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04/29/1985 - Airport Relations Commission / k uIkk city of ecagcan 3830 PILOT KNOB ROAD, P.O. BOX 21199 BEA BLOMQUIST EAGAN, MINNESOTA 55121 Mayor PHONE: (612) 454 -8100 THOMAS EGAN JAMES A. SMITH JERRY THOMAS April 29, 19 8 5 THEODORE WACHTER Council Members THOMAS HEDGES City Administrator EUGENE VAN OVERBEKE THE HONORABLE ELIZABETH HANFORD DOLE City Clerk SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION _ 400 7TH ST SW WASHINGTON DC 20593 Dear Madam Secretary: I write on behalf of the citizens and City Council of the City of Eagan, Minnesota. As a neighbor of the Minneapolis /St. Paul International Airport, our community is significantly and adversely affected by aircraft generated noise. In fact, as a second -tier suburb, we absorb the bulk of the noise from both departures and arrivals under the preferential runway system administered by the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Briefly described, the system routes most planes over the north end of our City when weather and traffic conditions permit and during nighttime hours. Eagan is less densely populated than areas closer to the downtowns, but we do have a large and growing population which is highly sensitive to aircraft noise. We frequently deal with the Metro- politan Aircraft Sound Abatement Council and the Metropolitan Airports Commission on a variety of issues and we are particularly pleased with their efforts to reduce the number and affect of stage one aircraft using the airport. Nonetheless, Buffalo Airways and other carriers have been exempted from the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act's January 1, 1985, deadline. These types of air carriers typically use night and off peak schedules which place them over our community. Therefore, our citizens are required to absorb not only late night noise, but noise generated by the loudest commercial jets still flying. Those of us in local governments understand the importance of the uniform application of standards. We also understand the occasional need for exceptions to those standards, but we are acutely aware of the need for consistently applied criteria for those exceptions. Over time, inconsistency results in precedents at less than the optimum standards. We strongly urge the return to and consistent application of the rigorous standards of carrier size, availability of technology for modifications, good faith efforts toward compliance, financial havoc and loss of valuable service. THE LONE OAK TREE...THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY April 29, 1985 Page 2 Thank you for your kind attention to this matter. We look forward to your agency's renewed efforts in this regard. Respectfully, ( Ln.0,,a.) - 1,0‘-14A■ Thomas L. Hedges - City Administrator - cc: President Ronald Reagan The Honorable Rudy Boschwitz, United States Senate The Honorable Dave Durenberger, United States Senate Bill Frenzel, United States Congressman Senator Nancy Kassebaum, Chairman, Subcommittee on Aviation Congressman Norman Mineta, Chairman, Subcommittee on Aviation N.O.I.S.E. David Engen, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration Wes Skoglund, Mn Representative Claude Schmidt, Metropolitan Airports Commission Honorable Bea Blomquist, Mayor of Eagan Eagan City Councilmembers Tom Baker, Chairman, Aiport Noise Committee All Members of the Airport Noise Committee TLH /jj