BOARD OF AIRPORT COMMISSIONERS AUTHORIZES $9.2 MILLION GRANT FOR RESIDENTIAL SOUND INSULATION WORK IN COUNTY AREAS OF LENNOX AND ATHENS

The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners today approved a letter of agreement and the release of $9.225 million to implement another residential sound insulation project within the County of Los Angeles.

The funding will allow for design and sound insulation construction of 63-single-family and 209 multi-family dwelling units in the Lennox and Athens communities adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Los Angeles County has had a Sound Insulation Program since the early 1990s and has been a recipient of noise mitigation funds from both Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since the program’s inception.  To date, the county has received $56.8 million in sound insulation grants from LAWA and $62 million in grants from FAA, for a total of $118.8 million.

LAWA funds will match funds approved by the FAA.  In 2012, the county was awarded $10 million by the FAA.  The county has already used $8 million and will use the remaining $2 million for this project.  In addition, 1.2 million in remaining funds from previous projects will be transferred to this current project as well, bringing the total funding amount for the county to $12.425 million.

In February 2006, LAWA entered into a Settlement Agreement with the County of Los Angeles, and the Cities of El Segundo and Inglewood, the petitioners to the LAX Master Plan.  In that Settlement, LAWA agreed to forego a requirement for avigation easements in exchange for soundproofing funds, and to require noise easements under very limited circumstances.

The initial allocation of funds from the Settlement Agreement in 2006-07 was $60 million for the County, and the cities of Inglewood and El Segundo.  In addition, the Settlement Agreement provides an annual funding capacity of $22.5 million for noise mitigation grants to these three jurisdictions from 2008-2015.