1988-03-28 Joint Council-Airport CommissionPage No. 2310
March 28, 1988
CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY
STATE OF MINNESOTA
Minutes of the Special Joint Meeting
Held Monday, March 28, 1988
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the special
joint meeting of the Mendota Heights City Council was held on
Monday, March 28, 1988 at the Metropolitan Airports
Commission office, 6040-28th Avenue South, Minneapolis,
Minnesota. The meeting was a joint meeting with the Eagan
City Council to discuss airport noise.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 P.M. by Walt
Hellman, Director of Operations for the Metropolitan Airports
Commission. The following members were present: Mayor
Mertensotto, Councilmembers Blesener, Cummins, Hartmann, and
Witt, MASAC Representative Bernie Friel, City
Administrator Kevin Frazell, MASAC Alternative Larry
Shaughnessy, Steve Vecchi, Airport Noise Abatement Office,
Evan Futterman, Noise Consultant to Metropolitan Airports
Commission, Dick Peterson, Federal Aviation Administration,
and Eagan City Council, City Administrator Tom Hedges, and
Administrative Assistant Jon Hohenstein.
The meeting began with a presentation by Steve Vecchi
concerning the history of the Eagan/Mendota Heights corridor
in the preferential runway system. Vecchi indicated that the
Metropolitan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council had asked its
Operations Committee to look at alternative ways of resolving
noise problems in the corridor. The purpose of this
evening's meeting is to present the alternatives identified
by the Committee.
Consultant Evan Futterman indicated the base case of
actual flights that had been used in determining the "center
of gravity" for airport noise. He then presented a display
showing the Ldn 65 noise contours that had been generated for
different alternative flight patterns. According to
Futterman, three alternatives were originally looked at, but
number 1 was quickly eliminated as shifting noise too heavily
to the north and being difficult to fly for the tower.
Futterman said that a VOR navigational aid system had
also been rejected by the Operations Subcommittee, because it
only has a plus or minus 2 degree accuracy which would not
prove that useful in increasing corridor compliance.
The recommendations are that during non-simultaneous
departures (about 35% of the time) flights from both 11 left
and 11 right will strive to fly toward the middle of the
corridor. During the other 65% of the time, which is
)
Page No. 2311
March 28, 1988
simultaneous departures, departing aircraft must maintain a
15 degree separation. Futterman described the two
alternatives, labelled as #2 and #3 for ways to fly the
corridor:
Alt. #2
Alt. #3
11L/R Departures
Simultaneous (65%) Non-Simultaneous (35%)
11R 115
11L 100
11R 110
11L 095
11R
11L
11R
11L
110
115
110
115
Futterman indicated that the working group had also
tabulated the number of households within the Ldn 65 corridor
affected in the two cities by the alternatives. Those are as
follows:
Alt. #2
Alt. #3
Eagan
124
119
Mendota Heights
192
268
Steve Vecchi discussed that the control tower can only
give 5 degree increment headings, and that the magnetic
heading of the runway has now changed such that it is really
118 degrees and not 115 degrees. It changes at the rate of
.3 degrees per year. The practical implication is that
giving a 115 degree heading would actually send aircraft on a
3 degree left turn from runway center line.
There was a general discussion of
concern, including the potential for a
off 11R and the historical reasons why
done, land use development patterns in
wind drift.
Eagan Mayor Vic Ellison indicated
compromise, the City of Eagan would be
alternative #2, which he felt would be
Mendota Heights.
After some discussion about the implications of the
changing magnetic heading for runways, Mendota Heights
Councilmember Cummins suggested that the group adopt the
headings as outlined in alternative #2, allowing a 3 degree
northerly drift, at which time the flight tracks would drop
back 5 degrees, so as to be two degrees south of the
related items of
five degree right turn
that had not been
the two cities, and
that in the spirit of
willing to endorse
more acceptable to
Page No. 2312
March 28, 1988
indicated headings.
It was acknowledged by all present that tracking flights
is not that accurate a process and there will be some
deviation. Mendota Heights' MASAC representative Bernie
Friel indicated that he thought it would be real progress for
the two cities to agree on a corridor, even if it is not
technically possible to achieve strict compliance.
It was discussed that if the two cities cannot agree,
the Metropolitan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council and
ultimately the Airports Commission and FAA control tower
might force a solution.
The Eagan City Council indicated that they felt going
with alternative #2 was a great deal of compromise for them
in and of itself, and they would not be in favor of
adjustments to the magnetic headings which would result in a
further southerly turn of up to two degrees.
Conversely, the Mendota Heights representatives felt
strongly that this adjustment was necessary in order for
alternative #2 to work out equitably for the two communities.
Otherwise, Mendota Heights would not enjoy much of the
benefit from the alternative #2 compromise.
It was indicated that the two city councils would be
independently addressing the issue further at their
respective April 5 regular meetings, and would convey their
positions to MASAC.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 P.M.
4)1'
ATTEST:
Charles E. Mertensotto
Mayor
Kevin D. Frazell
City Administrator