Don't ground the monitors - They allow those in PBI's flight path to raise concerns

Technologies change. Laws change. But airport noise isn't going anywhere, and neither should an airport's obligation to be a good neighbor. That's the problem with Palm Beach International Airport's proposal to get rid of its only two checks on airport noise.

Arguing that PBIA's noise-monitoring systems are wasteful and outdated, Palm Beach County Airports Manager Bruce Pelly proposed eliminating both. They include a network of 11 electronic noise meters in surrounding neighborhoods and a volunteer committee that makes noise-related recommendations.

Members of this committee, naturally, don't like the idea. Though Mr. Pelly is correct that the committee is less active and relevant than it was before new federal laws limited airports' ability to control jet noise, members say they still provide the only official venue for residents in the flight path to raise concerns. They see Mr. Pelly's idea as an attempt to rid himself of a committee that has occasionally been at odds with airport administrators, who just withdrew plans for an unneeded new runway without really withdrawing them. Mr. Pelly would like the airport's general advisory board to handle noise issues, but it's doubtful that those board members, who deal with many larger airport issues, would have interest or expertise in noise abatement as well.

Furthermore, getting rid of noise meters would eliminate the only data an airport has about how much noise it generates. Boston's Logan Airport, for instance, boasts that it still uses 30 such monitors to ensure that federal noise projections are accurate. PBIA's aging meters should perform the same function.

True, neither system serves the same purpose it did a decade ago, and they come with maintenance costs. Together the two cost the airport, financed largely by landing fees, nearly $100,000 a year.

But airports across the country use noise meters and noise-abatement committees. If they are inefficient at PBIA, county commissioners should improve them, not eliminate them.

-- Andrew Marra, for The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board