 9:09 a.m.

The Clark County Commission Tuesday directed county staff to work with the federal government in a search for ways to mitigate noise from planes leaving McCarran International Airport.

The measure charges the Aviation Department and the Enterprise Town Advisory Board to continue working with the Federal Aviation Administration to address the concerns of residents who have been affected by a change in takeoff patterns put in place a year and a half ago.

"We're delighted by this," said John Hiatt, chairman of the advisory board. "A lot of things could be done to reduce noise, and we're trying to make sure they continue to explore those options."

Several commissioners said they have attended numerous neighborhood meetings at which residents protested the noise over their southwest Las Vegas homes.

The problem is a result of changes in the flight paths of planes that began in September 2001. Fewer planes were flying over the northwest and more were being heard over the southwestern master-planned communities of Rhodes Ranch, Nevada Trails and Coronado Ranch.

But not all airlines understood the changes proposed, Hiatt said.

"There were some glitches ... and not all planes were following the flight paths they should," he said.

The board wants the FAA and Aviation Department to look at the possibility of reinstating some of the departures to the northwest.

"The FAA can do a much better job in terms of its rules and enforcing those rules," Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said.

Hiatt said the FAA should conduct an environmental impact statement to study how factors such as air patterns and seasonal changes affect noise over residential areas and to determine how noise could be reduced.

"We think they ought to do a study," he said. "It's a very heavily used airport, and the southwest part of the valley is rapidly growing."

Hilarie Grey, spokeswoman for the airport, said the measure backed by the commission formalized what the Aviation Department and the FAA had already been doing.

"Ultimately, though, any changes in flight paths are their responsibility," she said.