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02-11-1998 ARC MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION FEBRUARY 11, 1998 - MINUTES The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission was held on Wednesday, February 11, 1998 in the City Hall Large Conference Room, 1 10 1 Victoria Curve. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. The following members Were present: Beaty, Fitzer, Leuman, Stein and May. Commissioner Des Roches was absent. Commissioner May moved approval of the December 10, 1997 and January 14, 1998 meeting minutes. Commissioner Leuman seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 DISCUSSION OF METROPOLITAN COUNCIL AIR NOISE ZONES/LAND USE Administrator Batchelder informed the Commission that he had received a phone call from a reporter who had recently written an article in the Eagan this Week Newspaper regarding the City of Eagan's letter to the Metropolitan Council. Batchelder stated that the City of Eagan is concerned about residential development in the "corridor" and wrote a letter to the Met Council in support of the new Aviation Guidelines. Batchelder stated that the reporter was interested in writing about the City of Mendota Heights, in particular, the City's opinion regarding the City of Eagan's concerns with residential development in the corridor and their support of the.new Aviation Guidelines. Batchelder explained that he informed the reporter that the City of Mendota Heights .sees this issue differently than the City of Eagan. Batchelder stated that he informed the reporter that the City of Mendota Heights is the only city that adopted the previous Met Council noise zones and guidelines and that Mendota Heights was the only city to adopt a Noise AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES - FEBRUARY 11, 1998 1 Attenuation Ordinance. He stated that all residential areas in Mendota Heights were in conformance with the aviation guidelines and their previous projections of air noise and air traffic. Batchelder stated that he informed the reporter that the new Met Council guidelines and contours for air noise are unacceptable because: 1 They entrench existing air traffic patterns that have overwhelmed the original intent of the corridor; and 2. Acceptance of the old Met Council guidelines and the new guidelines will only mean ever increasing levels of air traffic in Mendota Heights; and 3. The contours do not take into account the proposed distribution of air traffic to a new north/south runway and a potential decrease in traffic over Mendota Heights; and 4. The contours may contain numerous technical errors; and 5. The general guidelines could be effective and equitable as a land planning tool only if all municipalities around the airport adopt them. Commissioner May inquired about Hoffman Homes' position regarding Met Council's change in Noise Zones and Land Use Guidelines. Batchelder responded that the City, in December, sent a letter to Hoffman Homes. He stated that he had recently spoken with Hoffman Homes and that they will be meeting with the Mayor and staff on Thursday, February 12, 1998. Chair Beaty inquired how the City of Eagan has been able to regulate their land use. Batchelder responded that they have been very strict in regulating their zoning. Beaty stated that he is concerned that the City of Eagan will create political pressure in forcing air noise further south. Commissioner May inquired if the Met Council has the sole discretion with defining the air noise corridor. Batchelder responded that the Met Council, to some extent, have the authority. He briefly explained the Met Council's role in planning systems, including transportation systems, with the metropolitan area. Commissioner May stated that the City has developed many neighborhoods, in particular Bridgeview Shores, based on Met Council guidelines. He stated that the City has cooperated with the Met Council and now we are being penalized. He stated the new guidelines make current developments incompatible land uses. He stated that City needs to say "hold it". Beaty stated that it will be interesting when City residents find out that they are living in incompatible land use developments. He stated that residents will AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES - FEBRUARY 11, 1998 2 be upset because their property values will depreciate. Batchelder stated that homes are currently selling in these areas. Administrator Batchelder informed the Commission that Mayor Mertensotto has requested the Airport Relations Commission to discuss and provide Council with some guidance for discussions with the Met Council regarding Noise Zones and Land Use Guidelines. The following list was reviewed: 1 Mendota Heights is the only city that adopted the previous Met Council noise zones and guidelines and is the only city to adopt a Noise Attenuation Ordinance. All residential areas in Mendota Heights were in conformance with the aviation guidelines and their previous projections of air noise and air traffic. 2. Because the Preferential Runway Use system relies on "land compatibility" as a guiding principle for heavy use of the Mendota Heights - Eagan corridor, greater volumes of traffic and heavier percentages of aircraft traffic now depart in our direction. This has increased the size of the air noise -contours, and as a result, the size of the Metropolitan Council's noise zones have increased beyond any projections and into residential areas long considered compatible. 3. Adopting the previous air noise guidelines and air noise zones has worked against Mendota Heights by implying acceptance of unlimited aircraft traffic. 4. The southeast corridor has not confined aircraft to compatible land use areas, but has given license to the airport operators to send ever increasing air traffic over Mendota Heights. This ever increasing amount of traffic cannot physically or operationally be confined to the corridor and, in fact, constantly spills over into incompatible land use areas. 5. Acceptance of the corridor by Mendota Heights has been interpreted and used by MAC as acceptance of an unlimited volume of air traffic in our direction - whether or not it fits within the acceptable parameters and use of the corridor. 6. The arbitrarily and illegally imposed southern boundary to the corridor has forced the ever increasing volumes of air traffic to the north into residential areas in order to physically accommodate the increasing volume of traffic. AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES - FEBRUARY 11, 1998 3 7. Thus, ever increasing numbers of overflights are the direct cause of the increasing area of the noise contours and, thus, the expansion of the Metropolitan Council's noise zone areas into previously compatible residential areas. 8. MAC policies to control or confine the air noise are not effective because there is no enforcement. Air traffic often do not follow the procedures and fly the pattern most expeditious to their destination. 9. The new LDN 65 contour has jumped from west of Lexington Avenue (1987) to east of Dodd Road (1997) because of the increase in operations and the increase in the use of the southeast corridor, thereby further increasing the encroachment into residential areas. MAC's decision to ignore the Preferential Runway Use Systems guidelines for the Runway 4/22 have only exacerbated this problem. 10. A stated plan of the airport is to grow and accommodate more traffic. New technology will expand the ability of the airport to greater volumes. Noise will only continue to increase and expand because mitigation efforts cannot offset the increase in volume. 11. Northwest Airlines Stage 3 fleet consists of the highest level of hushkitted DC9's, which are technically Stage 3, but are still much noisier than new Stage 3. Because of NWA's dominance of this airport, MSP will not enjoy the full benefit of the intent to reduce noise through Stage 3 compliance for many years into the 21 st century. 12. Acceptance of the corridor by Mendota Heights and Eagan and anticipated outcomes stated to "sell" the corridor to these cities did not include license to put unlimited volumes of traffic into the corridor. Again, the Preferential Runway Use system anticipated that Runway 4/22 would be used to equitably distribute aircraft traffic around the airport. Because this has not been done, the brunt of increased operations has been placed into the southeast corridor. 13. Increased volumes of traffic within the corridor to current levels make it physically impossible for it to function as proposed and projected, with aircraft continually spilling over into residential areas that have never previously experienced air noise. Continued use of the corridor in this fashion makes the corridor un -functional for its stated purpose, obsolete, and unacceptable to Mendota Heights. AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES - FEBRUARY 11, 1998 4 14. The new Met Council guidelines and contours for air noise are unacceptable for the following reasons: They entrench existing air traffic patterns that have overwhelmed the original intent of the corridor; and Acceptance of the old Met Council guidelines and presumably the new guidelines will only mean ever increasing levels of air traffic in Mendota Heights; and The contours do not take into account the proposed distribution of air traffic to a new north/south runway and a potential decrease in traffic over Mendota Heights; and The contours may contain numerous technical errors; and The general guidelines could be effective and equitable as a land planning tool only if all municipalities around the airport adopt them. 15. Air noise will continue to grow worse at MSP as traffic increases. Any remedies to give relief to surroundings cities will not and cannot effectively keep up with the effects of this increased volume and noise pollution. 16. The federal Part 150 Sound Insulation Program is not available to many homes that are now in the new Met Council noise zones. They are considered an inconsistent land use, but no recognized noise program is available for mitigation. The Commission reviewed the above items and briefly discussed the importance of several issues, specifically items 1, 2,5 and 12. Commissioner May moved to recommend that the City Council consider using items 1-16 of the February 9, 1998 memo from Administrator Batchelder as actual facts regarding Mendota Heights position on the Metropolitan Council's new noise zones and policy guidelines. Commissioner Fitzer seconded the motion. AYES:. 5 NAYS: 0 The Commission discussed how the City's position has always been equitable air noise distribution. The Commission discussed how the Met Council appears to not be treating the City fairly in that the City of Mendota Heights was the only City to adopt a Noise Attenuation Ordinance and that AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES - FEBRUARY 11, 1998 5 all residential areas in the City were in conformance with the aviation guidelines and their previous projections of air noise and air traffic. The Commission felt that the media should be made aware of this unfair situation. DISCUSSION OF NDCARC - DRAFT OF COLLABORATIVE ISSUES Administrator Batchelder explained that at a recent NDCARC meeting, the original list of collaborative issues was discussed by the member cities and revised for consideration by each individual city. Batchelder explained that each individual city is to identify five top priorities on the basis of commonality and our ability to impact their outcome. Please see below: 1 Monitor and Study the Consequences of the "Close -In" vs. "Distant" Departure Procedures over Minneapolis. 2. Further Nighttime Restrictions on Aircraft Operations. 3. Monitor and Study Compliance with Non -Simultaneous Departure Procedures. 4. Review Effectiveness and Consider Expansion of MAC Aircraft Noise Operations Monitoring System (ANOMS). 5. Composition of MAC Body - Accountability Issues. 6. Corridor Definition/Compliance Issues. 7. Equitable Runway Use - Use of Runway 4/22. 8. Noise measurement Issues - Encourage Use of Contours and Measurements in Addition to 65. 9. Runway Construction Issues. 10. Encourage Conversion from Hushkit Stage III to Factory Stage Ill. 11. Advocate for Environmental Assessments for Incremental Growth in Noise Impacts. The Commission discussed the above items. AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES - FEBRUARY 11, 1998 6 Commissioner May moved to recommend that the City Council consider items 1,5,7,3 and 6 as the City's top five NDCARC collaborative issues. Commissioner Stein seconded the motion. AYES: 5 NAYS: 0 RUNWAY RECONSTRUCTION Chair Beaty inquired how the runway reconstruction will affect non - simultaneous departures. Administrator Batchelder stated that MSP operations will continue to use the south parallel runway and that smaller aircraft will use Runway 12R. He explained that large body aircraft, such as 747's, will use Runway 4-22. In response to a question from Chair Beaty, Administrator Batchelder stated that the emphasis should be placed on issuing centerline he adings. UPDATES INITIAL DISCUSSIONS ON MONITORING NON -SIMULTANEOUS DEPARTURES Administrator Batchelder informed the Commission that this item will be before the MASAC within a few months. Batchelder stated that this issue should be pursued especially with the runway construction this summer. Chair Beaty stated that the City should inform the MAC that during construction, there will be 12 more additional flights and that whenever possible, centerline headings should be enforced. Administrator Batchelder stated that staff could send a letter to MAC regarding this issue. The Commission discussed that later in the month of April would work best for this tour. It was determined that Tuesday nights and weekends are difficult times to meet. Staff will schedule a tour. ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF VARIOUS REPORTS/CORRESPONDENCE The Commission acknowledged receipt of the Airport Noise Report of January 23, 1998. AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES - FEBRUARY 11, 1998 7 The Cunnrnioaion acknowledged receipt of the MAS/\C Agenda for January 27, 1998 and December 2, 1987 Minutes. - The Commission acknowledged receipt of the MASAC By -Laws. The CornnniooioD acknowledged receipt of the MAS/\C [)paro1ona Committee Minutes for January 16, 1998. The Commission acknowledged receipt of the MASAC Abbreviated Technical Advisor's Report for KjoVennba[ 1997 and for December 1987. The; Commission acknowledged receipt of the Policy Advisory Committee (Part 15[)) Agenda for February 12, 1998. The Commission acknowledged receipt ofthe Eagan Airport Relations Committee Agenda for February 1(], 1998. ADJOURNMENT There being nofurther business, the Airport Relations Commission moved to adjourn its meeting at 8:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, / KirDbedeeK. []laeeer Senior Secretary AIRPORT xsLATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES - FEBRUARY r1,/yoa 8