Comments Came During Meeting Of The Yorktown, NY, Planning Board

A small number of residents who live near IBM's Watson Research Center in Yorktown, NY, told the town's planning board they are concerned about the noise that might be generated by helicopters landing at a proposed helipad at the center.

The company wants to build the pad near the main entrance of the center, according to a report appearing in the Yorktown-Somers Patch online.  The company calls the pad a "Helistop", and said it would be used only for takeoffs and landings, but not aircraft storage. IBM told the board that the pad would likely be used only one or two times a month, usually during business hours Monday-Friday.

Noise studies show that the sound level heard at nearby residences would be in the low 70 dB range, or about that of a household dishwasher. Noise from the traffic on the nearby Taconic State Parkway was found to be louder that the test helicopter flight.

The residents appearing at the planning board meeting Monday night said that non-IBM flights over their houses often "rattle the windows." The IBM presenters responded that their pilots do not fly as low as some other helicopters, and have adopted a "Fly Neighborly Program" developed by HAI. The team said that no IBM helicopters have landed at the center in years, and the previous landing area is overgrown with trees and would not support the weight of the aircraft.

The planning board closed the public hearing after the three residents spoke, but will accept additional comments over the next 10 days.

FMI: www.yorktownny.org