Hamptons, we have a problem.
A new, taxpayer-funded air-traffic control tower at East Hampton Airport — which was supposed to cut down on the deafening roar from hovering helicopters — is actually increasing the noise level, residents charge.
“The town presented this whole expensive project as a way to help with the noise, but it’s only getting worse,” nearby resident Frank Dalene said about the tower, which began operating in June.
The old system allowed all of the hovering pilots to get on the same radio frequency and land on a first-come, first-served basis.
But with the new system — run by retired FAA air-traffic controllers on contract with the town government — choppers are hovering more because they have to obey safety rules.
“It’s just bureaucracy,” said a pilot. “There are more delays in the air, so that’s going to affect noise for people in the area.”
Local residents are furious with the $500,000-per-year tower, saying it’s destroying their prized serenity.
“It’s gotten worse. I’m experiencing more noise this summer,” said Sheryl Gold, who lives directly next to the airport.
“I have wild turkeys in the back yard, and they go crazy every time one of these things comes by. Thursday to Monday, it’s nonstop,”
The tower controls an airspace with a radius of roughly 4.8 miles and up to 2,500 feet. Just in the past week, celebrities like Tom Cruise and Barry Manilow and Brooklyn Nets executive Gary Lieberman flew in and out of the facility.
Supporters of the control tower argued that critics are just complaining because the facility could bring down their property values.
“A lot of these folks bought homes next to an airport, and are complaining about airport noise,” said one local politician.
East Hampton Town Councilman Dominick Stanzione said that, overall, aircraft traffic is down 26 percent, and helicopter traffic has decreased by 34 percent this summer.
“You can’t just fly into East Hampton Airport whenever you want now,” he said.