ARC 11-13-2019 MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES
NOVEMBER 13, 2019
The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission was held on
Wednesday, November 13, 2019, in the City Council Chambers at Mendota Heights City Hall.
1. Call to Order
Chair Sloan called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.
2. Roll Call
The following commissioners were present: David Sloan, Gina Norling, William Dunn, Sally
Lorberbaum, Jim Neuharth, Kevin Byrnes, and Arvind Sharma.
Also present: Assistant City Administrator Cheryl Jacobson and City Administrator Mark McNeill.
Chair Sloan had each member of the Commission introduce themselves, and state to the
members of the audience what their individual responsibilities are on the commission.
3. Approval of Minutes
a. Approval of Minutes of the September 18, 2019 Meeting
Commissioner Lorberbaum asked that “CRO” be more fully described as “Converging Runway
Operations”. Motion to approve the amended minutes by Commissioner Byrnes, seconded by
Commissioner Dunn. Motion carried 7-0
4. Public Comments—There were no members of the public who wished to comment.
5. Unfinished and New Business
a. Guest Speaker MAC Commissioner Richard Ginsburg—Director of Stakeholder
Engagement for MAC, Dana Nelson, appeared before the Commission, and stated
that MAC District G Commissioner Richard Ginsberg was unable to attend that
evening. She stated that he extended his apologies, and that he asked to be
rescheduled at another time.
She then introduced Brad Juffer, MAC’s Community Relations Manager. He spoke
about Crossing in the Corridor procedures. He described how MAC and the FAA try
to make the use of aircraft overhead compatible with adjacent land uses, while
balancing that with over-riding safety concerns. He noted that for Runway 12L,
commercial carriers are staying in the corridor between 97% and 98% of the time.
That does not include turbo prop, or military planes. Crossing in the corridor can be
used only in times of low air traffic use, when there is only a single controller in the
tower, which is usually after 11 PM. He said that the ability to use crossing in the
corridor has declined slightly over the past 22 months.
Dana Nelson reported on stakeholder engagement meetings which MAC has held,
including a Minneapolis customer forum. She also said that since early in 2018, MAC
has had a place on the Noise Oversight Committee meetings for local residents to
bring forward questions before that Commission.
b. 12L Departure Proposal/Crossing in the Corridor Update--Sean Fortier, FAA air
traffic manager, appeared and described what air traffic controllers do for training.
Commissioner Norling asked how much daytime controllers have the ability to allow
for crossing in the corridor. Mr. Fortier responded that it is preferred to have
multiple controllers in the tower during daytime and other periods of higher use,
and so acknowledged that there are few opportunities for crossing in the corridor
during daylight hours.
a. Review of Airport Operational Statistics
i. Complaint Information. Complaint charts were reviewed. Commissioner
Lorberbaum noted that the charts hadn’t been available until the preceding
Friday, and so hadn’t been included in the packet. She did note that the
changes appeared to be the typical seasonal ones for September and
October.
ii. Turboprop Charts. Commissioner Neuharth said that charts for both 12L and
12R looked normal. Brad Juffer was asked about turboprops. He responded
that those constitute a very small percentage of airport operations, but
noted that the time was then approaching for more use due to holiday
deliveries. Commissioner Neuharth asked if it would be possible to speak
with the turbo prop operators. Mr. Juffer responded that Bemidji Air is the
largest operator, and suggested that having them appear before the ARC to
explain their business model might be beneficial.
iii. Noise Monitor Charts. Commissioner Dunn said that the readings from
monitors showed that the top ten noise events are in the 80 to 85 decibel
range in Mendota Heights; on the other side of the Minnesota River, those
same top ten events would be in the 90 to 110 decibel range. Most of the
events are C-130’s military planes.
Commissioner Norling said that there were more readings over the 65
decibel range, but monitor #13 is trending higher, while #15 is trending
lower. She said that in September, there were more readings over 80, and
asked MAC staff to follow-up. Mr. Juffer responded that 15 of the readings
in September were C-130’s. He also noted that four of the readings were
from Aer Lingus on its flights to Dublin; he said that that flight uses older,
noisier planes. However, those are slated to be replaced soon with quieter
planes.
iv. MAC Meeting. Chair Sloan said that the November NOC meeting had been
changed to an evening meeting that month, and so the report on that
meeting would have to wait until the next ARC meeting.
Commissioner Sharma said he learned from the last MAC meeting that total
passenger counts are up 3.5%, but the trend continues for fewer flights. He
noted that the new TSA screening point at the airport hotel wasn’t being
used much, and so it may be closed.
6. Adjourn
Motion Neuharth/Second Lorberbaum to adjourn at 6:42 pm. All voted in favor.
Minutes Taken By:
Mark McNeill
City Administrator
City of Mendota Heights