Heather Helfer used to look out her front window and see a healthy cluster of trees that separated her house, at 4934 Grand, from Grand Haven Road and the county airport.
Today, her view is less peaceful after the trees were clear-cut, part of a recent airport expansion.
Helfer and 30 other residents from Grand, Byron, Ellis and Emerald streets signed a petition in May, urging the county to create a buffer to cut down on noise, blowing sand and snow drifts.
They say residents on Ellis and Grand have less privacy after the trees were removed for the relocation of Grand Haven Road.
County officials say they're actively pursuing a solution: They've asked the federal government to pay for the neighborhood's proposed changes.
Helfer said she hasn't heard from the county since she spearheaded the petition, and that has her group "feeling ignored."
Specifically, the petition asks for a windscreen to be installed on the airport's chain-link fence. It also asks the county to build an earth berm with trees and shrubs, which residents say will block traffic noise and reduce wind hassles.
Grand Haven Road is now 400 feet closer to the neighborhood than it used to be, residents said.
"This used to be such a quiet little neighborhood," Helfer said. "We just have to keep calling and get other people involved to try and get this addressed. We just want them to create a little privacy."
Marty Piette, Muskegon County Airport manager, said engineers have studied the petition's cover letter, which outlines recommended improvements.
He said those changes will cost $20,000-$30,000 to implement, and the county has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to pick up the tab.
"They said they'd get back to us in September, but you never know what September that means," Piette said. "I let them know we need an answer soon so we can include it in the fall project."
If the FAA denies the request, airport officials will ask the county for the money, Piette said. The changes could be made this fall or spring, pending on funding falling into place, officials said.
"We're trying to do something to help the neighborhood out," Piette said. "We want to be a good neighbor."
Piette said the neighborhood should have spoken up during the 2005 planning process. He said the county advertised the project in the newspaper before holding an open house and public meeting to gather input.
No residents attended the meetings, Piette said.
The blueprints remained available for residents to view for more than a month, and still, residents didn't speak up, he said.
"Hindsight always is 20-20," he said. "If the neighbors would have come forward then, it could have been included in the project. But the federal government is reluctant to change the plans after the fact."
The county met one of the neighborhood's demands when streetlights were installed.
Still, residents are upset because they say their property values have been hurt by the changes -- especially the lack of privacy after the trees were removed.
Helfer said her house is on the market, and two deals have fallen through because buyers didn't like the airport changes.
"It's frustrating when you get an offer and something's out of your control," she said.
