Inglewood News AND LENNOX CITIZEN The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - March 31, 2016 A Joyful Easter Sunday Aryanna and Samantha Ramos are included in a giant Easter basket, along with eggs and other treats. The girls enjoyed a sunny Easter Sunday with their parents at the L.A. Zoo. Photo by Eric Ramos. New Requirements Imposed For City’s Residential Insulation Program By Cristian Vasquez area of Lennox. New Residential Sound Insulation Program Policy changes issued by the FAA, detailed requirements issued by the Federal Aviation in its Airport Improvement Project Handbook Administration [FAA], which took effect on [AIP], make it a requirement for localities Oct. 15, 2015, were approved and adopted to abide by the new rules and regulations in by the Inglewood City Council. order to continue being eligible for RSI funds. The City of Inglewood’s RSI program was launched during the early 1990s and became a full program by 2001. Once the program was fully implemented its guidelines included Ordinance No. 96-06, which mandated that new single- and multifamily-residential structures in the 65 and higher dB Community Noise Equivalent Level [CNEL] noise contour within city limits must be built with sound insulation materials. “The city receives grant awards from the FAA and Los Angeles World Airports [LAWA] to administer aircraft noise mitigation [RSI] projects,” states the staff report signed by Residential Insulation Director Bettye R. Griffith. “To date, the City has over $160.2 million from FAA and $137.9 from LAWA.” The most recent grant awarded to the City of Inglewood by the FAA was worth $10 million. The objective of programs like the RSI is to reduce the impact of airport noise on the surrounding communities. The RSI program provides sound insulation modifications to dwellings. However, whether or not a homeowner is eligible for a sound insulation program depends on the airport’s capabilities and resources. Each airport is responsible for designing its own program to provide sound insulation, while addressing local community issues. Sound insulation funding around the LAX area for noise mitigation benefit Cities like El Segundo and Inglewood, as well as the unincorporated “All single and multifamily dwelling built after Oct. 1 1998, should have been constructed with the proper insulation material therefore are not eligible to participate in the RSI program,” states the staff report. “This is a new policy. Each jurisdiction used their State’s Building Codes as the principle guide prior to this policy.” It is also mandated that for a structure to be eligible for RSI funds, it must be within the boundaries of the CNEL 65dB contour as stated by the FAA-approved 2020 Noise Exposure Map [NEM]. New policy also stipulates that existing interior noise levels must be 45 dB or greater with the windows closed. In order to determine the noise levels, acoustical tests must be conducted in every room, at each dwelling, in order to determine eligibility of sound insulation services. The testing requirement is a new condition established by the FAA for eligibility. “The adoption and approval of this report will allow the RSI program to include approximately 1,000 additional properties that were previously disallowed to participate, due to Ordinance No. 96-06,” adds the staff report. “Each jurisdiction must submit and receive LAWA approval of outstanding final grant reports, directives, audits, or other items related to current RSI operations under a LAWA Letter Agreement and, if applicable their FAA Grant Assurance, before any funding and/or authorization is provided to begin the new RSI program, including acoustical testing.” For the acoustic testing to take place every city will be responsible for submitting a list of available homes for testing and should be indicated by a signed letter of interest by the homeowner. The homes can be from an existing list of properties to be tested or from a more recent listing resulting from outreach efforts. “If there are no residents/homes currently available for testing, the jurisdiction must send letters to property owners requiring the homeowners sign up to participate in the program,” says the staff report. “No formal contract is necessary for LAWA to authorize testing, but the homeowner must sign a letter indicating they are interested in having their property tested to be approved for treatment.” “In order to implement this new policy, LAWA has prepared an Acoustical Testing Plan [ATP] designed to provide clear and consistent guidance to the jurisdictions and for compliance with the recent updates to FAA policy,” concludes the staff report. “LAWA requires all local sponsors and any acoustic consultants in the LAWAsponsored program to adhere to the ATP to continue mitigation of eligible residences from aircraft noise.” • Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................4 Classifieds............................3 Film Review..........................3 Food.......................................4 Legals............................2, 6-7 Pets........................................8 Police Reports.....................3 Sports....................................5 Weekend Forecast Friday Sunny 64˚/54˚ Saturday Sunny 66˚/55˚ Sunday Sunny 70˚/55˚ “No formal contract is necessary for LAWA to authorize testing, but the homeowner must sign a letter indicating they are interested in having their property tested to be approved for treatment.”
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