Helicopters on the agenda at city council hearing today
Benepe: ‘Thanksgiving Day destroyed’ by helicopter noise and now there’s a NYC noise app
Helicopters are on the agenda at the New York City Council today, as Councilmember Amanda Farias, chair of the Economic Development Committee, was scheduled to hold an oversight hearing on heliport operations at 10 a.m.
“Overall, what I’m seeing is not enough public opportunity for participation on topics and once they are heard, we don’t get to hear them again. I’d like to engage with [the] community as much as we can on this — so I’m starting with an oversight hearing,” Farias tweeted.
Brooklyn’s most popular waterfront communities, including Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and DUMBO, have been complaining about the incessant noise and safety threats from tourist choppers for years. The racket is especially jarring in parks including Brooklyn Bridge Park and on Governors Island, where city dwellers seek a bit of peace.
“Thanksgiving Day in NYC [was] destroyed by the feckless, greedy tourist helicopter industry,” Adrian Benepe, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and former NYC Parks Commissioner, tweeted on Thanksgiving.