FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com september 26, 2013 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3 Whitestone, Malba residents say chopper noise is OUTRAGEOUS BY MELISSA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com A recent helicopter route change meant to spare Long Island ears from a barrage of choppers could be the reason why some parts of Queens are now dealing with the rumble. “There are days my home vibrates,” said Alfredo Centola, president of the Malba Gardens Civic Association. “Things fall off the shelves.” Some 1,500 homes in Whitestone and Malba have been bombarded with low-flying helicopters daily, according to local leaders and residents. On weekends, they say, crisscrossing choppers fly over their homes once every 30 seconds for about 12 hours a day. “When they get really low, you feel it through your body,” said Joe Bono of Whitestone. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandate last August ordered helicopters flying to and from the city and eastern Long Island to follow a route along the north shore of Long Island between Huntington and the North Fork, according to the National Business Aviation Association. The ruling came after a push from U.S. Senator Charles Schumer and noise complaints from residents, aviation leaders said. But while it bars helicopter traffic over Long Island’s most populated areas, it directs a higher concentration of choppers to repeatedly fly over Whitestone and Malba, according to the Eastern Region Helicopter Council. “As a direct result of Senator Schumer’s mandatory North Shore route — which we strongly oppose — the number of flights over the Throgs Neck route has dramatically increased, just as it has over the North Fork communities in Long Island,” said a spokesperson for the Council, Jeff Smith. Max Young, a spokesperson for Schumer, pointed the finger of blame Civic leaders, local elected officials and residents of Whitestone and Malba rallied against an increase in helicopter noise over their homes. back, saying the Eastern Region Helicopter Council “has resisted all reasonable efforts” to cut down the noise in order to fly low and save money. The above water route mandate does not begin until the middle of Long Island, according to the aide. “The Eastern Regional Helicopter Council is either ignorant, lying or both.” Young said. “They could solve this entire problem by simply flying over water and flying higher, but so far they’ve refused.” Queens leaders and residents said the helicopter noise has been ongoing for a little over a year but intensified in the last six months. “You live in a borough with two airports. Living with airplane noise has sort of been a fact of life. That’s bad enough,” said Assemblymember Mike Simanowitz. “You have dozens of helicopters flying over this community on a daily basis. There’s no consideration given to the residents of this community.” THE COURIER/Photo by Melissa Chan Simanowitz and State Senator Tony Avella said the problem is both a local noise and national safety issue. “Terrorists are getting smarter and smarter,” Simanowitz said. “Every time we think of a better way to protect ourselves, they think of a better way to strike fear into our hearts. This would be a catastrophic way to do it.” The pair of legislators has requested a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security and Governor Andrew Cuomo. “The very fact that . . . anybody can buy a ticket and get on, it’s a pretty scary thing,” Avella said. In a statement, the FAA said it “does not have the authority to prohibit aircraft from flying over a particular area” unless the operation is unsafe. “It’s getting outrageous,” said Kim Cody, president of the Greater Whitestone Taxpayers Civic Association. “It’s destroying our quality of life and striking fear into homeowners.” Marshall joins chorus for FAA exemption BY MELISSA CHAN mchan@queenscourier.com Borough President Helen Marshall has joined the ranks of Queens congressmembers who are urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to exempt two major city airports from a new federal rule. “While the FAA’s Regional Administrator for our area has made an effort to work with my office and others in the borough, I believe that this is not the time to evade community input,” Marshall said in a letter to the administration. The proposed FAA provision, officials said, would establish two new categorical exclusions, which would essentially allow the FAA to permanently implement new flight changes without conducting environmental studies. Marshall and Congressmembers Steve Israel, Grace Meng and Joseph Crowley wrote a letter last week calling for the head of the FAA, Administrator Michael Huerta, to exempt LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy Airports from the order. A categorical exclusion was applied to a newly approved flight path over Queens called the TNNIS IV climb. Residents said the change has brought upon a drastic increase in air noise. “To implement such changes without first subjecting their potential impacts to the rigorous scrutiny of experts and the public during the environmental review process would, in my opinion, be irresponsible,” Marshall said. Queens residents still have until September 30 to submit public comment to the FAA on the proposed rule by visiting www.regulations.gov or faxing comments to 202-493-2251. Community Boards 7 and 13 passed a resolution this week urging the governor to support a bill that would require the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to conduct a noise study. The boards join Community Board 11, which passed a resolution earlier this month. Mall may soon have housing A developer has filed plans to build a new residential tower on top of a shopping center in Rego Park, city officials said. The city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) approved a work permit on June 24 to allow Vornado Realty Trust to construct 314 housing units above the Rego Park Center at 61-35 Junction Boulevard, according to the department and published reports. According to The Real Deal, the 24-story building would likely be a rental complex. The shopping center, located near the Long Island Expressway, is home to many stores, including Costco, Marshalls, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Century 21. It opened in 2010. Vornado declined to comment as of press time. SEARCH FOR ALLEGED SHOOTER Authorities are looking for a Queens man who allegedly shot two people, one fatally, near the Roosevelt Field Mall on Wednesday morning, September 25, according to police and reports. Sang Ho Kim allegedly shot the victims at Savenergy, an energy efficiency company in East Garden City, around 10 a.m., then fled in a car, said officials. The suspect was reportedly a vendor working with the business. The mall and area schools were put on lockdown as authorities looked for the gunman. At a press briefing early Wednesday afternoon as The Courier went to press, police said they’ve had no confirmed reports of the suspect in the area at this time. Kim is described as Asian, in his 60s, 6’2” and was last seen wearing a gray or brown suit jacket and red shirt, according to reports. He is driving a white Honda Pilot with the New York license plate FMA3648, said police. Officials said though the shooting appears to be related to a disgruntlement between the gunman and the company, and don’t believe he is a threat to the general public, he should be considered a dangerous individual. The surviving victim, who, along with the deceased, was a current employee at the company, was in the hospital undergoing surgery as of Wednesday afternoon, said police. Anyone with information about the suspect should call 9-1-1 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. VISIT www.queenscourier. com for updates on this story. Photo courtesy of Nassau County Police Department Police say Queens resident Sang Ho Kim shot two people, one fatally, near the Roosevelt Field Mall.
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