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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFlying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission - 04/12/2018 (2)APPROVED MINUTES FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018 7:00 P.M., CITY CENTER COUNCIL CHAMBER 8080 Mitchell Road COMMISSION MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair, Keith Tschohl; Vice-Chair, Bob Barker; Braj Agrawal; Daniel Dorson; Dan Kiely; Kurt Schendel COMMISSION MEMBERS ABSENT: Braj Agrawal STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES PRESENT: Nathan Bellefeuille STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES ABSENT: None STAFF: George Esbensen, Fire Chief; Jan Curielli, City Recorder GUEST: Jennifer Lewis, MAC Representative; Michael Lawrence, Premier Jet Center I. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Chair Tschohl called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. II. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Dorson moved, seconded by Barker, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried 5-0. III. PUBLIC COMMENT None. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. COMMISSION MEETING HELD THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018 Kiely said the third paragraph of Item VII.A.1. on Page 4 should be changed to remove the words “noise pollution and.” MOTION: Dorson moved, seconded by Schendel, to approve the minutes of the January 11, 2018, meeting as amended. Motion carried 5-0. V. STANDING DISCUSSION ITEMS FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES April 12, 2018 Page 2 A. NOISE REPORT—MAC Jennifer Lewis, MAC Representative, distributed copies of the first quarter 2018 Reliever Airport Operations and Noise Complaint Report. She reported a 39% reduction in the total number of complaints as compared to first quarter last year. The number of locations filing complaints increased by one. There was an increase of 15% in the number of early/late operations. The number of households filing nighttime complaints was down. Tschohl asked if the increase in operations occurred throughout the quarter or just because of the Super Bowl. Lewis said the increase occurred throughout the quarter. Ms Lewis reported a big reduction in the number of complaints received during the two-week period around the Super Bowl. Barker asked if that decrease was expected. Ms Lewis replied they believe it was related to the reduction in VFR traffic. Much of the usual complaint activity is related to unknown traffic, which is typically VFR traffic. Ms Lewis said locations that have the highest number of noise complaints are referred to as “top spots,” and there are four such locations for Flying Cloud. She sent letters to the four top spots and included a flyer to help communicate what to expect during the Super Bowl. There were very few complaints received from those four locations during the time of the Super Bowl. Tschohl asked if they were able to see any difference in the pattern if the four top spots were excluded from the data. Ms Lewis replied there is a high correlation with training activity, and the period from 5:00 to 7:00 A.M. generates the heaviest number of complaints from places surrounding the airport. She noted the top spots typically constitute 75% of the complaints received. Wilson asked what is happening at Anoka and Crystal airports that would cause those two airports to have more complaints in the quarter than Flying Cloud. Ms Lewis responded there have been complaints from a new resident in a neighborhood near the Crystal airport, and the Anoka airport typically has the second highest number of complaints. She said they sent letters to top spots for all the reliever airports, and she has since been in correspondence with two of the top spots at the Anoka airport and one at Flying Cloud. Tschohl commented the Commission appreciates the support from Ms Lewis’ office and asked if there is any information the MAC has learned at Flying Cloud that could be translated to the Anoka and Crystal airports. Ms Lewis responded they have noise abatement plans in place for all the MAC airports. They are initiating some of the educational procedures used at Flying Cloud at the Anoka airport. Tschohl said he would be interested to know if any of the efforts would help those other communities. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES April 12, 2018 Page 3 Ms Lewis reported six letters were sent out about complaints in January, ten were sent in February, and nine were sent in March. She said there was not a lot of change as to the recipients of the letters nor for the operations that got complaints. She noted copies of all letters sent out are also sent to Eden Prairie. B. ORDINANCE 97 VIOLATIONS--MAC Tschohl said the Commission will now be receiving reports regarding violations of Ordinance 97. Wilson distributed lists of Ordinance 97 violations for fourth quarter 2017 and first quarter 2018. He said the first such letters were sent out in January regarding fourth quarter 2017 violations. He noted two more recent violations will be added to the first quarter 2018 list, but most of the others on that list are related to the Super Bowl. They track every tail number that gets a letter and have not seen any repeats. He thought those aircraft have been shifted to Anoka and MSP. He reviewed the letters that are sent out regarding the violations which include the warning that the MAC will be enforcing Ordinance No. 97 in 2018, and future violations may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor offense under Minnesota law. Dorson asked if everyone gets one chance. Wilson said there will be progressive enforcement, and there is a document from 2002 that sets out the procedures for the letters. The word “certificated” was added to the description of the maximum gross takeoff weight for clarification. Barker asked if we have looked at situations where these aircraft would expect to return on a regular basis for business reasons. That might warrant some further explanation about why they would have to change. Wilson replied some of the violations are from businesses in the area. Mr. Schmidt reached out to some of them to let them know that their aircraft can’t come back to Flying Cloud airport. Tschohl thought working with large businesses could be helpful. Wilson noted Mr. Schmidt also talked to United Health. Kiely asked how these aircraft got into the slots for the Super Bowl. Wilson replied his office did not maintain the slots, but letters were sent out to all operators to let them know these aircraft are not allowed at the airport. His direction during the Super Bowl was to put safety as a priority. The St. Paul airport was closed for a short time during the Super Bowl, and MSP diverted a Global Express aircraft to Flying Cloud during that time. Kiely then asked if the FBOs now understand about the ordinance. Wilson replied they do. Esbensen asked if the City will get copies of all the letters regarding Ordinance 97 violations like we do for the noise complaints. Wilson responded he will email copies to the him. Barker asked if they have received any push back or response to the letters. Wilson replied Mr. Schmidt has had some conversations after the letters were sent FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES April 12, 2018 Page 4 out, but he did not know what the actual responses were. He thought the response has been favorable because so far we haven’t had repeat offenses. Tschohl asked if there is an additional procedure for any repeat violators. Wilson said there most likely is, and that would probably be a question for the MAC’s higher management and their legal department. Barker asked if there is a threshold after which they will prosecute and who would be on the hook for the violation. Wilson replied he was not sure of that. It would be up to Mr. Schmidt and the legal team. Tschohl said if there is a documented policy about Ordinance 97 violations, the City should receive a copy. Barker asked Mr. Wilson to get clarification of the process to be used for violations of Ordinance 97. Kiely asked if this would be a criminal action. Wilson believed it would be up to the County. C. AIRCRAFT INCIDENTS AND RUNWAY INCURSIONS--MAC Wilson reported so far this year there have been two vehicle/pedestrian deviations, two pilot deviations, two controller saves on wrong runway landings, and one pilot save on a wrong runway landing. Tschohl asked him to explain the vehicle/pedestrian deviations. Wilson replied one occurred two days before the Super Bowl, and the other one involved someone who came in to work on a hangar who had explicit instructions as to which gate to enter but went to the wrong gate and was let in at that gate. A letter was sent recently to the vehicle operator who was at the wrong gate which stated the MAC will get a restraining order against them if it happens again. Barker asked if there is a standard form the FBOs could give regarding entrance gates. Wilson said the standard is to give instructions to go to a specific gate, and then have someone meet them there to let them in. Kiely asked if there is a planned rotation of codes at the gates. Wilson said he hasn’t had a planned rotation recently. Tschohl asked about the tracking of deviations. Wilson said the tower has started tracking them for the MAC. For two of the deviations, the controller realized they were lined up to the wrong runway. For the other one, a pilot of another aircraft noticed and called it in. They are using the tracking to try to tell a better story to the FAA. Tschohl asked if those would still be documented as an incursion and if that information would help with obtaining the new tower. Wilson commented we probably won’t see much change because of the FAA funding issues and the push to change to private towers. It would depend on the condition of the facility, but they are pushing back on funding. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES April 12, 2018 Page 5 Tschohl asked how long it will be before the situation with incursions impacts the ability to allow additional hangar construction. Wilson replied there will be one more built this year, and there are several spots available for hangar construction. He did not think incursions will limit the number of new hangars; however, the limiting factor now is the water and sewer service. Tschohl then asked how additional hangar construction might affect the possible funding. Wilson said the MAC has a financial model for reliever airports. They purchased the new building at Flying Cloud last year and there are several projects coming up at other airports so funding for Flying Cloud is not a priority. They are trying to get funds from the FAA for airport improvements; however, there would still be a big gap to fill. Tschohl asked about the cost for the new tower. Wilson replied it was estimated at $12-14,000,000. D. AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT UPDATES Wilson said two runways will be reconstructed during the late summer/early fall as part of the runway incursion mitigation funding program. The reconstruction will have new bright black pavement, and riels will be added to both ends of the runways. Barker asked if there will be any changes to the dimensions of the two runways. Wilson replied there will be no changes to dimensions, although they will adjust the breakpoint to be away from the runway intersection because there is a slight difference in grade there. Barker asked if there will be lights with the riels. Wilson said that will occur concurrent with the runway reconstruction, and hold lines and sights will be moved back to where they used to be. Schendel asked if the runway changes are in response to federal direction. Wilson replied they are, and they will be changing one runway to be a utility runway. The tower does not direct many aircraft to that runway now, and the weight limit will remain at 60,000 lbs. Barker asked if the changes affect any of the current zoning discussions. Wilson believed the changes are already reflected in the zoning. E. JOINT AIRPORT ZONING BOARD (JAZB) UPDATES Tschohl said the JAZB met again a week ago and also held a public meeting at the end of February to present the proposed zoning ordinance to the public and to get public comments. Barker said he attended the meeting where the MAC presented the results of the input received from the public. There were 12 people at the public hearing. There were four comments made at the hearing, with very few substantive comments received. The Board voted to submit the plan to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Wilson said they expect MnDOT to take 60 days to review the plan, so the Board scheduled another meeting for June. It is expected FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES April 12, 2018 Page 6 that the response from MnDOT will be that the plan does not meet the State’s model zoning. If that is the case, the Board would make changes and resubmit. Barker asked if there is a precedent for the process to make this zoning change request. Wilson replied MSP has done this, but everything is weighed against the State’s model zoning. The MAC has been trying to change the law. Legislation was put forward last year, but it was not picked up. Other communities in the State, such as Duluth, have similar issues with expansion. Tschohl asked how many communities are in the process of making these change requests. Wilson was not sure of the number, but they want to make sure there are no issues with the State or Federal funding so we need to keep the ball rolling. Barker said the cover letter to MnDOT cited the economic impact from losses to commercial development and the loss of property taxes if the State model is adopted. We also included a lot of data that has been collected. Kiely noted one of the documents from the meeting had graphics showing the area to the east of the airport being partially within Safety Zone B. He asked if there are any plans for sales that would result in construction in that area. Wilson replied the current property on the east side and south of Pioneer Trail would remain as is for added protection. Safety Zone A would become the runway protection zone. They plotted all the accidents around the airport to calculate probabilities and determine what area to protect. Barker said the data set included a probability model based on the calculations that were not available to the State when they made the original recommendation for the model zoning. Kiely asked if the child care facility constructed to the southwest was outside the zones. Wilson replied that is clear of existing State safety zones. The MAC has a few non-aeronautical properties around the airport, and the State has asked the FAA not to release land within the State safety zones. Tschohl asked about the strategies for including some of the area in Safety Zone B. Wilson thought that is what the MAC planner looked at after reviewing the accident data and then making sure we were well beyond the protection zone in order to allow space for an aircraft to land if it had an engine outage. Tschohl said there were a few verbal comments received in the meeting. There were concerns about solar panels on homes and a question about the language regarding the operation of communication devices. Solar panels are not a concern and this zoning change does not deal with any FCC licensed electronic devices. Wilson said there was also a concern expressed regarding fuel being dumped on a residence near the airport. The resident was assured there are no aircraft at Flying Cloud Airport that have that capability. Tschohl asked what the appropriate avenue would be for a resident to report such a perceived incident. Esbensen said they should call 911. He noted they often get calls from other areas around town regarding different odors. FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES April 12, 2018 Page 7 F. EDUCATIONAL ITEMS 1. 2018 City Council Workshop Presentation 2. Minutes From January 26, 2018, JAZB Meeting 3. Presentation Materials From February 27, 2018 JAZB Public Hearing VI. OTHER OLD BUSINESS A. RECAP OF 2018 CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP Tschohl said he was unable to attend the City Council Workshop so Commission Member Barker presented the report for the FCAAC. Barker reported the Council Members had some basic questions and some questions about the Super Bowl. The Council Members seemed happy that they have people like the Commission Members who are thinking about such topics as the availability of deicing for the Super Bowl. The Council thanked the Commission for the work we are doing. B. SUPER BOWL LII RECAP Wilson reported the event went well. There were 150 aircraft on the ground at one time at Flying Cloud, St. Paul had 209 aircraft, Anoka had 83, and MSP had about 145. Flying Cloud had about 400 total arrivals and 400 departures, and there were about 1350-1400 arrivals and departures in the system. About 1100 of those arrivals and departures were Super Bowl related. Tschohl asked about the arrival and departure procedures. Wilson replied everything went as advertised in terms of arrival and departure slots per hour. He noted there was some mass chaos for a while on Sunday with helicopters, golf carts and aircraft around the airport, but it was a safe operation and very well coordinated. The MAC people were posted around the runway intersections after the game. Things were slowed down with the deicing process at one point, but that was cleared up, and things went very smoothly from then on. He noted it was very hectic again on Monday morning, but there were no accidents and no major delays. The FBOs did an awesome job providing a place for the pilots to stay and watch the game. Overall, it was a good team effort. The Fire and Police Departments participated, and there were no security issues and no fires. Kiely asked about plans for the Final Four in 2019. Wilson said they expect about 300 aircraft throughout the system for that event. He thought a lot of aircraft will go to St. Paul. They plan to close one runway at Flying Cloud for the event. VII. NEW BUSINESS A. UPCOMING EVENTS AND TOPICS FOR FUTURE FCAAC MEETINGS FLYING CLOUD AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION MINUTES April 12, 2018 Page 8 1. Semiannual MAC Noise Abatement Seminar (Saturday, May 12) Wilson said they will be giving out the Operator of the Year award at this event. 2. Annual Airport And FBO Tour (Spring 2018, date TBD) Tschohl said he would like to schedule the annual tour of the airport and FBOs. Commission Members discussed possible dates for the tour and decided on Wednesday, May 16, at 4:00 P.M. Barker suggested prearranging with FBOs so they are aware of the date for the tour. 3. Review 2035 Flying Cloud LTCP Draft (Date TBD) Tschohl said the Flying Cloud LTCP has been pushed out. 4. Tracon Tour At MSP (Date TBD) Tschohl said he would like to set up a tour of Tracon at MSP to give an opportunity for new Commission Members to see how Tracon operations work around the metropolitan area. Wilson said he will work on setting up the tour. He noted they would probably want to do the tour during normal business hours, and he will send an email regarding the arrangements. Tschohl said Commission Members should have received an invitation forwarded by Kimberly Cox at the City of Eden Prairie inviting them to the ribbon cutting ceremony on April 21 for the addition to the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame. Esbensen asked Commission Members to RSVP to that invitation. Ms Lewis asked for further direction on the noise and environmental presentations that were discussed at the January meeting. Kiely suggested having the emphasis on environmental concerns such as waste disposal plans. Tschohl thought it would be beneficial to understand deeper level technical details on noise modeling and noise capture, which might mean inviting a technician. Ms Lewis said she had arranged for a presentation at the July meeting that would cover noise as a science and a presentation on topics related to science-based environmental concerns in October. VIII. ADJOURNMENT A. NEXT COMMISSION MEETING—July 12, 2018 MOTION: Dorson moved, seconded by Kiely, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Chair Tschohl adjourned the meeting at 8:20 P.M.