U. officials said they are taking steps to minimize the Bell choppers' affect on residents and that few residents have complained since the landings resumed May 5. But one new resident is threatening legal action.
“It starts at 7 a.m. goes to 8 or 9 at night. They hover at 12 feet. The emissions don't dissipate this low to the ground. This time of year you want to keep the windows open,” said Jackie Taylor, a 58-year-old University of Utah freshman.
Hospital construction last year forced AirMed to drop patients at the site for six months. Two temporary helipads were cordoned off with concrete barricades in a parking lot near the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and an ambulance delivered patients the short distance to the hospital. The landing zone is more than 100 feet from the closest unit of the Shoreline Apartments' six-building cluster near the mouth of Red Butte Canyon.
U. housing officials reduced rent during last year's disturbance and waived notice requirements for anyone wishing to move out. They made the same concessions this year and invited residents to a meeting where they could air their concerns, but no one came, according to the U.'s interim housing director, Jerry Basford.
"We worked with the hospital to find other places to land the helicopter. They looked at six alternatives and that was the best spot," Basford said. "Would I like the helicopter to land away from our residences? Yes, but in reality we're talking about people who could die if they don't get to the hospital quickly."
The hospital expects to land eight to 10 flights a day at the site. Pilots will avoid flying over residences, spokesman Chris Nelson said. Only one of AirMed's four helicopters will be based at the site and it will be moved to the Salt Lake City airport at night where it can initiate missions without disturbing anyone.
"The only time a flight would come in after hours is when there is a critical patient," Nelson said.
Taylor has complained about the landings to U. administrators, including President Michael Young, whom she is already suing in federal court over alleged toxins in her apartment. Officials said they are willing to move Taylor to another unit.
bmaffly@sltrib.com
AirMed retired one of its workhorses after 22 years of service covering 11.4 million miles. AirMed pilots have logged 8,800 hours in "Sky Rambler," formally known as N206UH, flying thousands of patients, such as Bernie Brainich, who survived an auto collision with a train and who offered his memories in a ceremony Thursday at the temporary landing pad. One of the nation's oldest air ambulance services, AirMed serves about 2,500 patients a year.
