Mayor Frank G. Jackson and the City of Cleveland, Ohio are dedicated towards making Cleveland Airport System a positive influence on the lives of Greater Clevelanders. In order to accomplish this goal, the Department of Port Control is working hand in hand with Greater Cleveland residents, the Federal Aviation Administration, Cleveland City Council, Civic and Community leaders to help reduce the impact of aircraft sound in homes surrounding Cleveland Hopkins International Airport with a Residential Sound Insulation Program(RSIP).

The central focus of this program is to make homes in the area around the airport more livable by reducing the amount of sound that enters the house. By properly sound insulating a home, the residents not only gain a quieter interior making it easier to talk on the phone, watch TV, listen to music, take a nap or have a conversation in their own living rooms, but also benefit from long lasting improvements and increased efficiency in their heating and cooling utilities.

Approximately 11,250 eligible properties are within the FAA-approved noise contour. From 1996 to 2006 Cleveland Hopkins International Airport's Department of Port Control has sound insulated 2,957 homes with this program. Two hundred and ninety four(294) homes are scheduled to be completed in 2007. Since the pilot program began many modifications have been made to the program. Testing of acoustical products and techniques and consideration of new construction processes and technologies is an ongoing effort to improve the program and offer only the best products along with the latest technological advances.


To be eligible for participation in the Residential Sound Insulation Program, all homeowners must meet the following requirements:

· Program eligibility includes individual homeowners, non-profit organizations and commercial landlords (whose mixed-use property includes code conforming permitted residential units) within the eligible target areas. Properties involving both commercial and residential uses require a Certificate of Occupancy from the respective jurisdiction or municipality indicating code compliance and be provided by the Owner prior to proceeding with design and construction of the property.

· Property must be located in the FAA's Priority One Sound Proofing Area as designated in Cleveland Hopkins International Airport's FAR 150 Airport Noise Compatibility Program. Currently, the FAA is providing funding for homes within the 65DNL Buffer Zone. Homes on the current waiting list below the 65DNL Buffer Zone will be selected for participation as funding becomes available.

· Homeowner must complete any homeowner pre-work prior to the pre-construction phase and must be in compliance with the Building Codes of the appropriate city and the State of Ohio (all pre-work is at homeowner's expense).

· Homeowner must enter a legal, binding agreement with the Department of Port Control. The homeowner agreement package includes a contract, an authorization to proceed, and an avigation easement transferred to the city that gives Cleveland Hopkins International Airport the right to conduct normal operations in the airspace over the residence. All documents must be completely executed prior to commencement of any work in the residence. Failure to complete the above mentioned agreements within the required deadline might result in removal from the program.

 


The City of Cleveland has committed to insulating homes on the most-impacted basis beginning in 2001. This current selection of most impacted homes is based on the 1999 noise contour map.

  • Single DNL contours were generated to determine the actual DNL for each home within the program boundaries. i.e. 75 DNL, 74 DNL, 73 DNL, etc… If two contours touch a single parcel, the higher DNL would be used.
  • If your home is in the 65DNL Buffer Zone or above and it has not received treatment you are encouraged to apply.
  • The waiting list will be modified for each City by ranking individual homes by DNL.

Homeowners benefit from the sound insulation program by enjoying a reduction of interior sound level in the home; making it easier to listen to the radio and television, phone conversations are more pleasant, sleeping is easier and the average day becomes much more comfortable and pleasant.

The installation of new windows and doors adds to the overall aesthetic appearance of the home increasing pride in home ownership.

Entire neighborhoods are preserved and improved.

The program also improves the relationship between the airport and their neighbors; and also decreases the number and frequency of noise complaints considerably.

Local economy benefits with contractors and their employees being paid for performing the acoustical installations; local manufacturers providing products to be used during construction; and the homeowners receive an economic benefit from long lasting improvements to their home.

 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Regulation Part 150 Airport Noise and Land Use Compatibility Planning Program established in the early 1980s provides funding for airport noise compatibility planning to make neighborhoods more compatible with Airport noise.

For an airport to be eligible for funding of a Residential Sound Insulation Program a noise study must be performed. The FAR part 150 Noise Study includes investigation of existing noise conditions, flight patterns and land use surrounding the airport. Upon completion and approval of the study, an airport may apply for AIP funding to carry out the approved noise attenuation measures. The current federal funding for sound insulation projects is 80%, which leaves the remaining 20% the responsibility of other agencies and/or the local municipality.

All costs associated with the Sound Insulation Program are being paid for by funds the City receives from the Federal Aviation Administration and other funding sources including Passenger Facility Charges and General Airport Revenue Bonds. No City tax dollars are used to fund the RSIP.

Federal funding must be secured prior to your property being selected for acoustical modifications. Eligible applicants are prioritized on a waiting list by the property's sound decibel level. Although a property may be eligible, program funding is not guaranteed. Please be advised that the continuation of the Residentail Sound Insulation Program is contingent upon the availability of funds.

Prior to the start of construction a homeowner must sign an avigation easement. The easement is a legal document, which stipulates that the homeowner agrees to recognize the perpetual right of aircraft to fly over their home in return for the sound insulation program improvements. The easement is permanently attached to the property deed once filed. (Sample)

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To insure the homeowner that the anticipated sound reduction goal is being met and to meet FAA criteria a comparison of sound reduction acoustical tests is documented.

Acoustical Testing must be performed both before and after sound insulation improvements are made at a residence to offer a true comparison of acoustical performance of an existing structure and the sound reduction improvements realized through the treatment of the structure. Acoustical testing is performed on a sampling of homes under construction.

Occasionally testing is required when existing conditions encountered during the assessment visit are such that testing will assist in determining an appropriate treatment recommendation. This usually occurs when new products, that are comparable to those recommended by the program, have recently been installed in the home.

The City of Cleveland, Department of Port Control has contracted with an Acoustical Consultant who will schedule visits of the selected properties. A team of acoustical testing experts will visit a home with a portable sound generator that is employed to create an existing "worst case aircraft" scenario. Using both interior and exterior microphones, simultaneous measurements will be made at typical door and window locations to determine the composite Sound Reduction values for existing and modified construction. In some instances when testing is the result of an assessment visit particular situations may be designated. Such as: homeowner is openly skeptical of the anticipated acoustical improvement; newly replaced windows and doors are encountered; unusual conditions are encountered where testing is required to determine treatment recommendations.

The airport established an ongoing Noise Compatibility Program to help minimize the impact of air service in the community. To demonstrate airport commitment to its neighbors' quality of life, this program has been in place for well over two decades. There are eleven permanent noise monitoring stations located in Cleveland, Brook Park, Olmsted Township, Olmsted Falls, and Berea. The placement identifies the impact of noise on most surrounding communities. Each site measures aircraft noise 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and transmits data to a central processing office for continual analysis. The equipment is automatically calibrated daily and manually adjusted twice a year to ensure accuracy.

A dedicated hotline is available to record complaints. Please provide the date and time of the unusual aircraft occurrence(s) and your contact information, i.e., name, address, and telephone number. A knowledgeable Noise Compatibility Officer is on staff to register, evaluate, and return incoming calls by the next business day.

Noise Complaint Hotline
216-898-5220