ARC 06-10-2015CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES
June 10, 2015
The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission was held on Wednesday,
June 10, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Mendota Heights City Hall.
The following commissioners were present: David Sloan, Gina Norling, Sally Lorberbaum, Kevin
Byrnes, Jim Neuharth, and Arvind Sharma
Absent: William Dunn (excused)
Also present: Public Works Director/City Engineer John R. Mazzitello, and City Administrator Mark
McNeill
Chair Sloan called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm.
Approval of Minutes
Neuharth moved, and Norling seconded that the minutes of the March 11, 2015 Airport Relations
Commission meeting be approved. All voted in favor.
Norling moved, and Lorberbaum seconded that the minutes of the May 12, 2015 Airport Relations
Commission meeting with the City of Eagan be approved. All voted in favor.
Sharma asked if a copy of the presentation from the May 12, 2015 meeting with Eagan be made
available to the Commissioners. Administrator McNeill stated he would try to get a copy forwarded to
the Commissioners.
Unfinished and New Business
McNeill presented information about an upcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) noise
survey. The survey will be conducted at 20 airports via mail and phone and will not be announced in
advance. If area residents start getting phone calls over the course of the next year, we will know MSP
was a selected airport for the survey. Data collection will be complete in 2016
McNeill presented an update on the Phoenix RNAV/Next Gen process. Lorberbaum complimented
Byrnes on his diligence in collecting articles on this and other topics and suggested the City look at re-
subscribing to the Airport Noise Report. A subscription is $850/year. Lorberbaum suggested sharing a
subscription with Eagan. McNeill states he could look into that possibility.
Norling addressed a recent trend in early morning departures over Mendota Heights. The departures
begin at 5:08am and have remained consistent through May and June. Sloan asked if the on-line flight
tracker has verified these departures. Norling asked if we could have someone from MAC at an
upcoming meeting (August?) to address early morning departures as part of their presentation; possibly
Dana Nelson.
McNeill proposed scheduling an airport tour as the July meeting and proposed July 8th or July 22nd for
a potential tour.
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McNeill asked about a date to present the Commission Annual Work Plan to the City Council. Sloan
agreed to look at potential Council dates in July or August. Second meeting of the month is preferred
due to typically lighter agendas.
Reports on Areas of Focus
Neuharth presented operations statistics noting April total departures on 12L exceeded the Upper
Control Limit (UCL) established by the Commission. If total departures do not drop back below the
UCL, the City should seek an explanation from MAC.
Norling reviewed the noise sensor monitoring data and reported no anomalies in the data. 2005 data
collected to compare total number of decibel exceedances showed over twice as many exceedances in
2005 as compared to today. Sloan suggested comparing the numbers as a function of total operations
over Mendota Heights.
Byrnes asked of RNAV was still a top issue at MSP.
Sharma said he would continue to attend the monthly MAC meetings, but thought we might be able to
attend quarterly and watch on-line for the other months. Topics covered included a resident complaint
about the $6 million concourse renovation, the next crash exercise is scheduled for 2018, and the
continuing trend of passengers increasing while flights are decreasing. Also discussed were the noise
impacts of the reduction in commuter planes. Sharma also stated there was a discussion about the
minimum wage protests at the May meeting and that MSP has won awards for food & beverage
concessions, as well as for cost/flight.
Commissioner Comments
None.
Adjourn
Lorberbaum made a motion to adjourn and Norling seconded at 7:59. All voted in favor.