Letter to the Editor:
I am a resident of Cara Lane in Westfield and have been for over 20 years. I, like many of north side residents, have been involved in the Noise Mitigation Process and have fallen in and out of the ever changing contour areas that Wyle Corporation has designated as being either in or out of the noise mitigation area.
Over the course of the better part of the past 10 years, we have been told our properties don’t fall within the contours, do fall within the contours, then do not again. Most recently, my property has been designated as in the “acquisition area” along with 3 other homes on my street. The remainder of my street, which consists of 9 homes on a cul de sac; are not considered in the acquisition area.
Many homes on the Dry Bridge Road area have already been “acquired” by Wyle which has left large gaps of empty lots within a sprinkling of homes remaining. I contend that this has severely lessened the value of the remaining homes on those affected streets; no one will want to buy a house for sale in an “acquisition” area. I also contend that the City of Westfield is not adequately overseeing how Wyle is administering this program. How many of those homes acquired in the Dry Bridge Road area were senior citizens? Did they really want to move and downsize or were they frightened by a government entity telling them they “better sell now.”
Point of fact is, at a recent meeting of the “targeted” homes; yes, targeted, that is the word Wyle Program Manager Jane Verbeck used in the meeting for the 3 homes on Cara Lane and 3 others on North Road; we were told that if we declined the acquisition offer that likelihood we will not be able to participate in the Noise Mitigation part of the program as our homes will most likely “fail” the noise decibel reading tests and therefore not be able to be a part of the program. This statement is preposterous; why then, would a company be “targeting” such homes for acquisition?
Here is the reason why; Wyle admitted in a recent meeting (which was not an advertised public meeting, I might add), that they need to “use the grant money up” which for this year they reported was 2.5 million dollars, in order to remain in business and get any more grant money for the program. As many of us know, grants work in this manner; they are a “use or lose” situation. If Wyle cannot show that they have used the funds, they are out of business. Also, Ms. Verbeck admitted that if no one participated in the program, Wyle would also then be out of business. To mitigate noise in hundreds of homes would take considerable time and effort; to acquire and obliterate (yes, they demolish the homes they acquire) 6 homes would use more of that grant money in a quicker time frame. I contend that this is not how the funds from the Noise Mitigation Program were intended to be used by the FAA when they issued the grant; that homes needing to be acquired should only be those not capable of sound proofing mitigation improvements, such as trailer parks or those homes that are so close to the actual runway, no amount of mitigation improvements could be adequately made. To say that a home can only be acquired yet not be offered mitigation improvements because the decibel levels would not show that it is absolutely preposterous. Not to mention the scare tactics Wyle is using, they have made statements “better take the money now because, next year, we don’t know if there will be any.”
The City of Westfield is losing tax dollars for every home acquired by Wyle; and on top of that the City is then responsible for mowing the vacant lots. The vacant lots popping up on the north side are a blight and the fact that they now exist are a devaluation of the property values for the remaining homes on those streets and in that area.
The most recent public meeting at the North Middle School was well attended, however, many attending got up and walked out midway while speakers were still speaking as it was obvious, no answers were being given that many any sense; most residents at that point just visited the newly drawn contour maps to see where their properties now lay and walked out.
This has been going on long enough. The residents of the north side did not ask for this program, however, it is here and needs to be managed and overseen accordingly. I believe that upon seeing the actual agreement and grant to the City of Westfield from the FAA and the contract between the City and Wyle it will be most evident that Wyle is not operating and administering the funds of the program as intended by the FAA. I have requested those documents as instructed by Airport Manager, Brian Barnes, from the Law Department of the City of Westfield but have yet to receive those copies. I believe Wyle is in the business of staying in business for themselves and not operating in the best interest of the City of Westfield or its residents.
I ask that all residents within the contours of the Noise Mitigation Program area, whether you were in the initial contours drawn or are now in the newly drawn “2020” contours by Wyle to let the City of Westfield and Wyle know that you have had enough. Enough misinformation, enough broken promises, enough disregard for how the program was supposed to have been administered, enough devaluation of our homes and properties. I believe this program was meant for hundreds of homes to have noise mitigation improvements made and not a limited amount of acquired and demolished.
Hopefully, I will receive the requested public documents in a timely manner from the City Law Department. Upon review of those documents, if further action is necessary it will be taken. I have been advised by the Hampden County Bar Association that the Attorney General’s office should be notified. Personally, I do believe a class action lawsuit by all those affected in the contour areas would shine a very bright light on corruption and misuse of federal government grant funds.
Make your voice heard; visit City Hall, call the Mayor’s office, call the City Councilors and especially your Ward Councilor. I will be willing to gather the names and addresses of all those now or previously within the Wyle drawn contour areas so that everyone affected and interested in being fairly treated by a program that has been allowed to get out of control and mismanaged can be collectively heard.
Carol Shannon
25 Cara Lane
[email protected]
