As a resident who is very concerned about the heavy air traffic over Floral Park, I attended my second TVASNAC (Towns, Villages, Aircraft Safety, and Noise Abatement Committee) meeting Nov. 27 in Lawrence. There I was shocked to learn from the FAA representative that a certain number of planes must now come through Floral Park "because they do not have the room to turn over Garden City." At the recent Floral Park meeting of TVASNAC we were told that the worst for us in Floral Park should now be over because the long-running construction of Runway 13 at JFK was to be completed by September. Now it appears that the FAA is looking for other avenues to divert aircraft over our community.

Clearly, the increased air traffic over our community is a significant problem, and the Floral Park residents present at the last two TVASNAC meetings were all incredibly vocal in expressing the need for equitable distribution of the flight paths. This last meeting was very significant because a representative from the TRACON Tower in Westbury was present. They are the ones that determine the routes the planes use. In the first few nights since the meeting I did not hear as many planes flying over my house. Naively, I thought maybe our voices made a difference. However, the last three days and nights of constant flights have proven me wrong. Nevertheless, Floral Park residents must not lose the momentum that has been gained in addressing TVASNAC, and now is the time for a bipartisan open forum with Congresswoman McCarthy and our local leaders to address this frustrating problem.

Alissa Amato