For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 18, 2023
From the Office of Councilmember Dawn Luedtke
Legislation provides forum for community members, Airpark users, and other stakeholders to address noise and safety impacts
Today the Council unanimously passed Bill 24-23, sponsored by Councilmember Dawn Luedtke, to establish an Airpark Community Advisory Committee (ACAC) for neighbors of the Montgomery County Airpark (MCA), Airpark users, and other key stakeholders to address facility operations as well as noise and safety impacts. Councilmember Luedtke represents Council District 7, which includes communities adjacent to the Airpark.
“Creating an Airpark Community Advisory Committee is an important step many communities around the country are taking to provide a platform for residents impacted by air traffic to better understand operations and discuss potential improvements with regulators – most prominently the Federal Aviation Administration,” Councilmember Luedtke said. “I’m pleased for the unanimous support of my Council colleagues and thankful to the many residents, Airpark users, and the leadership of the MCA for their feedback to help strengthen the new ACAC.”
Bill 24-23 creates the ACAC, providing a regular forum to discuss and propose recommendations to improve Airpark operations. Council President Evan Glass and Councilmembers Will Jawando, Gabe Albornoz, Sidney Katz and Laurie-Anne Sayles co-sponsored the measure.
The MCA is a public general aviation airport in Gaithersburg and is home to a reported 67,195 flight operations a year. In 2019, the MCA partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to set up an online portal for residents to submit aircraft noise complaints, similar to what’s offered in communities near other airports. In 2019, there were 27 complaints, in 2020 there were 191 complaints made from 11 unique households, and in 2021 there were 2,835 complaints made from 35 unique households, according to a 2022 report from the Council’s Office of Legislative Oversight.
Montgomery County and MCA commissioned a 2022 report that recommended “reestablishing a roundtable or task group” to provide a public forum for impacted community members and MCA users, similar to advisory committees at other airports around the region and country.
The ACAC will be composed of residents who live near the airpark, pilots who use the airpark, and nearby aviation-related businesses, in addition to flight schools. It will be required to submit an annual report with available data on: noise complaints, itinerant and local flight operations, “touch-and-go” flights, and recommendations of the Committee regarding the operations, facilities planning, safety, community impact, and other community concerns. Information on how residents can apply to be considered for appointment to the ACAC, as well as any other County boards, committees and commissions is available here.
More information on this bill can be found in the Council staff report.
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Release ID: 23-243