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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFlying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission - 09/13/2007 APPROVED MINUTES FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2007 7:00 P.M. CITY CENTER Prairie Room A & B 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Rick King, Vice-Chair Jeff Larsen, Commissioners: Joe Harris, Greg McKewan, Mark Michelson, Kurt Schendel and Brad Stratton (arrived at 7:05 p.m.) COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: None VISITORS: Scott Skramstad, MAC Chad Leqve, MAC Glenn Weibel, Chairman of MAC Reliever Airports Advisory Council Sahil Agrawal, EPHS Student STAFF: Scott Kipp, Senior Planner Carol Pelzel, City Recorder I. CALL TO ORDER Chair King called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Kipp distributed an additional article from the Star Tribune for the Commission's information on NetJets. MOTION: Michelson moved, seconded by Larsen, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried, 6-0. III. PUBLIC COMMENT Sahil Agrawal introduced himself and explained that he is a student at Eden Prairie High School and that he is interested in being the Commission's student representative. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. July 12, 2007 Minutes MOTION: Larsen moved, seconded by Michelson, to approve the July 12, 2007 minutes as presented. Motion carried 6-0-1 with Stratton abstaining because of absence from that meeting. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES September 13, 2007 Page 2 V. DISCUSSION ITEMS A. Guest Visitor—Glenn Weibel, Chairman of MAC Reliever Airports Advisory Council King introduced Glenn Weibel, Chairman of MAC Reliever Airports Advisory Council (RAAC), and asked him to give the Commission an overview of RAAC's activities. Weibel explained that the Council was formed in approximately 1998. Up to that time, the reliever airport tenants were not represented on the Metropolitan Airports Commission. The six reliever airports are represented by one volunteer from each airport and Weibel represents the downtown St. Paul Airport. One of the main purposes of the Council is for safety at the reliever airports and one of the main issues identified was the lack of services such as hotels and restaurants at the airports. Weibel reviewed with the Commission various activities RAAC has undertaken. RAAC and fellow tenants have become watchdogs of suspicious activity around the airports. Weibel discussed the concern that has been brought forward that reliever airports are not paying their own way. He reviewed with the Commission what reliever airports pay in comparison to what Northwest Airlines pays and where those funds are expended. He also mentioned an RAAC study recommendation that a $10 per month fee be charged for non-owned airplane storage in hangars. Weibel suggested that the Commission subscribe to the "Aviation International News" magazine. He thought this would be a good resource for the Commission. Weibel pointed out that reliever airports have a value to the metropolitan area. There are many corporations that are looking for places to go to be able to fly out of reliever airports. The runway extension that is proposed for Flying Cloud is more for safety and a longer runway will insure that safety. Weibel said that for the safety of the people using Flying Cloud Airport, the Commission's support and encouragement for the runway extension is requested. They need to get the project done. Once the runway is extended, they will have more corporations coming to Flying Cloud and to the City so that they are closer to the airport. King asked if RAAC has any recommendations for Flying Cloud other than the runway extension project. Weibel suggested that they keep working with MAC to identify building areas and open space at the airports so that non-aviation uses could be located near the airport to generate revenue. Also, signage is an on-going issue and reasonable time should be given to clean up, change and/or rebuild the older hangars at the airport. Weibel said that airports are an asset to a community. King explained that there is a broad range of interest and views on the airport on this Commission but everyone is interested in making this airport as good as it can be. Larsen asked if RAAC has a website with their meeting notices and minutes or any other educational material that may be of help to this Commission. Weibel said there FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES September 13, 2007 Page 3 are Council minutes but they are not available on a website. Harris said he would make sure that the Commission receives copies of the RAAC minutes once they are approved. He explained that there are a lot of other deliberations that take place at the Council meetings. One of the reasons for creating this Council was to disseminate information between the tenants and MAC staff. That is still the main focus and course of the Council. It has improved communication with staff and users. On behalf of the Commission, King extended his appreciation to Weibel for taking the time to attend this Commission meeting and to update them on RAAC activities. King explained that this Commission is appointed by the City Council and they are charged with the responsibility to insure that the final agreement done in 2002 is adhered to and to review things around that agreement including noise information. He further explained that the City Council will from time to time ask the Commission to look into specific things. This Commission is advisory to the City Council on matters that relate to the airport. As a Commission, they are a neutral standing body with regard to the expansion of Flying Cloud. Their job is primarily education and task delegation between the City Council. B. Recap on Report to Council on Airport Security Harris reported that one of the initiatives identified in reviewing airport security was the updating of the Flying Cloud Airport Security Guide. Staff reviewed the document and compared it to some of their other documents and now included all of that information into the Security Guide. He distributed the Guide to the Commission and asked that they review it and said they could address their questions at a future meeting. Harris said they plan to mount 13 new security lights to poles this week. He hopes to make a presentation at the next Commission meeting showing where the lights are located at the airport. Harris further reported that the sign plan is almost complete. There are approximately 250 signs including new and replacements. Excel Energy will be putting in new high-intensity lights in high-traffic areas and will upgrade existing fixtures. King commended MAC for the work they did in addressing the items that were raised in the Commission's report. He also pointed out that there was a copy of the August 7, 2007 City Council minutes in the Commission's agenda material where he made the presentation to the Council regarding security at Flying Cloud. King asked the Commission members to review the security guide and if they have any concerns they should contact Harris and if necessary the guide can be updated. C. Visits to Flying Cloud Airport Businesses Kipp reported that he and King did their annual tour of the businesses at Flying Cloud Airport. These visits let the businesses know that the Commission does care about them. They met with seven of the businesses at the airport. Commissioner Molly Sigel joined them on some of the visits. They will continue these visits on an annual basis. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES September 13, 2007 Page 4 Schendel asked if there was any notable feedback from Commissioner Sigel on the businesses. Harris said he did hear from her and she was very impressed with Airovation and with ASI Jet Center's facility. She was also impressed with Modern Avionics and the nitch it has at the airport. Harris said this is Sigel's first time in this capacity at the airport and she asked how they can help those that want to expand at the airport. King said each place they visited appeared to be steps ahead from where they were when they made their last visit. King said if there is interest from the Commission members, they could try to get all of the visits done in one day and have the entire Commission participate. King also mentioned that they did take pictures and he has made CD's of those pictures for the various businesses. Larsen suggested that they place those photos on the website. D. Preliminary 2008-2014 MAC Capital Improvement Program Harris reported that included in the Commission's agenda material was a copy of MAC's Preliminary 2008-2014 Capital Improvement Program(CIP). This material is no different from what the Commission had previously seen, however, the dollar amounts may have changed slightly. Also enclosed with the agenda material is information explaining the process and flow of the CIP. Kipp asked what the full Commission will do with this document at their next meeting. Leqve responded that they will probably accept the preliminary draft and as they get into the November/December timeframe, they will spend more time discussing it. The Finance, Development and Environment Committee is in charge of summarizing the final recommendation. E. Report on Air Expo Harris explained that the weather did not cooperate for the Air Expo event. There were about 2,000 people in attendance on the first day with about 600 people attending the gala. On Sunday there were approximately 3,000 people in attendance and there was little to no flight activity on both days. He indicated that plans for next year's event are on hold and they are considering skipping a year and starting up again in 2010. They plan to do some fund raising during that time. Harris said that normally, attendance is around 20,000 people. He explained that the event consists of a consortium of various businesses and food vendors. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES September 13, 2007 Page 5 VI. EDUCATIONAL ITEMS A. Website Update McKewan reported that all of the different sections have been put on the website. They have the links to MAC and included different sections on noise, the Commission and information for residents. He explained that there were a lot of things they wanted to do with links but the City's website is not user friendly. McKewan asked that the Commission members look at the site and let him know what other things they would like to see on this site. King suggested that they all take a look at the website and maybe this will be the best they can do because of restraints on technology. He said that they could probably put some of the pictures they took on their business tours on the website. Kipp said they could add the most recent Commission documents to the site including minutes and they could also link to AOPA. Kipp asked how long they should keep a document up in the new area. Michelson asked how many hits the site gets. Kipp said he did not know but would check with staff to find out how many hits there have been. Michelson said he would like to know how much this site is being used before they devote a lot of time to updating it. Kipp explained that static documents would always be there and they may want to move older documents down or to a historical site. King recommended that a report such as the security report and helicopter report be left on the web site while other things would be archived after 30 or 60 days. McKewan suggested they update the site after 60 days. That way the site would be refreshed after a Commission meeting. Larsen said he becomes frustrated when he goes to a website that is outdated. He feels it is important that they keep it current. Larsen indicated that he would also like to know how many hits the site has received. In response to a question from McKewan, King recommended that they keep documents on the site for approximately one year. They could develop an archive site that has a year date on it. McKewan explained that they recently added an area for new residents and he asked the Commissioners to review this information from time to time. King asked the Commissioners to take a look at the site and to give their feedback to McKewan. He expressed his appreciation to McKewan and to City staff for all the work they have put into developing this website. VII. FINAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN CITY AND MAC A. Noise Complaints/Stage 2 Operations Report (July-August) Skramstad reported that for July and August they received a total of 145 complaints with 22 people complaining. The most popular method for filing these complaints was through the internet. Out of the 145 complaints, 114 were for night-time hours and those complaints were investigated. They sent out a total of 38 letters. Skramstad passed around a sample of the letter that is sent along with a response. One operator FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES September 13, 2007 Page 6 was sent seven letters and a response was received describing the operations as medical flights. Two separate operators received three letters and three operators received two letters. Nineteen operators received one letter each. Skramstad explained that those operators were primarily itinerant. Those operators probably did not know about the night-time restriction. There were no Stage II operations at Flying Cloud. They did receive 29 helicopter complaints with five people complaining. The flight tracks showed two primary flight tracks and the complaints were pretty much split 50150. B. MAC Correspondence on Oak Creek at Hennepin Village Kipp explained that when the City receives an application for a land development project close to the airport, those plans are submitted to MAC for their review. Kipp further explained that part of the Hennepin Village project requires that all houses constructed in that development meet the 45-decibel level. Part of the development agreement for this project requires notification about the airport expansion to the first homeowners of the development. If the sales continue on, information about the fact that a development agreement does exist and the proximity of the airport is the responsibility of the seller. Kipp said that none of the lots in this development fall within the 60 DNL contour. Included with the Commission's agenda material is a letter from MAC in response to the development. Michelson said he feels that the letter is an attempt by MAC to relieve them of any responsibility if that area does become a 60 DNL zone. He said he feels the City Attorney should review this letter. Leqve explained that based on the facts, this is where the development is located and the final agreement refers to this specific contour. The letter was drafted in the context of the agreement. Michelson said he is aware that the agreement shows the contour but that can change over time. Leqve further explained that their letter states that they are acknowledging that this property is located outside of the 60 DNL and as part of the agreement they are not responsible for mitigation. Michelson said that is fine going forward but the DNL changes and they have the expectation of some assistance from MAC when that occurs. Leqve pointed out that from a proactive perspective, the City will require that the homes meet an interior level of 45 and if that is met, they have met the intent of the agreement. Michelson said that if air traffic changes and the contour changes, they can't expect the people not to go to MAC to get some relief. Kipp said the houses will be insulated and designed to be at a level 45. Michelson said that is supposed to help but what if it doesn't. Stratton said he feels this is an issue between the builder and the homeowner. Leqve explained that they have the right to comment on this development and that is what they did with this letter. They cannot say that the development cannot occur and MAC has no control over whether or not they use the DNL. Michelson asked what would happen if the 60 DNL contours are not where they say they are. He cannot agree to a letter that says ahead of time that MAC doesn't take any responsibility if they are wrong. Leqve responded that that is not what their letter is saying. All they are doing is writing a letter commenting on the proposal before the City and saying to FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES September 13, 2007 Page 7 the City they have an agreement and per that agreement where that development is they will not be monitoring these homes as part of the agreement nor doing anything beyond the final agreement. Michelson said he would like to know what the City Attorney thinks of MAC's letter. King suggested that Kipp ask the City Attorney if he has any concerns with MAC's letter. Kipp said the City Attorney has already been supplied a copy of this letter. King asked that the City Attorney provide the Commission with a response to the letter. If it is a simple response, it can be forwarded to the Commission via e-mail. If not, the Commission can discuss it further at a future meeting. VIII. NOISE ABATEMENT/AIRCRAFT INCIDENTS A. Life Link III Helicopter Flight Tracks (July-August) (See Item VII. A. above.) IX. NEW BUSINESS X. OTHER BUSINESS (Various FYI Items) • Approved minutes of May 10 Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission • Approved minutes of May 31 Special Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission • Thank you letters to Flying Cloud Airport businesses • City of Eden Prairie Quality of Life Survey 2007 —Questions on Airport Kipp explained that at the last Commission meeting, the Commission asked for copies of the questions and answers of the 2007 Quality of Life Survey relating to the airport. There was one question that specifically asked about Flying Cloud Airport. The ratio of"serious" to "not serious" was approximately 1:1. The results don't necessarily map to the percentage of the responses and that may be because of the way the precincts are laid out. Larsen said he looked at some of the noise complaint information and compared them to the maps and found that the numbers did not really make sense. King pointed out that during the time of the survey,helicopter traffic was not a factor. Michelson asked if there would be a Quality of Life Survey conducted in 2007. Kipp said he was not sure but would find out. • Various airport related articles • Next Commission meeting scheduled for November 8, 2007 King said a draft 2007 annual report would be presented at the November meeting for review. The Commission will have until January to finalize the report to be presented to the City Council in February. He asked that Kipp bring copies of other FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES September 13, 2007 Page 8 Commission's reports for this Commission to review and he asked the Commission members to think about items they would like included in this report. King also mentioned that there would probably be a guest speaker at the November meeting and they will also review the noise complaints. He asked that if the Commission has any other items they would like discussed at the November meeting they forward them to Kipp. McKewan asked if there is anything happening with hangar appearances over the last couple of months. Harris said that is part of the process they are going through right now. There will be some sort of ordinance that will get people to improve their hangars. Larsen said they had previously talked about having the new person in charge of Life Link coming to one of their Commission meetings. He asked if this is still a possibility. King responded that they are still working on getting that person to one of their meetings. XI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Motion was made by King, seconded by Stratton, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried, 7-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m.