HIA noise in Highspire puts homes in buy zone
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
BY MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News
Almost half of Highspire's homeowners might be able to sell their houses to Harrisburg International Airport if the borough wants to sign off on an offer that HIA must make.
The question is: How many would sell if given the chance?
About 500 homeowners could sell to the airport because a study shows that they are within a federally established "noise annoyance" zone. The borough has about 1,200 homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Highspire Borough Council must agree to participate in the program, and the prospect of homeowners fleeing Highspire worries officials in the borough, with a population of about 2,700. HIA would pay residents for their homes mostly with federal money.
Residents of Eshelman Street -- a broad, tree-lined thoroughfare where children ride bicycles, people walk dogs and American flags flutter from many front porches -- seem divided about whether to stay or sell to HIA, given the chance.
Some longtime residents, such as Gilbert Gerhards and Robert Chubb, have no plans to move.
Chubb, of 641 Eshelman St., said the planes can be noisy.
"A lot of flights take off at night," he said. "You never get completely used to it. But it's not so bad in the winter when your windows are closed. I've lived here since 1948. I'm going to stay right where I'm at."
But Christina Meals, who has lived in the borough less than two years, and Ashley Coates, a lifelong resident, are ready to start packing.
"I like Highspire because it's a friendly town," said Meals, who lives at 502 Eshelman St. with her husband, Dustin Meals. "We've lived in this house since November and were on Second Street before that. But there's too much airport noise."
When her windows are open, "We sometimes can't hear each other talk," Christina Meals said. "The jets take off several times a day."
Dustin Meals said he's grown accustomed to the planes. "I don't hear anything," he said. "We knew there was an airport when we moved here."
Their four-bedroom, two-story house, built in the 1940s, was appraised at $95,000 when they bought it as a starter home, they said.
"We planned to stay here a few years, turn it into rental property and move somewhere else," Dustin Meals said. "But if we can sell it now, we'll move up our timetable. Maybe we'll move to the Lower Dauphin or Middletown school districts."
Coates, of 504 Eshelman St., said that the largest planes "rattle our windows and make the house shake a bit."
"You do get used to it after a while," Coates said.
For Coates and others, Steelton-Highspire School District, which has fared poorly in state reading and math tests, is another deterrent to staying.
"Highspire is a good town, but the school district isn't very good," Coates said. "It's sad to leave Highspire, but it's important for kids to get a good education. I send my daughter to a private school."
"When we have kids, we don't want them to go to the Steelton-Highspire School District," Christina Meals said.
Coates is willing to sell her home, for which she paid $60,000 five years ago. "Our houses are old, and the airport noise lowers the value of them," she said.
Mayor Wayne Shank, who has lived in Highspire 72 years, said the airport noise never bothered him.
Gerhards, of 28 Willow St., who has lived in Highspire for decades, agreed.
"I don't know why people complain," he said. "They knew about it when they moved here. You don't hear it inside, just when you're out. I'm not leaving Highspire."
Fred Testa, HIA director of aviation, said HIA's choices on the noise were limited.
"We can't close the airport," Testa said. "We can't change our flight patterns very much. We thought of having smaller planes climb higher until they turn, but the [Federal Aviation Administration] said no. We couldn't ask the military not to fly close or low. That left doing something with the houses."
He said HIA's choices were to offer federally funded home improvements or to buy the houses. With Highspire house prices averaging $80,000, and the cost of soundproofing, insulation and extra walls running $30,000 to $40,000, the cost of improvements is prohibitive, he said.
"The government won't do that," Testa said. "That leaves a voluntary buyout program."
John McHale, Highspire borough manager, said some borough residents "think there's a windfall involved."
"There's not. Highspire property values are less than other areas due to the age of homes," he said.
MARY KLAUS: 255-8113 or
mklaus@patriot-news.com
TO LEARN MORE
Highspire residents can learn about the possibility of selling their homes to Harrisburg International Airport at a meeting at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Highspire Fire Company.
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