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