The Lancaster Zoning Board of Appeals will meet tonight and hear a lawyer's claim on behalf of neighbors that the Lancaster Airport -

which they dislike for its noise and low-flying planes - has already expanded beyond its legal limit.

"I'm keeping an open mind. I've gone through the file which is very, very thick," said Darlene Humphrey, a new member of the six-member board. "It's going to be very interesting to hear the facts ... I feel that when all the facts are out, we'll make a fair decision."

The meeting scheduled for 8 p.m. in Town Hall, 21 Central Ave. follows a December request for a zoning review. After Code Enforcement Officer Jeffrey Simme did not respond, last month attorney Arthur Giacalone asked for board review. Airport neighbors he represents have

complained about declining property value and potential dangers of crashes.

"It never should have been allowed to expand more than 25 percent from the size it was in 1989," Giacalone said of the airport. By his interpretation, it is a non-conforming use with the expansion limits set in the current zoning code, enacted in 1989.

In response to Giacalone's charge, the Federal Aviation Administration put the airport's grant request to expand its runway from 3,200 feet to 5,500 feet on hold.

Tom Geles, one of the owners of the airport, which was opened by his father and a partner in the 1960s, said he has been careful to follow town rules all along. To him, this challenge seems wrong.

"I felt right along that it was inappropriate and wasteful and seeking to harm the airport in whatever way they could find," Geles said of the neighbors. "I've sought legal advice as well. I feel that it's necessary to defend the integrity of the airport."