Garden City residents learned this week that air traffic will increase over the Village during the next four months, now that a major runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport has been shut down for reconstruction.

The increase in air traffic and noise over Garden City has been an ongoing problem. Many residents were aware of the plans to close Runway 13R/31L, and expressed concern as far back as October at a meeting of the Village’s Environmental Advisory Board.

A group of close to 20 residents shared stories of their lives already being disrupted by the noise, especially during the summer months when windows are open and they are outside in their yards. Residents reported a significant increase in the number of airplanes flying over their homes, at lower altitudes, as they descended to land at JFK Airport. Some evenings they claimed planes were flying every 90 seconds along the same flight path from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., and then resuming at 4:30 a.m.

Residents were told that a new air traffic grid implemented by the Federal Aviation Administration over the summer was responsible for an increase in air traffic over the Village. The situation got better over the winter. Now residents are bracing themselves for the impact the runway closure will have on air traffic and noise over their neighborhood.

On Tuesday, Garden City resident Gina Fornasar expressed frustration to The Garden City News over what she views as a lack of concern among Federal Aviation Administration and Port Authority of NY & NJ officials to the plight of residents. She has joined the Village’s Environmental Advisory Board and has attended several meetings with these groups, where she claims all requested concessions have been denied.

Fornasar asked that planes fly as close to 2,200 feet as possible. She was told that pilots attempt to fly at that altitude, but use their discretion and sometimes have to fly lower. Pilots can be fined for flying lower, a penalty which is not often enforced. She wants to see stricter enforcement. She also asked that the number of flights be limited after 9 p.m. When she was rebuffed, she asked for 10 p.m. with no success.

According to an article in Newsday, staggering the use of runways and varying flight tracks to minimize the noise was considered by FAA and Port Authority officials. The Port Authority considered, but ultimately shelved, plans to keep the runway open during the day and close it at night to do the work, claiming it would extend the project’s duration.

Fornasar thinks the work will extend much longer than four months as construction delays are inevitable. She has a five-year-old son with a severe case of autism and an 8-year-old daughter. Her son is especially disturbed by the noise. Both of her children are often awakened in the evening by low-flying aircraft, and it takes much effort to get her son back to sleep.

Fornasar has done much research on the effect airplane noise can have on children. Not surprisingly, there is a link between disrupted sleep and lower academic performance. Fornasar, who has emerged as one of the most vocal residents on the topic, said she is motivated by her children, especially her son who is unable to speak. “It’s my job to speak for him, and nobody is listening,” she said. “It’s really a sin.”

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy has attempted to help residents in this matter. She issued the following statement to The Garden City News: “After hearing from, and meeting, with many constituents over the years, and as a lifelong resident of Mineola, I understand the concerns people have with plane noise. I, along with my constituents, have met with officials from the Port Authority and FAA. Unfortunately, the runway closure at JFK will not help the situation. But, the repairs on the runaway are necessary for safety reasons and the closure has been scheduled for a time period that traditionally would not change the regular operation of the airport.

“I am pleased that the House has passed legislation that includes a number of items to address airplane noise. I hope the Senate will follow suit. In addition, I have been working on legislation, which I hope to introduce before the end of the month, which will provide a tax credit to people who want to soundproof rooms in their homes due to plane noise. Living on Long Island has been one of the best aspects of my life, and I know I am not alone in that belief. My goal is to ensure that people continue to feel this way and hope my efforts in Congress will make that possible.”

Mayor Robert Rothschild acknowledged the history of the problem, which does tend to worsen over the summer. He does not think the Village has much recourse as long as the Port Authority is attempting to spread the traffic equally over all affected neighborhoods. The closure of the runway, which extends 2.75 miles along the northeast shoreline of Jamaica Bay, will also affect Floral Park and Mineola. Floral Park has formed a Noise Abatement Committee to help monitor the problem.

Residents can visit www4.passur.com/jfk.html to view and identify offending aircraft. The identity, altitude, origin, aircraft type and glide path used for any flight within the past three months can be learned by visiting this Web site. [Note that you can reset the time and date at the top of the page to look back to identify offending aircraft. Click on any plane to learn its time, date, identification and attitude.]

It is important to include this precise information when calling the FAA at (888) 835-5322 or the Port Authority at (516) 747-1417 when lodging a complaint. You can also send an e-mail to the FAA at 9-Aea-Noise@FAA.gov.