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Airport doesn’t guarantee noiseproofing for life

Posted on July 15th, 2008 – 11:54 AM
By James Shiffer

The Metropolitan Airports Commission is getting ready to spend another $127 million on noise-muffling home improvements for people who live under the flight path of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Here’s one resident’s story about how he learned the limits of the airport’s responsibility:

Paul Kelly lives on a leafy street in south Minneapolis’s Field neighborhood, a block from Minnehaha Creek. Nearly eight years ago, his 1928-era stucco home got what he called the “full shebang” of soundproofing: insulation, central air conditioning and new windows. It was all to block out the rumble and roar of takeoffs and landings at nearby MSP. Kelly thinks it cost about $60,000, and all of it was paid for with the MAC’s airport noise mitigation money.

Kelly is happy with most of the work. But this spring, he noticed the wooden frames outside his new windows were starting to get cracked and spongy. Water has been seeping into the frames and rotting them out.

“We’ve repainted twice” and not noticed a problem, he said. “Now, all of a sudden, it’s falling apart.”

Kelly suspects that the caulk might not have cured properly, given that the work was done on a frigid day in December. Though it’s been seven years, Kelly thinks the work should have lasted longer than that - the guarantee on the windows themselves is 10 years. The contractor, however, has gone out of business.

Kelly called the MAC to see whether the agency took responsibility for guaranteeing noise-proofing work.

The short answer: no. MAC spokesman Patrick Hogan told me his agency offers lists of contractors qualified to do the noise-dampening renovations. But the MAC merely writes the check. It’s between the contractor and the property owner to work out any disputes over the quality of the work, Hogan said. The MAC is “not going to intervene,” he said.

Hogan said surveys of homeowners show that 97-98 percent are happy with the work and most would recommend their contractors to others.

“We were happy too” at the time the windows were installed, Kelly said. “Seven years later… oops.”

Check here for more information on the new noise mitigation program. To see if your home is included, check these maps. Hogan told me he expects the work to begin in August on the first set of homes covered by the new money. Those are 432 homes in the 63-64 DNL contour, located in Minneapolis and Richfield.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 at 11:54 am and is filed under Government spends your money, Property problems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

31 Responses to “Airport doesn’t guarantee noiseproofing for life”

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Adam Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Not sure if this is to be posted on the site or to the journalist, but here goes:

While I don’t know about this particular person, one thing that annoys me are the people who knowing move in to the path of the airplanes and still feel they’re owed the improvements at the cost of the airport. If the airlines move to you and create an issue, then so be it. But if you move in and then complain…shut up. You knew what was there. You made the choice to move there. Deal with your consequences.

It’s like the idiots moving in to condos downtown that there was an article on about a year back(Mpls and St. Paul in particular) and then complaining because there’s LIGHT POLLUTION! You made the choice to move in to the heart of a major metropolitan area. You have to take the bad with the good. I live fairly near 694. Some times, mostly in the Fall or Spring when there’s no leaves or snow to absorb the sound, I can hear traffic. But guess what? I’m not telling MnDot they need to fix it on their ticket! I’m paying for things I can do in/around my house to lessen the noise. Personal accountability, people.
Cori Wegener Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I have a home near Mr. Kelly’s and am having the exact same problem with water seeping into my windows - we probably had the same contractor. Responsibility aside, has anyone found a contractor who can deal with fixing this problem? Everyone I’ve contacted merely wants to give me new windows, which I don’t need…
Roger Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Lets see, you buy a house near the airport, get 60,000 in noiseproofing and still manage to whine. Airports are busy and noisy, and houses need maintenance every year.
joe1701 Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Paul Kelly, move!
asdfjklsem Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Dude, quit whining…if every contractor offered unlimited lifetime warranties on everything they ever did, they’d go out of business within a year! You have to take some personal responsibility for your own junk and go out there and FIX IT YOURSELF! …Or at least pay somebody else to do it.
Lee Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
If MAC merely writes the check, then Kelly should file a complaint with the contractor … but, honestly, 8 years of life for wooden frames in Minnesota sounds like it might be ‘normal’ right?

What’s next: sound proofing for people along the Hiawatha Line?

Gimme a break
jim h Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Fortunately, when we got this free “soundproofing” work we didn’t have to give up anything in return. The original plan included an “easement” document essentially shutting us out of any class action payout on noise; that plan was scrapped. So what we got was free windows, no strings attached. They last however long they last. Don’t worry, though, MAC does guarantee the noise itself forever.
Elf Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I also live in South Minneapolis and enjoy about a dozen flights over my house between 930 and 1100 pm. Do think the airports knocking on my door with $60,000 in home improvements. No, I’m a couple blocks from there so called zoning. Get over yourself and enjoy what you have. The value of your home still increased ridiculously and I doubt it’s truely “falling apart” as you describe.
jm Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
some of you are missing the point. when the MAC had the opportunity to expand the current airport location or build a second airport, they chose to expand the current location with the legally agreed upon condition that they would insulate certain homes for noise. they then tried to go back on that agreement and refused to do the work. if that work was done the way it should have been done the first time, people buying homes in the area would have ALREADY had the noise mitigation. if they ALREADY had it when they moved in, they would have no noise to complain about. i live on the disputed line (64-63 dnl) and my dogs howl every time a plane flies over because it is so loud. i also have to crank the volume while we are watching tv or movies every time a plane flies over. when we get the noise mitigation package, this will be a thing of the past. when i am outside, i take it as part of living in the neighborhood and don’t complain because i chose the location of my home-that is taking responsibility. don’t tell me about responsibility…if the MAC had lived up to their OWN agreed upon conditions then we wouldn’t be dealing with this issue. period.
Terry Says:
July 15th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
You got new doors, windows, roof, insulation, central air and you’re upset about window frames? Did you check them every year and check for leaks? That is something you need to do every year in MN with the temperature fluctuations we experience - especially when they install new windows on an older home.