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2007-01-10 Airport Relations Commission Minutes 2007-01-10 Airport Relations Commission Minutes CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES JANUARY 10, 2007 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission was held on Wednesday, January 10, 2007, at 7:00 p.m., in the Large Conference Room at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, Minnesota. The following Commissioners were present: Liz Petschel, Chair; Vern Edstrom, Robin Ehrlich, Brian Linnihan, Dave Sloan, and Ellsworth Stein. Also present were: Jim Danielson, City Administrator; Jake Sedlacek, Assistant to the City Administrator; and Mary Heintz, Recorder. Not Present: Bill Dunn, Commissioner. Chair Petschel opened the meeting and requested the addition of ARC Appointments to the agenda. Approval of Minutes Chair Petschel requested amendments to the submitted meeting minutes: • October 11, 2006 -- Change “operation” to “operations” in the first line of the first paragraph under B. Runway 12L Departure Numbers. • November 22, 2006 -- Change wording to “1) Eagan/Mendota Heights corridor” in the fourth line of the fifth paragraph on page two and add wording to “230-degree heading was not used” in the second line of the sixth paragraph on page seven. A motion was made by Commissioner Edstrom, seconded by Commissioner Ellsworth, to approve the October 11, 2006, and November 22, 2006, Airport Relations Commission Meeting minutes as amended. Unfinished and New Business A. Legislative Workshop Update The City Administrator reported that he and the Assistant to the City Administrator attended a Legislative meeting in Minneapolis on December 18 which was well attended by Legislators, including Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybek, but overall was negative about adding to MAC. He said Mayor Rybek had suggested as alternate plan, to totally revamp MAC with a Twin Cities MAC focused solely on the MSP Airport and outstate smaller MACS throughout the State which would be focused on those areas. Commission Page 1 2007-01-10 Airport Relations Commission Minutes Meeting – January 10, 2007 Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission 2 He said the subject of adding to MAC had been brought before the Legislature before but never progressed and that Minneapolis was pushing the bill again, which would help ARC. The Assistant to the City Administrator added that the plan would allow for movement efficiency within the State. The subject was raised about the possibility of the reliever airports taking on more responsibility for passengers and cargo. Chair Petschel stated that there was a different Legislature in place now and the subject with persistence would not die, also noting Senator James Metzen’s previously-stated support. The Assistant to the City Administrator added that it was important to keep the issue in the public eye and keep the conversation going. The City Administrator reported that Representative Rick Hansen, at the end of the December meeting, said he would initiate the legislation. He referenced the Airport 101 documentation that had been distributed at the meeting and said he would save the master. Chair Petschel requested that the document be made available to new ARC members and suggested that the Commissioners keep it in their files, as it was helpful information. Commissioner Linnihan inquired about the next steps. The City Administrator responded that it was in the Legislature’s hands. The Assistant to the City Administrator suggested that Chair Petschel send a friendly reminder to Legislators. The City Administrator agreed to send Senator Metzen’s and Representative Hansen’s email addresses to the Commissioners, for personal letters they may wish to write to them. Commissioner Sloan stated the importance of getting representation from outlying suburbs. B. Runway 17/35 Impacts Update Discussion Chair Petschel gave an overview of the November 22 meeting and said Mr. Carl Rydeen had confirmed that he was aware of the EIS violation but did not want to taxi planes across 12R, which would make 12L busier and not meet Mendota Heights’ promised percentages. She said he also admitted that he’d had complete input, had signed off on the documentation, and “could make it happen” if he wanted to. Page 2 2007-01-10 Airport Relations Commission Minutes Chair Petschel said that Mr. Rydeen’s decision to not cross runways would bury Mendota Heights. Commissioner Linnihan stated that there were other airports which crossed runways and questioned whether Mr. Rydeen’s reluctance was because it was just easier not to. Commissioner Sloan added that was it also bureaucracy. Commissioner Ehrlich commented that large cues forced distribution of planes and the process utilized now was to take off on the closest runways. Chair Petschel reiterated Mayor Huber’s concern that it would soon become the standard operating procedure and rapid intervention would be needed. Commission Meeting – January 10, 2007 Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission 3 Chair Petschel reported on Burnsville’s procedures through NOC to get action on their issues regarding 17/35. She said it had been recommended that a letter from NOC would be taken much more seriously by MAC than a letter from the City to the Tower and/or the FAA. Chair Petschel went on further to say that Burnsville had also contacted local and national Legislators immediately to inform them of the violation of the environmental impact statement and that MAC had been non-responsive. She said Councilmember Ultan Duggan planned to raise the issue at the next NOC meeting and Mendota Heights had never been against carrying a fair share of air noise. Chair Petschel recommended that the focus of the City’s complaint be the violation of the environmental impact statement, rather than referring to the promised relief. The City Administrator then cited specific information in the FAA Record of Decisions of September 1998 documenting MAC’s extensive input and signing off all the way along. • Page 4, FAA Approvals – “This ROD provides final approval for the federal actions necessary to support the construction and operation of a new carrier length runway, designated Runway 17/35, as well as related facilities at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Air Traffic. The proposed action will require that the FAA’s Air Traffic Division expand the Class B airspace surrounding MSP and establish new air traffic control procedures, consistent with the information contained in the FEIS. Related Air Traffic actions may also involved redesign of the terminal radar approach control Page 3 2007-01-10 Airport Relations Commission Minutes (TRACON) airspace surrounding MSP.” • Page 11, FAA’s Role in the Dual Track Process – “Throughout this extensive process, the FAA has monitored the methods and procedures used by the MAC in arriving at a preferred alternative. The FAA assisted in the analysis by providing guidance and advice in various technical committees. “In addition to jointly preparing the Draft and Final EISs, the FAA has independently reviewed and evaluated all of the material presented in the scoping and environmental documents, and critical portions of the material have been independently verified.” • Page 56, D. The interests of the community in or near which the project may be located have been given fair consideration (49 USC 47106 (b) (2)) – “This determination is supported by a long history of communication between the MAC and the surrounding political jurisdictions, documented in the FEIS and the beginning at the earliest project planning stages when the Dual Track Airport Planning Process was mandated by the Minnesota Legislature. Commission Meeting – January 10, 2007 Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission 4 “Through the course of preparing numerous planning and environmental studies, providing for committee structures and public hearings, and as a result of the State’s legislative mandates, the participation process has remained open and available to interested parties. The MAC has executed agreements with surrounding communities and special interests (historic, noise, refuse, surface transportation, etc.) in consideration of concerns and commitments of interested parties regarding the proposed project. Further, the MAC is currently in the process of adopting contracts with affected communities regarding the planning and development of a north parallel runway. The language in force or proposed in these contracts generally provides that the communities will not oppose construction of the new north-south runway while the MAC agrees to not advocate the construction of a north parallel runway, nor construct such a runway, for an extended time period (the actual or proposed contract terms extend as far into the future as 2050). “Consistent with FAA commitments made to the City of Minneapolis, MSP control tower personnel will utilize Runway 17/35 in accordance with the conditions set forth Page 4 2007-01-10 Airport Relations Commission Minutes in the Dual Track Airport Planning Process FEIS, Appendix A, page A.3-17. Therefore, tower personnel will utilize Runway 17/35 so that the runway is not used for departures to the north and arrivals to the south, except under the following limited circumstances, described on page A.3-17 of the FEIS (1) safety reasons; (2) weather conditions; or (3) temporary runway closures due to snow removal, due to construction, or due to other activities at the airport.” • Page A.3-17, Dual Track Final EIS – “Runway use for the MSP Alternative…..Runway 12L, 7.4 percent of departures, 21.3 percent of arrivals.” Chair Petschel stated that the goal would be to coach Councilmember Duggan in advance of the NOC meeting he will attend in late January. She expressed anger with the Corridor Analysis numbers of nighttime flights over the City – 40% in August and 37% in November – and said the issue needed to be raised. The Assistant to the City Administrator noted that there had been an increase of 100 flights over the previous year. Chair Petschel said she sensed urgency and the next steps would be to go to NOC and the Legislature, adding that the subject would likely be a high priority for the City Mayor and Council, as thousands of residents in the City and surrounding areas south of 110 were being affected. The Commissioners all agreed. It was decided that Commissioners would communicate via email as to how the NOC meeting goes. The City Administrator stated that he and Chair Petschel would meet with Councilmember Duggan by the end of the week. Commission Meeting – January 10, 2007 Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission 5 Commissioner Linnihan suggested that a recommendation be made to the City Council following the NOC meeting and it would be their decision to decide whether it was as urgent as the Commission felt it was. The City Administrator added that he would bring up the subject at the Council Workshop on February 9. C. ARC Appointments Chair Petschel announced Commissioner Edstrom’s plan to resign from ARC and appealed to Commissioners for potential candidates. Commissioner Edstrom suggested that a Northwest Airlines pilot would be a good choice. Page 5 2007-01-10 Airport Relations Commission Minutes The City Administrator reported that the City had received names of nine applicants for five openings and he would query all applicants about their interest in ARC. He suggested in particular Doug Hennes, vice president at St. Thomas, who Chair Petschel was acquainted with and who, she said, would be a wonderful addition. Other Commissioner Comments or Concerns The Assistant to the City Administrator reported that John Roszak had spent four hours the previous Saturday assisting him in going through and merging extensive files from various administrators. He invited any interested Commissioners to assist them in the next session, scheduled for January 13 at 9 a.m. in the lower level of City Hall. Commissioner Ehrlich asked for insight in how to make sense of the previously-distributed capital improvement budget. Chair Petschel said that Commissioners would want to read the sections identifying hot topics at the Airport, to see if those items would be in the budget and how money was being spent. She said the other thing to keep an eye on would be the 20/20 plan and whether money had been devoted for the big expansion at the Humphrey Terminal, which ARC had been trying to fight. Upcoming Meetings • City Council Meeting on January 16 • MAC Meeting on January 16 • NOC Meeting on January 17 • MAC Quarterly Input Meeting on January 23 Adjourn Commissioner Edstrom made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Linnihan, to adjourn the meeting at 7:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Mary Heintz TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. Page 6