2008 Woodie Awards
Despite noise concerns, helipad will open Oct. 13
Issue date: 10/9/08
In efforts to increase efficient transportation between Union Memorial Hospital (UMH) and other hospitals in the area, UMH will open its new helipad next Monday.
The helipad will be located atop the roof of the Johnston Professional Building, across the street from several campus housing developments.
Despite community concerns that were raised by the Charles Village Civic Association last spring, the construction of the helipad seems to have caused limited disturbance to residents of Charles Village.
"The University has not found issue with the development of the helipad, nor have we received any student complaints," Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Hopkins Dennis O'Shea said.
According to Debra Schindler, public relations representative for UMH, the hospital ran a test flight on Sept. 24, in part to determine the noise level and its effect on neighboring residents.
Schindler said that the noise from the test flight was significantly quieter than an average ambulance siren.
"The sound is less than a minute-long event where the noise is at its peak. It's not worse than a police siren on the ground," she said.
UMH hired an independent company, Russell Acoustics LLC, to measure sound levels during the flyover. The company found Schindler's assessment to be correct.
The helicopter has one primary flight path and two alternate flight paths. The primary path is down 33rd Street, east of the University. The alternate paths run down University Parkway, on the north side of campus, and up Calvert Street, on the east side.
None of the three routes pass over the Homewood campus or the University housing on Charles Street.
"I hope that [residents] would have determined on their own that the flights are quiet, quick and that they're not going to be quite the big events that some people thought they would be," Schindler said.
Despite some opposition, Schindler felt that the community as a whole had been supportive of the hospital's decision to go ahead with construction.
The helipad will be located atop the roof of the Johnston Professional Building, across the street from several campus housing developments.
Despite community concerns that were raised by the Charles Village Civic Association last spring, the construction of the helipad seems to have caused limited disturbance to residents of Charles Village.
"The University has not found issue with the development of the helipad, nor have we received any student complaints," Executive Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Hopkins Dennis O'Shea said.
According to Debra Schindler, public relations representative for UMH, the hospital ran a test flight on Sept. 24, in part to determine the noise level and its effect on neighboring residents.
Schindler said that the noise from the test flight was significantly quieter than an average ambulance siren.
"The sound is less than a minute-long event where the noise is at its peak. It's not worse than a police siren on the ground," she said.
UMH hired an independent company, Russell Acoustics LLC, to measure sound levels during the flyover. The company found Schindler's assessment to be correct.
The helicopter has one primary flight path and two alternate flight paths. The primary path is down 33rd Street, east of the University. The alternate paths run down University Parkway, on the north side of campus, and up Calvert Street, on the east side.
None of the three routes pass over the Homewood campus or the University housing on Charles Street.
"I hope that [residents] would have determined on their own that the flights are quiet, quick and that they're not going to be quite the big events that some people thought they would be," Schindler said.
Despite some opposition, Schindler felt that the community as a whole had been supportive of the hospital's decision to go ahead with construction.
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