Airport Commission Delays Road Paving Until 2027

General Interest
Meeting Date: Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Story generated: Aug 23, 2025
Focus: MAC's decision to postpone 225th Street paving project and tenant frustration

The Airlake Airport Advisory Commission announced June 26 that a planned roadway paving project has been postponed until 2027, drawing sharp criticism from airport tenants and businesses.

Sam Seafelt, Reliever Airports Manager with the Metropolitan Airports Commission, told the commission that MAC decided not to proceed with paving 225th Street this year due to competing funding priorities and proximity to a planned runway extension project. The half-mile stretch from Cedar Avenue to the south airport entrance remains unpaved, creating muddy conditions for businesses and visitors.

Adam Loft, operator of A Loft Aviation, expressed frustration during the meeting, stating he had received assurances as recently as April that the road project would proceed this year. "I put $6 million into that building with assurances that we were going to have a road," Loft said, noting that his fixed base operator requires paved parking while tenants must navigate an unpaved access road.

Seafelt explained that MAC separated the road project from the runway reconstruction to expedite completion, but ultimately decided the cost-benefit analysis favored combining both projects when the runway work begins. He said MAC submitted a memo to the Federal Aviation Administration seeking approval to start the environmental assessment process, which would take 12 months before construction could begin in 2027.

The commission also received updates on the annual Lions Club flying breakfast, scheduled for the first weekend of the Panaprog aviation event, and a presentation on aircraft noise measurement metrics used by MAC for environmental assessments.

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Other Topics from This Document

  • Aircraft Noise Assessment and Measurement

  • Lakeville Lions Club Flying Breakfast and Panaprog Event

  • Runway Project Delay and Road Paving Decision

  • Radio Frequency Change for New Richmond Airport

  • Airport Shop Construction and Facility Improvements

  • Tenant Frustration Over Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

Meeting Analysis
Approved unanimously (all in favor)
Informational presentation; no vote required
Informational presentation; no vote required
Informational update; no vote required
Informational update; no vote required; final decision pending August 20, 2025 FAA submission deadline
Informational update; no vote required
Member announcements; no vote required

Sound in general refers to the actual physical phenomenon of vibrations. It's a physical energy which can be sensed by the human ear traveling through a medium such as air or water. Now noise is a sound that is unwanted or temporary.

Ryan Anderson, Manager of Community Relations, Metropolitan Airports Commission [2:48-3:04]Noise 101: Aircraft Noise Assessment Process Presentation

The difference there with noise is that it can be very subjective from one person to the other on what whether a sound is annoying or not. Um so that's something uh important to consider when we talk about noise, especially aircraft noise.

Ryan Anderson [3:37-3:48]Noise 101: Aircraft Noise Assessment Process Presentation

If I'm in downtown Minneapolis and I'm going to a Twins game and it's in the middle of a busy day, there's lots of car traffic, train traffic, people hustling and bustling. Um, an airplane flies overhead. Um, any of those sounds I might feel as though they're appropriate for where I'm at in that environment. It's a very urban, busy environment. If I'm in my backyard, however, let's say in Apple Valley, and it's a nice quiet neighborhood, and I'm trying to enjoy the scenery and listen to bird song, and an airplane flies over, I might have a different response to that noise based on where I'm at.

Ryan Anderson [5:01-5:32]Noise 101: Aircraft Noise Assessment Process Presentation

If we were to double the amount of airport operations at Air Lake on average, if we were to average that out, that would only be a three decibel increase um versus we wouldn't actually be doubling the uh energy level.

Ryan Anderson [9:40-9:53]Noise 101: Aircraft Noise Assessment Process Presentation

The DNL metric while it does do a good job of describing cumulative noise impacts over uh a given period especially over a year or or a given period of time. It doesn't do a good job of describing frequency um and the frequency of those operations. So you can have one aircraft that's very loud versus 100 aircraft that aren't as loud um but have the same uh outcome.

Ryan Anderson [23:20-23:42]Noise 101: Aircraft Noise Assessment Process Presentation

The Lakeville Lions Club is part of uh a larger Lions Club International and it's an organization renowned for its commitment to humanitarian service and community enrichment. The Lakeville Lions Club embodies that values and principles of its parent organization striving to make a difference in the lives of individuals in the Lakeville community and beyond.

Paul Jacobus, District Governor-elect, Lions District 5M6 [30:26-31:09]Panaprog Behind the Scenes: Lakeville Lions Club Flying Breakfast Partnership

We did about 2,200 volunteer shifts last year and we served and touched the lives of 51,000 people throughout that year. And in the middle of that, we raised some money and we donated back over $366,000 in our last fiscal year, which is a record year for us doing that.

Paul Jacobus [32:17-32:31]Panaprog Behind the Scenes: Lakeville Lions Club Flying Breakfast Partnership

Adam uh basically uh through his graciousness doesn't charge the lines for the use of facilities. And what that enables us to do is feed all the the kids with their parents under four for free. So he's basically with his uh uh small rental rate for the facility that day has allowed us to feed uh over 350 kids every year. And that would have cost families $3,500 retail if they had to feed those kids.

Paul Jacobus [37:44-38:05]Panaprog Behind the Scenes: Lakeville Lions Club Flying Breakfast Partnership

We work with them him on on safety issues. Um we have a list that's very long that we go through. You know, it started out we were just lions making pancakes in a building. And when we really about 8 years ago, we figured out no, this is a Lion's event and we are involved in all aspects of making sure that it's a safe environment for everybody out at the airport and we lean heavily on the MAC to ensure that we're doing all the right things as an organization because uh you know, one thing bad happens and it's no good for anybody.

Paul Jacobus [38:36-39:17]Panaprog Behind the Scenes: Lakeville Lions Club Flying Breakfast Partnership

Working together as as a as a group and and the MAC along with uh Adam out there and the FBO, they're always working to make sure that we're putting on the best show possible for the people that come out and see it. And a lot of people, this is the only time they'll see aviation in Lakeville and what's out there. And and the idea is that they're not scared of the airport and that it's a very positive experience. And year after year, these kids light up when they see these uh planes running and coming by.

Paul Jacobus [41:51-42:22]Panaprog Behind the Scenes: Lakeville Lions Club Flying Breakfast Partnership

A couple months ago uh, the the MAC decided that we were not able to do the roadway project this year and uh, that's 225th paving that road. It's about a half mile from Cedar to the South airport entrance. Um, honestly really really unfortunate that uh we we had to break the news to Adam and the group and the and the city. But uh for for a few reasons uh it was decided that we were not able to do that this year. Um, one being that we we did separate the road from the bud from the the the runway reconstruction and extension project uh in order to try to get it done, but due to some uh progressing and and positive communications with the pipeline companies, we felt like the the actual full project was too close in proximity to do in the road that we might, you know, the costbenefit analysis of doing the current place of the road and paving it just to have to demolish that road when when the road when 225th is relocated with the full project.

Sam Seafelt, Reliever Airports Manager, Metropolitan Airports Commission [43:50-45:01]Roadway Update: 225th Road Paving Project Postponement

I definitely apologize you had to hear through rumor, but um as soon as I knew that it was a fact that we wouldn't be doing the road, um I contacted you uh via phone. So, um, somebody at the airport that that found out about it, uh, actually started discussing it a little premature because at the time that it was first decided that we might might not be doing the road, we still had directors and vice president levels fighting to still keep the project on the books.

Sam Seafelt [54:48-55:36]Roadway Update: 225th Road Paving Project Postponement

As far as the the deadlines, you know, or the estimates on when we can get the done or the the project done, we can only go off of historical time periods of how long it should take for different studies and different planning elements to get completed to start construction. And there obviously has been huge delays and unforcasted delays. And it's hard to uh for I think for anybody to wrap our heads around initially how long this pipeline roadblock would have taken us, but um I can guarantee you the the MAC has not stepped our foot off the gas on on trying to get the project done.

Sam Seafelt [55:42-56:28]Roadway Update: 225th Road Paving Project Postponement

We are definitely leaning toward selecting the 123 05 frequency as a as a change and that would be effective um if it all goes through as planned. Uh October 2nd would be the changeover date. Um, but as far as the the data being getting into the spring and the summer here and seeing active operations as opposed to last year when we kind of evaluated it during the winter, um, you know, the data is showing that we'll be able to uh kind of have a better frequency on on sharing with Redwing as opposed to New Richmond.

Sam Seafelt [46:38-48:06]Radio Frequency Change: New Richmond Airport 123.0 to 123.05

Well, that'll be a good change if it comes past because it's definitely crowded on 123. That's that's not a good safety issue, right?

Commission Member [48:13-48:19]Radio Frequency Change: New Richmond Airport 123.0 to 123.05

It' be similar to the last time I laid that out. Um, you know, in addition to newsletters, we'd also have proper notice to airmen uh issued when that change does get made, as well as, uh, a verbal message on the automated weather for the airport. Um, additional signage on the ground on the access roads to the airport and, uh, flyers in the FBO and in in the vault restroom. just as many ways as possible to try to get it out.

Sam Seafelt [49:00-49:36]Radio Frequency Change: New Richmond Airport 123.0 to 123.05

We've been under construction at our airport shop since uh middle of April. And uh we do have a target completion date of the first week of July. Um but just uh you know reiterate the the positive change there is that we actually have a environmentally friendly and um a building with proper HVAC for our uh employees that work in the winter and the summer there and uh proper sleeping quarters for when they have to stay overnight for one to three or four days through winter storms.

Sam Seafelt [49:47-50:32]Airport Manager Update: Airport Shop Construction and Facility Improvements

I've now been told since 2020 that I'm going to have a road. Okay. I was assured as recently as April 18th by the MAC that the road was still happening this year and it actually had to come to me through rumors that it was cancelled and I honestly that that really doesn't make me happy. Okay. Um we have tenants on the south side all right that are driving down a muddy road. I mean it's it's horrible. If you go out there today, it is just a slap pit. I have two people here in the in the audience right now that are going to be opening a restaurant with me. Okay, we could be putting business out there. There could be additional tax revenue for the MAC. Okay, you could have tenants that are happy. I don't like hearing that Lake Elmo's design. You know, you say, "Well, we don't want to put a road in because it's two years." Well, that's two years of impact on my business and then everybody that's out at that airport.

Adam, FBO Operator and Major Tenant [51:13-52:30]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

I'm required to have pavement. I'm required to have a paved parking lot by the MAC and I have to drive down a damn dirt road. So, I personally feel very let down.

Adam [52:24-52:44]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

I mean, the EA chapter's putting a new building in and they're going to have to drive down a darn dirt road for the next couple years, too. I put $6 million into that building with assurances that we were going to have a road. I don't know why it's okay for you guys to make assurances to us and then just say two years. Two years.

Commission Member (Pat) [52:50-53:22]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

I've been biting my tongue a little bit, but you had mentioned the uh environmental impact study. That's another year out. Excuse my voice. Um I think that's like five years we've been talking about that. So to Adam's point, there there never seems to be a date certain. And Sam, it's not a personal thing with you. It's a MAC issue, but the runway extension was on the books. Everything was on hold for the negotiations with the pipeline uh folks, environmental impact. At one board meeting, I said, "If the individual doing the environmental impact can't get it done, fire that person and get someone else to do it." So I think there's general frustration with um just the process of Mac.

Commission Member (Dan) [53:34-54:21]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

You you say it's dependent upon the FAA. I'm an airport manager in Bedet. All right. I'm very familiar with the policies and the procedures and how all of this gets done. Okay. I also know that there was assurances made to us that you guys were going to fund this and pay for it yourself. You were not going to wait for the runway project. Now you say, "Well, the runway project could happen in two years. Just wait two more years." Okay. After you gave us assurances in 2020, the reason the runway project was delayed was because of COVID. It wasn't because of pipelines. Okay. We found out late that the pipelines were even an issue. All right. We found out at the Air Lake Airport Advisory Committee meeting last year that the pipelines were the issue. Okay. We were told that the environmental had already started and it hadn't. So, the information that we're getting is not been accurate. You guys have done a horrible job communicating. Okay? And you've made promises that you haven't kept. That's the worst part. And it has nothing to do with the FAA. Don't give me that excuse. It's not the FAA isn't making promises to me. The MAC has.

Adam [1:00:59-1:02:11]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

Because if I can't speak to that today. I what I what I have said is that I will take back these comments and concerns uh to the MAC. But uh as of today, the roadway uh paving project has decided to be back included uh and paired with that runway project because the road will have to be demolished. And because we're close in now to when we anticipate that uh runway project to start, uh that's the decision was made. But uh I the comments and frustration uh have been very clear. So um I'm happy to bring those back. Would you be willing to meet me at my hanger after this meeting and drive down the road? Maybe you could take a little bit of the road with you.

Commission Member (Steve) [1:03:29-1:04:19]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

Um I with all due respect, Adam's put a lot uh into this and I admire him for that. I think it's a lot broader than just Adam's business. If these gentlemen want to put up a restaurant in there, if more clients want to come out, it's really a strangle hold on the community. It's not just Adam's business. I mean, there's a lot of potential customers that I think are not being served and a lot of people that could have uh a nice dinner experience out there. So, it's more than uh just one FBO's success. I think it's a lot broader impact to the city of Lakeville.

Commission Member (Dan) [1:05:24-1:06:04]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

I'd like to reiterate what Dan just said. Um that was similar comment was uh on my mind as well and you know as an airport user and someone who you you know works at the Fleming airport which is not a MAC airport and someone who uses other airports around the Twin Cities uh we see projects going on at the majority of these other airports that are taking place and I do not see the same level of activity from the MAC in improvements at the air airport and that's uh spoken as someone who's been there for 20 years. Pat, you've been there longer and I I really would like to see, you know, Adam has put up a wonderful building, a wonderful facility to help grow our community at Lakeville and uh the usefulness of that airport for the Lakeville community. I'd like to see Max support him.

Commission Member (Pat) [1:06:10-1:07:04]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication

Yes. And unfortunately, um, that's kind of the status quo with the FAA right now. There's a million, uh, things going on with the FAA and and many different requests on a number of different issues. And sometimes they respond quickly, sometimes they take a long time and it's totally outside of our control.

Sam Seafelt [1:03:03-1:03:24]Member Announcements: Tenant Concerns Regarding Road Infrastructure and MAC Communication
Source Document
Focus: Original document text

[0:00] wish to pull from the agenda um or highlight.

[0:07] All right, our next item is the consent agenda. Uh two two pieces here. The

[0:13] approval of the minutes from our March 13, 2025 meeting and the uh note of

[0:20] aircraft noise complaints and operations. Uh if there are any questions on that

[0:27] one, they can contact Carrie. Um so we would handle both these as as one item

[0:33] as a consent agenda. Is there anyone that would like to pull either of the items for further discussion?

[0:40] Motion to approve. Motion to approve. Uh we have a second. Any further discussion?

[0:47] If not, uh all in favor say I. I. I. Anyone opposed?

[0:53] Jennifer did that that. Thank you.

[0:58] All right. Consent agenda is done. So now we have a moment for public comment.

[1:04] Uh this includes anyone in the chambers or online that would like to uh to

[1:10] comment. Uh we ask that you keep it to three minutes. Um is there anyone that

[1:15] would like to uh to comment to the uh advisory commission?

[1:24] Going once, going twice, gone. All right.

[1:30] Business items. Uh, we are going to do noise 101, an overview of aircraft noise

[1:37] assessment process. Ryan Anderson will do that presentation.

[1:42] Good afternoon. Thank you, chair and commission members. Uh, for those of you that don't know me, my name is Ryan

[1:48] Anderson. I'm the manager of community relations for the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Um, fairly new, just started

[1:55] at the beginning of this year. We thought it would be a good time to give this commission some general information

[2:03] on uh aircraft noise and how we measure it and um just kind of the metrics

[2:10] involved and and the things that we do and talk about regarding aircraft noise.

[2:16] Um, I've given a presentation like this uh many times in my career. Sometimes

[2:21] it's very detailed, sometimes it's very basic. Hopefully I've got a good mix

[2:26] here. Um, so I don't bore you with too much technical detail. Uh, and I do

[2:31] understand there is uh a bit of a a time restriction, so I'll try not to be too long-winded as well. Um, so apologies if

[2:40] I zip through a couple of these slides and if you have any questions, just save them for the end and we can go back.

[2:48] So, uh, the first thing is what is sound versus noise? Um, most people don't

[2:57] really think about the difference between the two, but sound in general is is refers to the actual physical

[3:04] phenomenon of vibrations. It's a physical energy uh which can be sensed

[3:10] by the human ear uh traveling through a medium such as air or water. Now noise

[3:17] is a sound that is unwanted or temporary. Uh much like my uh daughter

[3:24] when she's blasting a song by Katy Perry. Uh to me that is noise. Um to her

[3:32] that might be a wonderful sound. And so the difference there with noise is that

[3:37] it can be very subjective um from one person to the other on what whether a

[3:42] sound is annoying or not. Um so that's something uh important to consider when

[3:48] we talk about noise, especially aircraft noise. Some people sitting on this commission might enjoy the sound of a

[3:54] radial engine. Others may find it very annoying.

[4:01] How do we perceive sound? Um sound depends on several measurable physical

[4:07] characteristics of the sound. Again, it's energy and so there's certain characteristics that um if you change

[4:15] any of them may change the way people relate to that sound. So intensity uh

[4:20] which is the volume, frequency which is the pitch high or low uh changes in

[4:26] sound level is it changing level rapidly or gradually um and that rate of change

[4:32] is it going from high to low very fast uh on a frequent basis.

[4:38] Some other factors that affect our response to noise is emotional and

[4:44] physical variables. For instance, if I'm in downtown Minneapolis and I'm going to

[4:50] a Twins game and it's in the middle of a busy day, there's lots of car traffic,

[4:55] train traffic, people hustling and bustling. Um, an airplane flies

[5:01] overhead. Um, any of those sounds I might feel as though they're appropriate

[5:07] for where I'm at in that environment. It's a very urban, busy environment.

[5:12] If I'm in my backyard, however, let's say in Apple Valley, and it's a nice

[5:19] quiet neighborhood, and I'm trying to enjoy the scenery and listen to bird

[5:24] song, and an airplane flies over, I might have a different response to that noise based on where I'm at, um, my

[5:32] perception of what control I have of the environment around me. So, um those are

[5:39] um several uh scenarios that really change how one person might react to a

[5:45] noise response. Now, we measure noise uh with a metric

[5:53] called decibb. And decibb is a logarithmic unit of measurement on a

[5:59] loudness scale. It is not linear. Um and because uh uh sound energy uh the

[6:08] threshold of hearing to what is painful to the human ear uh is such a wide range

[6:15] of pressure levels. Um those values become unmanageable. So we use a

[6:20] logarithmic scale rather than a linear scale. And I'm sure you're familiar with

[6:26] other linear or logarithmic scales such as the RTOR scale when um describing the

[6:33] uh earthquakes, the power of earthquakes or the Fujitsu scale when discussing the

[6:39] damage of tornadoes. Um one one level to the next is not uh a doubling of

[6:47] increase, but it's actually a tenfold increase um on that linear scale. And so

[6:54] it kind of takes a little bit shift in in mind of of trying to understand one level to the next. Um for instance, two

[7:01] sounds of the same level are not perceived to be twice as loud. For instance, if I'm at my uh lakehouse and

[7:10] two boats go by at the same time and they have the same motor, is the is that

[7:15] twice as loud as if it was just one boat? No, it's not. It's it's uh a

[7:20] logarithmic increase. So it's actually only three decel increase rather than a doubling.

[7:26] A 10 decel increase would actually double the acoustical energy.

[7:34] Um so let's look at uh some some of that addition and how we're we're uh looking

[7:39] at uh decibb on a logarithmic scale. So, let's say I've got my son in his go-kart

[7:45] and I've got my sound meter and I record him as he goes by and he records at 72

[7:52] dB. Now, he's got his brother with him in the same exact go-kart and they go by at the same exact speed.

[8:01] Will my sound meter record 144 dB? No, it's going to only record 75. It's

[8:08] only a three decel increase. So again that logarithmic uh addition uh is

[8:14] something to consider when we're talking about decibel levels and doubling of uh noise sources.

[8:23] Uh decibel weighting. So we wait uh the decibel levels for various uses. Um we

[8:30] refer to uh the A waiting is the decibel waiting we use in most of our

[8:36] applications because it most closely relates to the range of the human ear um

[8:42] which is about range of hearing about 3 we hear like conversation and things at

[8:48] around 3,000 hertz. Um, and so we weight that scale so that it it

[8:55] applies those weightings to account for the range of hearing.

[9:03] So, a few rules of thumb when we're talking about decibb. So, the smallest

[9:08] detectable change uh by the human ear is about plus or minus one decel. And

[9:14] that's only if you're in one of those rooms where they check your hearing and it's soundproof and there's nothing else

[9:20] going on and it's very quiet. Mostly the average person can notice a change in

[9:27] plus or minus three dB. Again, adding two like sounds only adds

[9:33] three decel increase. It does not double it. Um, so what does that mean? How does that translate to aircraft operations?

[9:40] So, think about that. If we were to double the amount of airport operations

[9:45] at Air Lake on average, if we were to average that out, that would only be a three decibel increase um versus we

[9:53] wouldn't actually be doubling the uh energy level, if that makes sense.

[10:00] However, how we perceive that doubling is is a little bit different. 10 dB

[10:05] although it is um a significant increase it sounds twice as loud or twice as

[10:12] quiet. So a doubling or having of the operations may be three dB but 10 dB

[10:18] actually sounds twice as loud. Uh doubling or having the distance

[10:24] between a sound and the receiver equates to a plus or minus 6 decel increase or

[10:30] decrease. And that's just the attenuation of the air. So, if my daughter's screaming at me about wanting

[10:36] more ice cream, if I and she's 3 feet away from me, if I move six feet away, that'll decrease that level of

[10:42] screeching to about six dB. Here's some comparisons of sound uh ranging

[10:50] from the threshold of hearing around 10 dB all the way up to if you were at the

[10:55] front row of a Metallica concert 110 dB plus um and various outdoor and indoor

[11:03] uh common um uh decibel levels.

[11:09] All right. Now, we're going to talk about metrics and how we measure noise. Um, some of these we'll go into a little

[11:16] bit more detail, but these are the common metrics when we're uh looking at aircraft noise. Um, so we're going to

[11:23] talk about maximum ne level, equivalent sound level, the sound exposure level,

[11:28] and the most important, the dayight average sound level, and we'll also discuss a few other u supplemental

[11:35] metrics that are helpful. Uh, the first one is the LMAX or maximum

[11:40] sound level. Um the there's an organization called the Transportation Research Board that does a lot of

[11:47] research on um various uh industry topics. Um they put together some very

[11:53] nice videos that explain some of these metrics. So I'll let the video uh explain it and and I think it's a little

[12:00] more useful. The following video sequence will demonstrate the aircraft noise metric maximum noise level, also known as LMAX.

[12:08] On the right, an aircraft will be shown taking off and beginning its flight. The multicolored bubbles surrounding the

[12:14] aircraft as it travels will represent the intensity of the sound which reaches the ground in all directions.

[12:23] For an observer standing at the pink bullseye, the approximate sound event will be played through your speakers.

[12:29] The sound level for this observer will also be graphed on the left with a moving bar representing the current

[12:34] moment in time.

[12:48] [Music]

[12:54] For an observer located at the pink bullseye, the aircraft sound level gradually rose, reached a maximum, and

[13:01] then gradually fell. the level of the sound when it was loudest is known as the LMAX. LMAX is expressed in decb.

[13:10] So that's a one of the more fairly straightforward metrics. And again, it's just that peak level of energy uh when

[13:18] the um noise source uh goes by or starts and ends its noise event.

[13:25] The next one is the equivalent sound level and is a metric that we use when we're looking to average sound over a

[13:32] specified period of time. For instance, an aircraft event and an aircraft event

[13:37] if we're looking at to average out what was that entire energy uh spectrum. Um

[13:43] it depends on the duration of the event. Um but it's usually a given time period.

[13:48] Um uh we use it for uh looking at special time periods such as you know

[13:54] what what is the impact on schools when they're in session only during the day or um possibly uh certain areas that

[14:02] have uh nighttime activities looking at just what the impact is at night.

[14:09] And how we calculate that um is if we were to take again a noise event which

[14:15] is represented in that pink line and the x-axis is time and the y-axis is that

[14:22] awaited decibel level. You can see over the course of time it gradually gets louder up to the lmax point which is 86

[14:30] dB and then as it passes uh it it gradually falls off. And so we take the

[14:37] noise event and we calculate the value of decibb that are above the background

[14:44] noise level or what we call ambient noise level and we uh average that

[14:50] depending on the duration. So the duration of this noise event was 40 seconds above the ambient level and that

[14:57] gives us our LEQ which is 73 dB. And again that's a logarithmic average of

[15:02] this noise event. Uh the next metric is the sound exposure

[15:09] level and again I'll let the transportation research board the following video sequence will demonstrate the aircraft noise metric

[15:15] sound exposure level also known as seal. On the right an aircraft will be shown

[15:20] taking off and beginning its flight. The multicolored bubbles surrounding the aircraft as it travels will represent

[15:26] the intensity of the sound which reaches the ground in all directions.

[15:31] For an observer standing at the pink bullseye, the approximate sound event will be played through your speakers.

[15:37] The sound level for this observer will also be graphed on the left with a moving bar representing the current

[15:42] moment in time.

[16:02] From the beginning of the sound event until the end, a certain amount of sound energy is transferred from the aircraft

[16:08] to the observer. The total energy transfer depends both on how long the event lasts and how loud the event is.

[16:15] The sound energy exposure as experienced by an observer is quantified by the noise metric seal.

[16:22] Seal can be thought of as the sound level in decibb which would be heard if all the sound energy were compressed

[16:28] into an event lasting exactly one second.

[16:34] Okay. The seal metric uh again it we're taking that same uh sound event and

[16:41] compressing it down to 1 second um all the energy. Um, in my opinion, it's um

[16:48] one of the more difficult metrics to uh at least describe to the lay person and

[16:54] and use as a metric to describing impacts that they experience in their day-to-day lives. However, it is useful

[17:00] in certain scenarios. Um but you're taking the physical energy um which uh

[17:06] uh considers both intensity and duration and again compressing that down into one second and it allows you to compare

[17:13] different uh events or multiple events um um uh over time.

[17:22] The next metric is the dayight average sound level metric or DNL which is uh

[17:28] the most important of all these as it is the metric that has been adopted by all

[17:35] federal agencies when um disclosing uh aircraft noise impacts uh in relation to

[17:43] airport activities or other activities. Um, so it is the one we use the most and

[17:48] so we're going to spend uh a little more time on this metric in particular.

[17:53] The following video sequence will demonstrate the aircraft noise metric dayight average sound level, also known

[17:59] as DNL. As the video begins, aircraft are shown flying arrival and departure procedures

[18:06] to and from a major airport in high speed. Green and red trails behind the aircraft show the traveled paths of

[18:12] arrivals and departures, respectively. Each arriving or departing aircraft is

[18:19] continuously transferring energy to the ground in the form of noise. The louder and lower the aircraft, the more noise

[18:26] energy it produces on the ground. The size of the multicolored bubbles surrounding each aircraft correspond to

[18:32] how much noise energy is being transferred to the ground at any given moment. The essence of DNL and all other

[18:39] cumulative noise metrics is to represent the total accumulation of aircraft noise energy over some period of time. If we

[18:47] focus on the pink bullseye on the map, each passing flight transfers some total amount of noise energy to the ground at

[18:53] that location. As the flights pass, the graph on the left shows aircraft noise

[18:59] energy accumulating at that point. The flights that come nearest to the pink bullseye tend to transfer the most noise

[19:05] energy to that location. Over the course of a day, a great deal of aircraft noise energy may accumulate.

[19:16] DNL is different from many cumulative metrics in that it puts an extra emphasis on nighttime flights. Nighttime

[19:22] flights are defined as those happening between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. To

[19:27] account for the extra sensitivity many people have to nighttime flights, the calculation of DNL multiplies the actual

[19:34] noise energy transferred from these flights by 10. In other words, a flight at night counts 10 times as much in the

[19:41] calculation of DNL as a similar flight in the day. This is referred to as the DNL nighttime penalty.

[19:51] At the end of a full 24-hour period, the DNL value can be calculated.

[19:57] To calculate DNL, all the accumulated noise energy from the daytime and the nighttime is added together, including

[20:04] the influence of the nighttime penalty. The total noise energy from the day and

[20:10] the night is then distributed evenly over the entire 24-hour period.

[20:15] with the aircraft noise energy distributed evenly. The result is a single continuous noise level in decb.

[20:22] This level is the DNL.

[20:27] Okay. again. So, DNL is a cumulative noise metric and it's taking that time

[20:33] average sound level over a 24-hour period uh and adding that 10 decel

[20:39] nighttime waiting um so that we have a total sound energy uh average um for a

[20:45] 24-hour or longer period. Uh it is the metric of choice in the airport world

[20:50] and we use it to define noise contours of equal exposure for um various

[20:55] purposes. um including envir any environmental studies that require uh

[21:01] disclosure of environmental impacts. Uh like I said, DNL has been accepted by

[21:06] all federal agencies. Um uh to this date, it is still a required metric when

[21:12] disclosing noise impacts. Uh just to talk about that, uh nighttime

[21:17] penalty. Um just to understand it a little more. uh that penalty factor uh

[21:23] really influences the DNL metric and the size of that noise exposure contour. Um

[21:29] so if we had uh for example 75 flights during the daytime um those um flights

[21:38] would be considered um at night if I'm sorry I can't read that with my glasses

[21:44] but I think that says 20 flights at night would be treated like 200 flights.

[21:50] So again, it's that uh that uh t-fold waiting factor of nighttime operations.

[21:56] Um so even though we only had 20 flights at night, uh those are weighted much more heavily than those flights during

[22:03] the day. Uh here's another example um of the DNL

[22:10] metric and how it kind of plays out and can be uh complicated and it has

[22:15] resulted in some controversy in its use. Um these four examples show uh how the

[22:23] end result of a 65 dayight average sound level um can have various uh scenarios.

[22:30] So in the first scenario you have a single aircraft that uh there was one

[22:35] flight in that 24-hour period from a single aircraft and it created event of

[22:40] 114 dB. Okay. um average that out over logarithmic average over a 24-hour

[22:47] period, you get a 65 decel DNL. Scenario B, uh we were to take 10

[22:54] flights at 104 dB, that also equates to a 65 DNL.

[23:01] 100 flights at 94 dB is also a 65 DNL. So you can see where

[23:08] this goes to almost a thousand flights at 84 dB in a given day is the same

[23:13] result as one flight uh at 114 dB. So the DNL metric while it does do a good

[23:20] job of describing cumulative noise impacts over uh a given period

[23:26] especially over a year or or a given period of time. It doesn't do a good job

[23:31] of describing frequency um and the frequency of those operations. So you

[23:37] can have one aircraft that's very loud versus 100 aircraft that aren't as loud

[23:42] um but have the same uh outcome.

[23:48] So we use some other metrics to help uh when we're disclosing noise impacts. Uh one of them time above uh which which

[23:55] basically represents the the uh time generally in minutes or seconds that a noise event is above a given level. For

[24:04] instance, uh there were uh 30 minutes in a given day where the noise events were

[24:09] above 80 dB. Um so that would be time above number above is um a little bit

[24:15] flipped where we represent the number of events by uh the level of um for a

[24:20] specified noise level for a period of time. So 30 aircraft events a day above

[24:26] 80 decel Lmax. So it's quantifying the number of events versus how long those

[24:33] events lasted.

[24:38] Um so now I want to talk about some uh thresholds of significance. Um and so

[24:44] again the FAA requires uh the use of the DNL metric in disclosing uh noise

[24:50] impacts and there are three thresholds of significance um that the FA is required to consider. uh one being the

[24:58] uh threshold of the 65 DNL or greater. Uh in disclosing uh noise impacts for

[25:04] various um studies environmental studies uh they consider anything above the 65

[25:10] DNL to be uh a significant noise impact. Now there are other thresholds including

[25:17] a change uh when you are comparing a project uh to another project or a

[25:23] project versus not doing the project and the outcomes and a one and a half uh

[25:28] increase inside that DNL um or a three decibel increase outside the DNL are

[25:34] also considered uh significant and could translate into sound insulation for

[25:40] homeowners um if there is available funding and eligibility requirements are

[25:46] Uh at the end of the day though, no matter where a threshold is set, there's always

[25:51] going to be people living just outside of that threshold. And so you're constantly going to have to be um we

[25:58] can't um mitigate everyone. And so we're constantly having to have conversations

[26:04] with people that unfortunately uh you know you are definitely impacted

[26:09] by aircraft noise but not significant enough to uh require mitigation.

[26:19] Okay. So lastly I just want to briefly touch on how we measure aircraft noise. Um and we do that in two primary ways.

[26:26] One is um actually measuring it with noise monitors. Uh we could have an

[26:31] airport can have a physical noise monitor um that records noise events and

[26:37] those noise events are correlated to aircraft so that we can um quantify the

[26:44] uh level of noise impact generated by aircraft events at a given location

[26:50] or we can model uh those noise impacts. And um the the modeled method um allows

[26:59] us to um look at noise impacts in a much greater area versus a very singular

[27:05] area. With a monitor, we're able to look at noise impacts in a large um area and

[27:11] be very specific about noise levels uh at any given location.

[27:17] Uh what you're seeing there on the the right hand of the screen is the latest

[27:22] uh 65DNL contour for Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport.

[27:29] So we use um a model uh that they're required to use when uh disclosing noise

[27:36] impacts. It's the FAA's aviation environmental design tool and it is a

[27:41] very robust model and we put in a lot of um uh specific information into the

[27:48] model and we're able to generate uh very accurate noise uh exposure contours um

[27:56] out of this model and one of the main ingredients that really makes it very accurate is the uh aircraft types and

[28:03] engine types. Anytime an FAA or excuse me, anytime an aircraft gets certified

[28:10] by the FAA to fly within the US, um it the FAA creates a uh sound exposure

[28:17] profile for that aircraft. So any new aircraft that's designed or any aircraft

[28:22] that wants to fly into US airspace has to get NFA certification. And part of

[28:28] that is a noise profile. And so each aircraft type we have a specific noise

[28:33] profile for. So, we're able to put that in the model paired with how an airport

[28:38] is used uh on an annual basis or some given period of time. Um how air traffic

[28:45] utilizes the airspace, um weather, terrain, all these things go into the model and we're able to generate a very

[28:51] accurate picture of the noise impacts over uh a given period of time.

[29:00] Uh just in conclusion, on our website at metroports.org, or we have some uh great

[29:05] uh short videos here that kind of talk about more about uh how we manage noise um with our airports and the MAC system

[29:12] and um various outreach methods that we use uh to describe noise. So please u

[29:18] feel free to visit our website any questions.

[29:23] Thank you Ryan. Any questions for Ryan?

[29:29] Thank you chair. Thank you commissioner. Good. Looks like that's an interesting presentation.

[29:35] Very interesting. Yeah. All right. Uh moving on. Item number

[29:40] six, information items. Uh first up, we have uh Panaprog behind the scenes. Uh

[29:47] invite Paul Jacobus to uh to come on up. Uh Paul is we asked I asked Paul to come

[29:53] uh just do this presentation because there's this little thing that kicks off panrog called the fly in breakfast. And

[30:00] uh Paul uh it's it's special to have him here because Paul is is a lion and uh

[30:06] and and um they are the ones that host the breakfast and hold it and he's also involved with the Panaprag committee and

[30:13] uh they support that and it's part of our celebration. So Paul uh I'll just leave a presentation up to you to just

[30:19] tell us a little bit about the breakfast and how you work with MAC on it. All right. Uh thank you for the opportunity to address the group. Um

[30:26] again my name is Paul Jacobus. the district governor- elect for district 5M6. That covers an area from Lakeville

[30:33] up to Scandia. My term starts on July 1. So, I'm putting it on hold for 5 days to

[30:38] make my way through Pan Prague, but then I'll be busy doing that for the next year. And I am a member of the uh Lakeville Lions Club. Um I I always like

[30:46] to when given this opportunity to talk just a few seconds about the Lions Club and and what they are. The Lakeville

[30:52] Lions Club is part of uh a larger Lions Club International and it's an organization renowned for its commitment

[30:57] to humanitarian service and community enrichment. The Lakeville Lions Club embodies that values and principles of

[31:03] its parent organization striving to make a difference in the lives of individuals in the Lakeville community and beyond.

[31:09] So, while this is a fundraising event at our uh flying breakfast out there, what

[31:14] we're really doing is we're raising dollars for that so we can give back to the community and and try to make change for the for the positive. And this

[31:21] certainly is an event that along with the Panrog events that helps us achieve some of those goals. Um the club was

[31:28] founded in Lakeville in 1953. So over 75 years. I'm not a mathematician but um we

[31:35] focus on vision, health, youth, community, humanitarian needs, environment and hunger issues. Those are

[31:42] kind of grab everything when we when we focus on those things. And um but I am

[31:47] here to talk uh about the um flying breakfast and and kind of how our partnership works. Um uh you know, we're

[31:56] uh a great group of people, but we can't do it by oursel within our club. We're 120 members. We're growing. Um there's

[32:03] there's a lot of Lions in Minnesota, like 17,500 and 500 clubs, and we're just one club doing our part here in

[32:10] Lakeville. Um, uh, we did about 2,200 volunteer shifts

[32:17] last year and we served and touched the lives of 51,000 people throughout that year. And in the middle of that, we

[32:24] raised some money and we donated back over $366,000 in our last fiscal year, which is a

[32:31] record year for us doing that. But what makes that all possible and happens is events like the flying breakfast. Um

[32:37] it's our 13th annual event coming up and um we're pretty excited. It's the

[32:43] kickoff to the first weekend of Paniprog. Panrog has grown over the last few years and now covers two weekends.

[32:49] So we're the big event on the on the first weekend and um uh it's a partnership with uh the MAC and a loft

[32:57] aviation quite frankly and we get a lot of support from many sponsors and lots of volunteers. uh in year 1 uh some 13

[33:05] years ago I think we did about 120 meals and there was a handful of aircraft that showed up and it was kind of started on

[33:11] a whim as a as an idea. Um somewhere in the middle between year 1 and year 13

[33:17] this thing really took off and this year we expect to serve 2600 meals. We'll

[33:23] have 3600 unique visitors out at the airport. Um, and probably anywhere from

[33:29] 70 to 100 I call it, uh, things happening on the runway, landings, takeoffs, you name it. It's all weather

[33:35] dependent. Um, but there's there's plenty of things going on out at the airport in that morning. Um, it takes us

[33:42] 200 volunteers to pull the thing off. Um, those 200 people will put in about

[33:47] 1,200 hours over two days with setup and and running the event. Um, we can't do

[33:53] it by ourselves, so we bring in organizations. uh the debate team and the scouts are a

[33:58] couple people that we come in. We end up donating back $5,000 to those groups

[34:03] that help us put the event on that helps them achieves their goals. We feel good every time the debate team goes to state

[34:09] because we know we had a a part they did a little sweat equity for us to earn their money to to help take them to

[34:14] state and that's and that's a good thing for the for the youth in our in our community. Um,

[34:24] uh, I want to talk about the help we get. I'll talk about, uh, the MAC and and the loft here in a second because

[34:30] those are the lynch pins of why this thing all works out at the airport. But we have great partners like Safety

[34:36] Signs. Um, you realize when you're parking in an alalfa field out there, you need a little help. And so, Safety

[34:42] Signs brings us 300 cones that we have to set up. The city helps out. They bring us out 30 barricades because uh

[34:48] giving people an opportunity to drive vehicles near an airport, they'll go wherever they want. So, we have to really barricade stuff off in in the uh

[34:56] in the idea of of of safety. Um uh more golf helps us out. Uh they get us 11

[35:02] golf carts to which we can transport uh many people. We'll park over uh 1,200

[35:08] cars out there at any one time. That's a lot of uh parking in one spot for the

[35:13] for the city of Lakeville. And um it really um is is quite a wonderful thing

[35:18] to see it all come together. And I always like giving the numbers on this thing because it I find them entertaining. Um not quite as technical

[35:26] as the previous presenter. I apologize. Uh mine are more uh uh really kind of numbers. So we will go through 20

[35:33] gallons of syrup at this breakfast, which uh that's a small number. The numbers climb. Uh 25 pounds of coffee.

[35:40] We uh grind it all and brew it ourselves out there. uh 28 gallons of milk, 34 pounds of butter, 50 cases of water. We

[35:49] use 108 foot tables. The significance of that is that 77 of them are used for seating. So our restaurant seats 616

[35:57] people at any one time. So we're we have to turn that over a few times in that morning. So that's a number of mine.

[36:02] They're always fun. 104 gallons of OJ, the most expensive thing you can buy in a grocery store right now. We go through

[36:08] 104 gallons. Um 130 gallons of water. We bring out our own water for the coffee

[36:13] and the uh and the pancake mix that's made. 400 lb of pancakes mix, 560 lbs of

[36:20] eggs, and if you're a food service person, that's 5,800 eggs that we go

[36:27] through that morning. And then we top that off with uh 4,500 uh sausage links

[36:32] to make sure everybody gets their protein. So, uh it's it's it's quite a a

[36:37] thing. We always go and look for help and ideas of how to do this. Then we suddenly find out we're the only ones that know how to do it. And uh so we

[36:44] just kind of keep u making it up as we go to ensure when people come out there they have a good time. But keying that

[36:50] support that allows us to put on a great show is I'll I'll start with a loft Adam

[36:55] right there. Um what a brilliant beautiful building that uh was put up on the south side of the runway. We were in

[37:01] the resource hanger for many years and then once that big beautiful building went up and we, you know, said, "Hey,

[37:07] it's it's time to move. A whole another chore to convince the 2,000 people who were coming every year that they needed

[37:13] to continue down Cedar and come in the the south side of the runway." But, uh, Mack and a lot of social media and

[37:19] Panaprog helped us and, um, we were so happy that everybody showed up the year we moved it uh, and that they weren't

[37:25] stuck. We have uh CAP patrol, civil air patrol that helps us out on the other side to make sure nobody goes driving in

[37:31] the wrong side of the of the of the airport and things like that, but that's always good. Um uh and Adam uh basically

[37:39] uh through his graciousness doesn't charge the lines for the use of facilities. And what that enables us to

[37:44] do is feed all the the kids with their parents under four for free. So he's basically with his uh uh small rental

[37:52] rate for the facility that day has allowed us to feed uh over 350 kids every year. And that would have cost

[37:59] families $3,500 retail if they had to feed those kids. So it's a nice value and

[38:05] partnership of us working together because um it's it's a great place to go and visit. We you know we we worry about

[38:12] being right on the Fourth of July weekend, but not everybody makes it up to a cabin. There's a lot of people in

[38:17] town and this is a great place to go with your kids and let them experience aviation and see stuff and have a lot of

[38:23] fun. And when they don't have to pay for that four-year-old, that really kind of makes it a pretty sweet deal and a great

[38:29] event. So, the talk value of year after year of young families coming out is is has been u been fantastic. So, uh Adam,

[38:36] you're here. Thank you very much for that that support that you've given us for all the years. Um Sam and the team

[38:42] at the the MAC out there. Uh we work with them him on on safety issues. Um we

[38:48] have a list that's very long that we go through. You know, it started out we were just lions making pancakes in a

[38:53] building. And when we really about 8 years ago, we figured out no, this is a

[38:59] Lion's event and we are involved in all aspects of making sure that it's a safe environment for everybody out at the

[39:05] airport and we lean heavily on the MAC to ensure that we're doing all the right things as an organization because uh you

[39:11] know, one thing bad happens and it's no good for anybody. So, we're overly cautious and and always preparing on

[39:17] that. U but they help us with that. Um if there's approvals that are needed every year we we submit to the um the

[39:24] government to try to get a flyover. We've got one a few years back some C130s took over and came over. We're

[39:30] we're always working to try to get something to to to fly by. We're not an air show. We're just a breakfast and and

[39:36] that's very important distinction. Um and uh but a flyby is perfectly acceptable and so we'll always try to

[39:42] get in something like that. The MAC also supports us with um paint the plow in which they bring out uh one of their

[39:48] plows and they allow kids to paint all over the front end of the plow. And I last year I really freaked out because

[39:54] they had one of their brand new plows out there and then I saw kids starting to paint on that and then the uh young lady from the MAC told me to relax. It's

[40:01] just water paint. They wash it off when everybody leaves. So that was good to know because I I thought we were going

[40:07] to get a big bill. Uh but uh uh paint the plow has been good. We're actually going to do a paint

[40:12] the plane. There's a fuselage going to show up out there this year that somebody has donated and allowed us to

[40:17] to use. Um the equipment um they works uh they work with John out there is

[40:23] brings out all the equipment that that is at the airport and puts it on display. And that's when the people of

[40:29] Lake Bill finally figure out that it's really an airport with some really big equipment. And while the kids are

[40:35] climbing all over honking the horns, the parents are sitting back kind of looking up going like, "Wow." and and that's

[40:40] again a great partnership to spend the time and put that out there in front of us. Um, you know, and the last thing

[40:46] that they're helping us do is uh somehow Sam every year gets all the millings from the airport uh um replacement

[40:52] projects going up in the in the city. I think it's St. Paul this year. And then that's helping us make at least one nice little um road uh back out into the

[41:00] parking area of that big uh alalfa field that sits back there. So, uh, you know, last year we had to have a tow truck out

[41:06] there cuz it was a little mushy and we're prepared for that. We're prepared for all this rain that's coming down right now and the fact that the alalfa

[41:13] is above knee high. We're kind of what's going to we're wondering what's going to happen to our parking lot, but we've uh

[41:18] uh we've secured a plan B and um we got to I should probably talk to Sam about it first. Uh but uh we um we've got a

[41:26] plan and uh you know I got to give a shout out to Featherlight who basically gave us the use of two of their NASCAR

[41:32] NASCAR transport trams and so that allow us to haul 50 people at a time if we

[41:37] have to move people around the airport a little bit more significantly than we we thought. But it's it's really cool when

[41:43] people are rooting for you to put on a good show. So it's been a lot of uh a lot of fun. But um uh I can't stress

[41:51] enough of how, you know, working together as as a as a group and and the MAC along with uh Adam out there and the

[41:58] FBO, they're always working to make sure that we're putting on the best show possible for the people that come out

[42:05] and see it. And a lot of people, this is the only time they'll see aviation in Lakeville and what's out there. And and

[42:10] the idea is that they're not scared of the airport and that it's a very positive experience. And year after

[42:16] year, these kids light up when they see these uh planes running and coming by. And uh it's been quite an experience. So

[42:22] So uh yeah, that's uh pretty much it in a a nutshell. So and that's the B25, which will not be there this year.

[42:29] Apparently the Lakeville Lions uh um flying breakfast lost out to the Duth Air Show. I don't know why, but it

[42:36] happens, I guess. So, but he'll be back in a couple years when the the fourth gets a little further away from our

[42:41] event. So, uh any questions? Any questions for Paul?

[42:47] Thank you. It's It's Every time I go to that breakfast, it's amazing the number of people and the show, the airplanes,

[42:55] everything. So, well done. Appreciate it. Well, come early. We'll get you a shirt and put you to work.

[43:01] So, don't come too early, right? And the food is delicious, too. All right. Uh Sam, you're about to get a

[43:08] workout here. Um, first one up is the roadway update.

[43:17] Good afternoon everybody. Sam Seafelt, Reliever Airports manager with the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

[43:24] Uh, thank you just uh talking about Panerro. Thank you to Paul and and Pat, my two contacts uh with the Lions and uh

[43:32] really happy every year to have the early coordination and and communication and with safety as a focus. So, thank

[43:39] you very much. Um, so basically I have a couple updates

[43:44] which kind of is almost all of my airport manager update, but um, uh, a

[43:50] couple months ago uh, the the MAC decided that we were not able to do the

[43:55] roadway project this year and uh, that's 225th paving that road. It's about a

[44:00] half mile from Cedar to the South airport entrance. Um, honestly really really unfortunate

[44:07] that uh we we had to break the news to Adam and the group and the and the city. But uh for for a few reasons uh it was

[44:15] decided that we were not able to do that this year. Um, one being that we we did

[44:21] separate the road from the bud from the the the runway reconstruction and extension project uh in order to try to

[44:28] get it done, but due to some uh progressing and and positive communications with the pipeline

[44:35] companies, we felt like the the actual full project was too close in proximity

[44:42] to do in the road that we might, you know, the costbenefit analysis of doing

[44:47] the current place of the road and paving it just to have to demolish that road

[44:52] when when the road when 225th is relocated with the full project. That is why uh one of the reasons why it was uh

[45:01] kind of passed on. Uh second, there was some competing funds, some competing

[45:06] projects which uh Lake Elmo had a has a runway design going on for for a runway

[45:12] project next year and that money uh with any priority list. The runway is always

[45:18] going to get priority over an access road. So, um

[45:24] that's uh a couple of the reasons why MAC decided not to do that road this year. If I could pause for any questions

[45:30] that we might have from the group. When do you expect the runway project to take place then? If that was one of the

[45:36] drivers to move out the road. Yeah, right now we uh we do have a memo

[45:44] submitted to the FAA to try to um lay out all the positive discussions we've

[45:50] had with the pipeline companies in the in the recent months uh to try to get them to approve us to start the uh

[45:57] environmental assessment time clock. So that is a 12-month period and uh expect

[46:03] if that's all moving forward as progressed it'd be a 2027 target for the runway

[46:14] and the road then would be part of that project in 2027. Correct.

[46:30] Thank you. Uh and then you got the frequency change too, right? Yep. So, we are our our next

[46:38] period after um putting a pause on on the frequency

[46:43] change back in February um and being able to do a kind of a

[46:49] better evaluation of traffic counts and operations at the at New Richmond

[46:55] Airport as well as Red Wing, which is the alternative frequency that has been identified. Uh that's 1235.

[47:04] Um we we are definitely leaning toward selecting the 123 05 frequency as a as a

[47:12] change and that would be effective um if it all goes through as planned. Uh

[47:18] October 2nd would be the changeover date. Um, but as far as the the data

[47:25] being getting into the spring and the summer here and seeing active operations

[47:30] as opposed to last year when we kind of evaluated it during the winter, um, you

[47:36] know, the data is showing that we'll be able to uh kind of have a better frequency on on sharing with Redwing as

[47:43] opposed to New Richmond. Um there there is still a possibility as we go through

[47:48] these next couple months. The actual deadline to submit the change is August

[47:54] 20th that we see some more summer counts and and uh

[47:59] be able to make a different decision. But right now I'm leaning toward the 12305.

[48:06] Any questions about that one? Well, that'll be a good change if it comes past because it's definitely

[48:13] crowded on 123. That's that's not a good safety issue,

[48:19] right? Definitely uh wish we didn't have this delay, but I think I think we're we're

[48:25] better off for this this delay since February just to be able to get a nice uh summary evaluation.

[48:33] All right. Oh, go ahead, D. How do you uh plan on communicating that to the community?

[48:39] Oh, it' be similar to the last time I laid that out. Um, you know, in addition to newsletters, we'd also have proper

[48:46] notice to airmen uh issued when that change does get made, as well as, uh, a

[48:53] verbal message on the automated weather for the airport. Um, additional signage

[49:00] on the ground on the access roads to the airport and, uh, flyers in the FBO and

[49:06] in in the vault restroom. just as many ways as possible to try to get it out.

[49:11] Not to mention monitoring 1230 uh when when the change does come just to make

[49:16] sure we don't have aircraft flying over announcing on on the wrong frequency as could be the habit with some pilots.

[49:22] They have it memorized, they just go right to it or they have it just stuck in their their radio and they never

[49:28] change it. But um we'll try to go through as many as many communication ways as possible.

[49:36] anything else on that topic? All right. And then we have the airport

[49:41] manager update. So, the only other uh I have a couple

[49:47] things to mention here. Um we've been under construction at our airport shop

[49:52] since uh middle of April. And uh we do have a target completion date of the

[50:00] first week of July. Um but just uh you know reiterate the the positive change

[50:07] there is that we actually have a environmentally friendly and um a

[50:13] building with proper HVAC for our uh employees that work in the winter and

[50:18] the summer there and uh proper sleeping quarters for when they have to stay

[50:23] overnight for one to three or four days through winter storms. So, just happy that project uh actually got done and uh

[50:32] it's looking really good right now. So, uh we won't have that uh construction going on at the airport in July. And

[50:39] then uh the October barbecue that's currently scheduled has a possibility of

[50:44] moving up into August or September, but I'll communicate that um at a later

[50:49] date. Thanks. Questions or comments on the manager

[50:55] update? With none, we'll move on to number seven, member announcements. Are there

[51:00] any members that have any announcements for the good of the order? Oh, I I guess I don't have an

[51:06] announcement, but you know, Sam, you know, I'm sorry that you're going to be the the brunt of my conversation here,

[51:13] but I've now been told since 2020 that I'm

[51:18] going to have a road. Okay. I was assured as recently as April 18th by the

[51:24] MAC that the road was still happening this year and it actually had to come to

[51:29] me through rumors that it was cancelled and I honestly that that really

[51:37] doesn't make me happy. Okay. Um we have tenants on the south side all right that

[51:44] are driving down a muddy road. I mean it's it's horrible. If you go out there today, it is just a slap pit. I have two

[51:52] people here in the in the audience right now that are going to be opening a restaurant with me.

[51:58] Okay, we could be putting business out there. There could be additional tax revenue for the MAC.

[52:05] Okay, you could have tenants that are happy. I don't like hearing that Lake Elmo's design. You know, you say, "Well,

[52:11] we don't want to put a road in because it's two years." Well, that's two years of impact on my business and then

[52:17] everybody that's out at that airport. So, I'm required to have pavement. I'm

[52:24] required to have a paved parking lot by the MAC and I have to drive down a damn dirt

[52:30] road.

[52:35] So, I personally feel very let down.

[52:44] Anybody else? I mean, the EA chapter's putting a new

[52:50] building in and they're going to have to drive down a darn dirt road for the next couple years, too.

[52:56] I put $6 million into that building

[53:02] with assurances that we were going to have a road. I don't know why it's okay for you guys to make assurances to us

[53:08] and then just say two years. Two years.

[53:22] [Music] I guess I'm interested in the Max response to Adam.

[53:28] Can I piggy back a minute? I've been biting my tongue a little bit, but you

[53:34] had mentioned the uh environmental impact study. That's another year out. Excuse my

[53:41] voice. Um I think that's like five years we've been talking about that.

[53:49] So to Adam's point, there there never seems to be a date certain. And Sam,

[53:56] it's not a personal thing with you. It's a MAC issue, but the runway extension was on the books.

[54:03] Everything was on hold for the negotiations with the pipeline uh folks, environmental impact. At one

[54:11] board meeting, I said, "If the individual doing the environmental impact can't get it done, fire that

[54:16] person and get someone else to do it." So I think there's general frustration

[54:21] with um just the process of Mac and

[54:28] um I don't have Adam's situation but I would feel as frustrated as he is if

[54:34] asurances were given and it's always a moving uh goalpost.

[54:42] Okay. Okay. Well, one thing I can comment on, um I I definitely apologize

[54:48] you had to hear through rumor, but um as soon as I knew that it was

[54:54] a fact that we wouldn't be doing the road, um I contacted you uh via phone.

[55:00] So, um, somebody at the airport that that found out about it, uh, actually

[55:07] started discussing it a little premature because at the time that it was first

[55:14] decided that we might might not be doing the road, we still had directors and

[55:19] vice president levels fighting to still keep the project on the books. So, um,

[55:25] but at the time that I knew that I was a aware or informed that it wouldn't be

[55:30] completed this year, uh, I called you that same day. So, I apologize for that.

[55:36] Um, as far as the the deadlines, you know, or the estimates on when we can

[55:42] get the done or the the project done, we can only go off of historical time

[55:48] periods of how long it should take for different studies and different planning

[55:54] elements to get completed to start construction. And there obviously has been huge delays

[56:01] and unforcasted delays. And it's hard to uh for I think for anybody to wrap our

[56:08] heads around initially how long this pipeline roadblock would have taken us, but um I can guarantee you the the MAC

[56:16] has not stepped our foot off the gas on on trying to get the project done. It's

[56:21] just uh you know, the pipeline issue is was

[56:28] was a major issue with the FA and still continues to be. So that's my only comment there.

[56:36] Add to that a little bit. Um I I I do want to emphasize and I don't know the full history or what was told to you,

[56:43] but I do want to emphasize the MAC's role and the FAA's role and the environmental

[56:49] review and approval process is an FAA process. And this is something that

[56:54] airports are constantly we wish we had a a good understanding of what the timeline would be, but ultimately it is

[57:01] an FAA driven process and we're beholden to them and their process for how long

[57:06] it would take. Um, and so we're we're really doing our best uh to advocate uh

[57:13] to get it done as quickly as possible, but at the end of the day, it's still an FAA process. So I just wanted to make

[57:18] sure that was understood. Um, I can appreciate that. Um, I guess

[57:24] the question I would have is, uh, has it begun? Uh, so as as Sam mentioned, uh, the MAC

[57:32] sent a memo to the FAA, uh, getting them up to date regarding their concerns

[57:39] about the, uh, pipeline and our desire to start the process. Um, so no, I guess

[57:46] the answer to your question is as of where aware right now, no. The process specifically hasn't started uh with the

[57:52] FAA. So is it fair to assume that unless there's an agreement with the pipeline

[57:58] agencies, the process can't start? I I can't answer that. That's an FAA

[58:04] decision. Yeah. Because the frustration, my perception of the frustration with the

[58:09] community is it's been five years, maybe more. And I appreciate the the frustration and I you know I've heard

[58:16] how this has gotten really dragged out and it's really unfortunate. Um and really what I'm I'm trying to add to the

[58:23] context is that unfortunately it's not all within max control. There is an FA

[58:28] regul they are a regulator and um we are beholden to them in this process. So,

[58:34] but the road is a separate piece. It's a separate project from the

[58:39] runway. And what what I heard earlier is we chose to put off the road because of

[58:45] the cost and it would be better to combine it with the runway project, which I agree

[58:50] with. However, you have Adam and his team are trying to build a business. And

[58:56] it's a absolutely beautiful building that is set up to bring in uh business

[59:02] jets and we're expecting him to bring in clientele to drive down a dirt road in

[59:08] their their rental cars and their nice vehicles to get to their building and get to their jet. Yeah. There there's

[59:14] something that's missing here because we just keep kicking the can down the road and oh, we don't want to spend the money

[59:19] that this is going to happen in 2027. Well, I I have a feeling we may be sitting here in 2027 and we're still not

[59:27] going to have a runway project that's moving forward. So, what is Mack going

[59:32] to do for Adam to put a stake in the ground and say this is when we're going

[59:37] to put a road in? What I what I can say today is I I I truly um appreciate the frustration um

[59:45] with the timeline and you know, we'll take these comments and concerns back uh uh to MAC leadership. Um but that's all

[59:52] we can say today. Do you mind if I ask one more question? Uh Sam, you had mentioned that there was

[59:59] you hadn't contacted Adam because people within the MAC were still arguing over

[1:00:04] whether this road was going to happen or not. Uh was there any discussion to pull

[1:00:10] Adam into that conversation as probably the largest stakeholder

[1:00:16] uh for that road and advocate for himself? It didn't sound like it.

[1:00:22] Uh, no, there wasn't. I I think that's a mistake and I think that tells us as tenants and Adam as a

[1:00:30] tenant really where Mac feels we rank on the hierarchy.

[1:00:35] Well, all I can say there is there there's been numerous discussions on on why we wanted to do the road. I mean, we

[1:00:42] had good intentions. It just it didn't make the cut this year. You know, Sam, I personally don't have

[1:00:48] anything against you. I don't think that you have one thing to do with this. All

[1:00:53] right. I will tell you this. You you say it's dependent upon the FAA. I'm an

[1:00:59] airport manager in Bedet. All right. I'm very familiar with the policies and the procedures and how all of this gets

[1:01:06] done. Okay. I also know that there was assurances made to us that you guys were

[1:01:11] going to fund this and pay for it yourself. You were not going to wait for the runway project. Now you say, "Well,

[1:01:16] the runway project could happen in two years. Just wait two more years."

[1:01:24] Okay. After you gave us assurances in 2020, the reason the runway project was

[1:01:29] delayed was because of COVID. It wasn't because of pipelines.

[1:01:35] Okay. We found out late that the pipelines were even an issue. All right.

[1:01:41] We found out at the Air Lake Airport Advisory Committee meeting last year

[1:01:46] that the pipelines were the issue. Okay. We were told that the environmental had

[1:01:51] already started and it hadn't. So, the information that we're getting is not

[1:01:57] been accurate. You guys have done a horrible job communicating. Okay? And you've made promises that you

[1:02:04] haven't kept. That's the worst part. And it has nothing to do with the FAA.

[1:02:11] Don't give me that excuse. It's not the FAA isn't making promises to me. The MAC

[1:02:16] has. So to clarify my comment, uh my comment was regarding the timeline and

[1:02:22] the approval process and how long the environmental review would take. Uh that is the responsibility of the FAA.

[1:02:30] So is it fair to assume the first domino that has to fall is the agreement between the pipeline and the FAA?

[1:02:38] Everything is dependent on we're again we're waiting on a response from our memo that was submitted to the

[1:02:44] FAA. That's that's the next milestone. So unless or until that happens

[1:02:50] everything else is on hold. Correct. That's correct. And is there any sense of what that

[1:02:57] timeline might be? None at all. Okay. So the whole community sits and

[1:03:03] waits. Yes. And unfortunately, um, that's kind of the status quo with the FAA right

[1:03:09] now. There's a million, uh, things going on with the FAA and and many different requests on a number of different

[1:03:15] issues. And sometimes they respond quickly, sometimes they take a long time and it's totally outside of our control.

[1:03:24] So back to Steve and and Adam, is there any provision outside of the FAA through

[1:03:29] the MAC to facilitate u the paving of the road?

[1:03:35] because if I can't speak to that today. I what I what I have said is that I will take

[1:03:41] back these comments and concerns uh to the MAC. But uh as of today, the roadway

[1:03:48] uh paving project has decided to be back included uh and paired with that runway

[1:03:53] project because the road will have to be demolished. And because we're close in now to when we anticipate that uh runway

[1:04:00] project to start, uh that's the decision was made. But uh I the comments and

[1:04:05] frustration uh have been very clear. So um I'm happy to bring those back. Would you be willing to meet me at my

[1:04:12] hanger after this meeting and drive down the road? Maybe you could take a little bit of the road with you.

[1:04:19] I as I said at the beginning, I appreciate your frustration and concern. I don't think what you're saying is

[1:04:25] untrue. Uh uh so I don't think uh my using the road is going to make any difference. May I ask you, would you be

[1:04:31] kind enough to go look at the road today? Sure, I can look at it. But again, that's that way you have firsthand knowledge of

[1:04:38] what we're dealing with. Sure, I'd be happy to do that. All right. Um, any other any other

[1:04:46] questions or comments on on the road topic? Um, I know that we've been talking about this for quite some time

[1:04:53] and we've had uh, you know, one of the issues early on was it just didn't seem

[1:04:59] like anything was getting done and it seemed, you know, whatever we could do to uh,

[1:05:05] to expedite um, the the process um, and especially uh, if there's anything

[1:05:12] creative we could do to look at the uh, Max uh,

[1:05:18] max um stake in the road there. Any other member? Can I add one thing?

[1:05:24] Go ahead. Um I with all due respect, Adam's put a lot uh into this and I admire him for

[1:05:32] that. I think it's a lot broader than just Adam's business. If these gentlemen want to put up a restaurant in there, if

[1:05:39] more clients want to come out, it's really a strangle hold on the community. It's not just Adam's business. I mean,

[1:05:46] there's a lot of potential customers that I think are not being served and a lot of people that could have uh a nice

[1:05:52] dinner experience out there. So, it's more than uh just one FBO's success. I

[1:05:59] think it's a lot broader impact to the city of Lakeville.

[1:06:04] All right. Any other member comments? I'd like to reiterate what Dan just

[1:06:10] said. Um that was similar comment was uh on my mind as well and you know as an

[1:06:16] airport user and someone who you you know works at the Fleming airport which is not a MAC airport and someone who

[1:06:21] uses other airports around the Twin Cities uh we see projects going on at

[1:06:28] the majority of these other airports that are taking place and I do not see

[1:06:34] the same level of activity from the MAC in improvements at the air

[1:06:40] airport and that's uh spoken as someone who's been there for 20 years. Pat,

[1:06:45] you've been there longer and I I really would like to see, you know, Adam has

[1:06:50] put up a wonderful building, a wonderful facility to help grow our community at

[1:06:56] Lakeville and uh the usefulness of that airport for the Lakeville community. I'd like to see Max support him.

[1:07:04] Okay. Any other announcements to make?

[1:07:10] All right. Number eight, uh, review of the 2025 meeting schedule. We'll meet again

[1:07:16] September 11th and then on November 20th, I'm assuming those are going to be

[1:07:22] scheduled for this same location. All right. And with that, uh, the

[1:07:28] meeting is adjourned.

[1:07:34] [Music]

[1:07:43] Hello. [Music]

[1:07:56] I got [Music]

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