Upgrades to homes delayed

Corey Arwood

Burlington Free Press USA TODAY NETWORK

Airport officials were supposed to hook people up with home upgrades to dull the roar of F-35s this summer. But now those residents will likely have to deal with the decibels until at least next spring.

Construction set for July on dozens of homes near Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport never happened because federal funding was still being worked out, and the feds didn’t get it squared until well into September, said airport director Nicolas Longo.

“The government shutdown last year

The F-35 jets land at the Burlington International Airport on Thursday afternoon September 19, 2019 in South Burlington, Vermont.

BRIAN JENKINS/FOR THE FREE PRESS

was a real hurdle, and into January and February, March, that was a huge hurdle for making sure that particular round of grant funding continued,” said Longo. “We’re all set now.”

Fifty-eight units were set for upgrades this year that could dampen jet noise from outside. It was all pushed back to 2027, along with an extra dozen homes.

“Those houses are (most likely) not going to be insulated this year (due to the weather), but they’re ready to be insulated,” Longo said.

The planned renovations should cost about $90,000-$110,000, he said, and could involve things like new windows, doors, insulation and “building systems that make indoor spaces quieter, safer and more energy efficient.”

“Even right now we’ve got high 30s, low 40-degree nighttime temperatures, and you obviously don’t want an open hole in the side of your house,” Longo said.

Otherwise, he said it’s “more or less” the homeowners’ preferences.

At roughly $7.3 million, the airport received the largest portion of an available $18 million Department of Defense grant, Longo said. The airport matched it with $813,418 of its own, he said.

Approved by Burlington City Council in 2025, it was part of the department’s new grant program for communities near National Guard bases, according to city airport commission notes.

Without the grant, the 58 units would have waited “a few years” for funds from the Federal Aviation Administration, Longo said. Since the program’s start, the airport has worked on 80-90 homes, he said.

“We’re working with hundreds of homeowners, and it can be very complex,” Longo said, adding soon afterward, “I think we are pushing the boundaries … this accelerated that work no matter what, even if there was nothing happening this year.”

The renovations are for homes, multi- family residences and nonprofit facilities, such as Chamberlin School in South Burlington, where some soundproofing work has already been completed, Longo said.

Whether a building qualifies for the program is largely based on its proximity to the airport or flight paths.

The airport’s residential sound-reduction program started in 2022 after a study aimed at “addressing the increased noise of the F-35 aircraft now based at BTV.” The latest maps of the affected areas are available online.

A Burlington City Council subcommittee led by Councilor Eugene Bergman sought to have the jets relocated from the base, but that appeared to be out of the question following a meeting with congressional staff this summer.

In a 2024 resolution, the Burlington city commission contended that over 6,660 residents and almost 3,000 homes were impacted by the jet noise, with low-income and minority populations disproportionately affected. It cited studies stating children’s healthy growth is stymied by high-decibel noise.

Corey Arwood is the Burlington Free Press city reporter and can be reached by email at clarwood@gannett.com.