Airport Commission Chairman Walter Grady Seeks FAA Enforcement to Curb Norwood Airport Noise-November 3, 1984

Federal Aviation Administration Official to Attend Crucial Airport Meeting

Hoping to convert voluntary noise-abatement procedures into enforceable federal rules, Norwood Airport Commission Chairman Walter J. Grady announced that a high-level meeting with federal authorities is scheduled for next week to tackle rising airplane noise.

Gerald Curtin, northeast regional director of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will attend Wednesday’s commission meeting to discuss solutions. While the town of Norwood previously published advisory takeoff and landing guidelines instructing pilots to avoid flying at low altitudes over surrounding residential neighborhoods, local officials lack the legal authority to enforce them.

“Some pilots either can’t follow the directions or just don’t follow them,” Grady explained, emphasizing that only the federal government maintains jurisdiction over aircraft in flight. “The FAA can turn procedures with no teeth into regulations with a bite.”

Future Airport Improvements Tied to Noise Containment

Adding to the significance of Wednesday’s session, Arnold Stymest, director of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission and former director of the Norwood Airport, will also attend to question commissioners regarding long-range master planning and facility upgrades.

Grady noted the irony of having both state and federal officials in attendance simultaneously, asserting that future capital investments are directly contingent upon solving the noise issue. Specifically at risk is a direly needed resurfacing of the cracked and rutted secondary east-west runway, which has not received major repairs since its original construction in 1942.

“I think the town is going to cease further development at the airport unless the noise is contained,” Grady warned, reflecting growing opposition from residents and advocacy groups like SNAG.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger