ARC 11-17-2021 Meeting MinutesAirport Relations Commission Page 1
Meeting Minutes 11-17-2021
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES
November 17, 2021
The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission was held on
Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at Mendota Heights City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve.
1. Call to Order
Chair Norling called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. The following commissioners were
present: Gina Norling, David Sloan, Kevin Byrnes, William Dunn, and Jeff Hamiel.
Absent (excused): Arvind Sharma and Jim Neuharth
Staff present: City Administrator Cheryl Jacobson and Office Support Assistant Sheila
Robertson.
2. Approval of Agenda
Motion by Dunn/Second by Sloan to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0.
3. Approval of Minutes
a. Approval of Minutes of the September 8, 2021 Regular Meeting
Chair Norling noted the minutes were well written and accurately reflected the discussion
of last meeting.
Motion by Hamiel/Second by Sloan to approve the agenda. Motion carried 4-0 (Dunn
abstained due to absence during that meeting)
4. Public Comments
No public comments were received.
5. Unfinished and New Business
a. MAC Community Relations/Stakeholder Engagement Office Presentation
Chair Norling introduced Brad Juffer, Manager of Community Relations with Minneapolis/St.
Paul International Airport (MSP) Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). Mr. Juffer
discussed MAC communications and shared their mission, vision, and strategic plan. He
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Meeting Minutes 11-17-2021
stated that the Strategy and Stakeholder Division was created in 2018 in order to properly
resource and engage the community.
Mr. Juffer shared a flow chart and explained the five unique departments under CEO Brian
Ryks, diving deeper into three departments:
The Strategic Marketing Department’s focus is on campaigns with significant importance to
their organization (ie COVID-19 testing site). They work on branding and messaging,
including major social media platforms.
The Strategic Communications department focuses on media relations and executive
communications.
The Stakeholder Engagement department focuses on engaging tenants and neighboring
communities. They hold in-person and virtual events (ie “Meet the Fleet” videos). In the
last 12 months they’ve held 106 public meetings and events, and average around 100
conversations per month with residents.
Commissioner Dunn commented that if the ARC sees something that looks amiss, the MAC
has been very prompt and responsive in correcting or explaining any issues.
Chair Norling added her appreciation of the ARC and MAC relationship.
Commissioner Hamiel complemented the outreach change and asked what trends the MAC
has seen in relation to the communities’ view of MSP.
Mr. Juffer stated that complaints were down in 2020 and 2021 and there haven’t been a lot
of changes in community engagement. He added that the MAC is trying to find innovative
ways to break barriers between citizens and the MAC/MSP.
Chair Norling thanked Mr. Juffer for his presentation.
b. ARC Meeting Dates for 2022
Chair Norling reviewed the 2022 ARC meeting dates and asked the commission if there
were any conflicts and if bimonthly meetings were appropriate.
Motion by Dunn/Second by Sloan to approve the meeting dates. No discussion. Motion
passed 5-0.
c. Strategic Priorities- Work Plan Timeline
Chair Norling identified each strategy and action items pegged for 2022, stating it might be
helpful to plan goals for the January and March meetings.
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Meeting Minutes 11-17-2021
In January the ARC will develop a communication plan and Commissioner Neuharth will
write a January “Heights Highlights” article.
In March the ARC will work to collaborate with other communities.
Chairs Sloan and Dunn commented on the existing relationship with neighboring
communities such as Eagan.
Commissioner Byrnes asked to have a level-set of all this information and relationships.
Commissioner Hamiel noted to ask MAC to help review the 2040 comprehensive plan.
Mr. Juffer noted the MAC plan would be ready for review by the fourth quarter of 2022.
6. Acknowledge Receipt of Reports and Correspondence
a. Review of Airport Operational Statistics
i. Complaint Information
City Administrator Jacobson updated the complaint data and asked to either assign this
data to commissioners or continue to group discuss.
Commissioner Sloan noted there’s not enough data to require a report, so group discussion
is adequate.
Commissioner Dunn added there were more flights when 17 was closed.
ii. Runway Use Information
Commissioner Sloan noted no news.
Commissioner Byrnes noted a spike in night operations.
iii. Turboprop Information
Not included in tonight’s meeting.
iv. Noise Monitor Information
b. News Articles
Chair Norling shared thanks for receiving the articles, and noted a particularly good read
titled “The One Per Cent vs. the Two Per Cent in the Hamptons”.
7. Commissioner Comments
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Meeting Minutes 11-17-2021
Chair Norling thanked the commissioners for their time and effort in the strategic planning
sessions.
Commissioner Sloan noted that turbo prop information should be further addressed to see
if there is anything that can be done; such as getting together with large delivery airlines.
Commissioner Dunn noted there haven’t been turbo prop complaints in years.
Commissioner Hamiel added there were no noise issues with turbo props.
Commissioner Byrnes experienced a good change in noise levels related to turbo props.
Chair Norling asked the commission if they should add this topic to their strategic plan.
Chair Sloan suggested not, but to simply bring up the topic occasionally.
8. Adjourn Meeting
Motion by Dunn/Second by Sloan. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:07pm.
Minutes taken by Sheila Robertson
Office Support Assistant