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Airport advisory board member briefs Harrison board on TUA limits, noise and PFAS concerns
Summary
David Gelfarck, a Harrison resident and member of the Westchester County Airport Advisory Board, told the board the Terminal Use Agreement constrains passenger throughput to 240 people per half hour, discussed PFAS from historical firefighting foam near reservoirs, and summarized recent legal rulings affecting FBOs and JSX operations.
David Gelfarck, a Harrison resident who serves on the Westchester County Airport Advisory Board, briefed the town board on several operational limits and community concerns tied to county airport operations.
“The TUA stands for terminal use agreement,” Gelfarck said, explaining the agreement’s role in limiting throughput. “It restricts the number of people who can go in and out of the terminal on flights to 240 per half hour.”
Gelfarck reviewed long-standing items the advisory board monitors: flight operations reports (by runway and operator), voluntary curfew compliance (12 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.), noise complaints and monitoring, and infrastructure updates. He raised public-health concerns from historical use of firefighting foam at the airport that contained PFAS and noted the proximity of airport activities to a drinking-water reservoir.
He addressed recent litigation and county limits on non-terminal operations, recounting that a federal appeals court had ruled that JSX — a company operating flights from fixed-base operator facilities — could not be compelled to operate from the main terminal, reducing county leverage over capacity outside terminal constraints.
Gelfarck also summarized an intermunicipal task force of neighboring towns that produced identical resolutions urging the county to take action on airport impacts; he encouraged residents to attend airport advisory board meetings and noted that they are open to the public and available online.
Board members asked about noise-abatement examples from other jurisdictions and about how engineering and enforcement data (including radar or speed-display devices) are being used locally to collect evidence and tailor enforcement. Gelfarck said flight paths are controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration and that the county has limited authority to change them.
Gelfarck closed by inviting board members and residents to the airport advisory board meetings and to review the advisory board’s materials online, saying the board welcomes public engagement on noise, traffic and infrastructure questions.
The presentation was informational; no board motion followed, though members discussed potential follow-up and local participation in county-level task forces.
