09-17-2025 ARC Minutes
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES
September 17, 2025
The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission was held on
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 at Mendota Heights City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve.
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Norling called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.
Commissioners present: Norling, Sharma, Bobbitt, Sloan, Dunn, Neuharth, Hamiel
Staff present: Administrative Special Projects Coordinator Mills Ford and Administrative
Coordinator Desmond
Public present: Rose Agnew
2. CONSENT AGENDA
a. Approve Minutes from the July 16, 2025 Meeting
b. Acknowledge Airport Operational Statistics Reports
1. Complaint Information
2. Runway Use Information
Chair Norling approved the consent agenda.
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS
No public comments
4. BUSINESS
a. ARC Update to the City Council
Chair Norling presented the draft City Council presentation, and the Commission reviewed the
draft and offered comments and suggestions.
Commissioner Bobbitt requested that Liz Petschel be credited for the history overview that
she wrote.
Commissioner Hamiel discussed adding a timeline of key events beginning in 1973.
Commissioner Bobbitt asked whether Commissioner Hamiel would be willing to draft the
timeline so that a corresponding slide could be added to the presentation. Commissioner
Hamiel agreed.
Commissioner Bobbitt commented on the RNAV charts and asked if they can get updated
ones. Chair Norling noted to reach out to MAC to see if clearer and more current charts are
available.
Commissioner Bobbitt commented that the Commission should consider how the City
Council may perceive the RNAV changes and anticipate potential questions regarding
impacts, while acknowledging that the Commission has no authority over the implementation
of those changes.
Vice Chair Sharma asked whether the slideshow contained sufficient information to provide
the City Council with a comprehensive overview. Chair Norling responded that the content
should be adequate to fill the allotted presentation time.
Chair Norling asked Commissioner Hamiel to put together the timeline, and she will reach out
to MAC to get clearer and more current charts.
Chair Norling reiterated the desire to present to the City Council in October and asked whether
commissioners would be available for a special meeting before that date.
Chair Norling then asked city staff to confirm the October City Council meeting schedule and
submission deadlines. Administrative Coordinator Desmond provided the meeting dates and
noted that materials are typically due by the end of the Wednesday preceding the meeting.
Chair Norling proposed having a special meeting before the October Council meeting.
Commissioner Bobbitt proposed holding a special meeting on October 8.
5. INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE
6. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMISSIONER COMMENTS
Chair Norling reviewed the August Operations Report, noting fewer total operations compared
to last year, continued predominance of south flow runway use, and higher noise levels
associated with lower aircraft altitudes during summer operations.
Commissioner Hamiel noted that it is harder to get the planes up to a higher altitude in the
summer compared to in the winter.
She reported that Runway 12R is scheduled to reopen next Friday, provided updates on the
NOC work plan, announced that FAA RNAV implementation has been delayed until March
2026, and suggested exploring the possibility of scheduling ARC meetings prior to NOC
meetings.
7. ADJOURN
Motion by Neuharth and second by Hamiel to adjourn the meeting.
Motion carried 7-0.
Chair Norling adjourned the meeting at 7:02pm.