By WARREN WOODBERRY Jr.
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
 
The federal government has awarded $22 million in grants to cut aircraft noise at schools in neighborhoods around Kennedy Airport.
The grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation were secured by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens). The funds will be used to soundproof schools where classroom lessons are often disrupted by jet noise.
Many of the schools are in flight paths to and from the airport.
Soundproofing could include the installation of new windows and upgraded ventilation ducts.
"Relief is on the way for the thousands of Rockaway students who attend [Intermediate School] 198 in Arverne, IS 180 in Rockaway Park and Beach Channel High School," said Meeks, whose district includes the airport.
"With these monies, students in the Rockaways will have a better learning environment with much less aircraft disruptions," he said.
The federal funding for the grants is derived from the AIR-21 bill that passed in April 2000. The law lifted the ban on the number of flights at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, allowing airlines to offer more competitive scheduling. It also contained provisions for combating excessive aircraft noise.
Meeks said he was able to influence legislative language in the AIR-21 bill to maintain limits on the number of flights at Kennedy and LaGuardia airports until 2007 to help spare communities from jet noise temporarily.
Since the passage of AIR-21, Queens has received more than $40 million in federal grants for aircraft noise reduction projects for homes, schools and public buildings.