Flying Cloud Airport

No thanks to Flying Cloud

A letter by Stefanie MulQueeny in the May 8 Eden Prairie News stating we should “thank Flying Cloud Airport for the many things they have done for our community” ignores the fact that Flying Cloud Airport does not pay any taxes on the land – they should be providing the space for the ball fields for nothing. The city has put a lot of money into those ball fields also and if MAC should decide to no longer lease the space, they would have no responsibility for reimbursing the city for those investments.

As a 42-year resident of Eden Prairie who lives one mile from Flying Cloud Airport, I think it is time for MAC to enforce their ordinance about no takeoffs or landings between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. In a period of 15 days between April 25 and May 30, I have recorded 46 takeoffs and landings between 4:52 a.m. and 7 a.m. and 10:15 p.m. and 11:20 p.m. and filed complaints on the MAC noise Web site. This was only for takeoffs and landings to/from west of the airport, so on days when the wind was in different directions, they would be using the north/south runway or taking off to the east.

I worked at Flying Cloud Airport in 1952 so am very familiar with the historic significance. When I told my son, who is a flight engineer based in Anchorage, flying stretch C130 Hercules aircraft (you can fit half of a double-wide in the back) that MAC was proposing to extend the runway to 5,000 feet, he said, “We can land and takeoff fully loaded on 5,000 feet.” MAC and the Chamber of Commerce and the city of Eden Prairie apparently feel it is more important to make it more convenient for the business jets so the people don’t have to fly out of MSP or STP. Obviously it doesn’t matter how these larger jets will inconvenience all of us who live around the airport and pay huge taxes. Why not make the runway 4,500 feet instead of 5,000 feet to discourage those operators who will “fudge” and fly something that should have a 5,500 foot runway?

You know the saying, “Build it and they come” and they will.

Caryl Hansen

Eden Prairie

Fun meeting
with MAC?

Here it is a beautiful Saturday morning, May 31, in Eden Prairie (finally!) and planes are buzzing all around ruining my family’s tranquility. It started off with one noisy jet taking off at approximately 6:40 a.m. (my day to sleep in), which is still within the voluntary curfew. Now, I’m reading an “official” city of Eden Prairie public meeting notice about the Flying Cloud Airport expansion that’s supposedly good for a few businesses and one or two rich folk.

Oops! There goes another plane. The card states the meeting is on June 12 from 7-9 p.m. at Hennepin Technical College. Most Eden Prairie residents did not get the city mailing inviting us to hear about details of the expansion, which the F.A.A. recently approved even though no business seems to think its worth paying their own money for.

Last I heard, the Metropolitan airports Commission was looking for private corporate donations and or free government handouts (what was $9 million to expand the longer runway, now exceeds $11 million in grants), to pay for lengthening the longer runway to allow larger jets, that according to MAC’s own Environmental Impact Statement should more than triple airport noise for thousands of Eden Prairie homeowners. The EIS clearly shows there will be an increase in jet noise, but it does not show that it could cause hundreds of millions of dollars in financial damages to the city of Eden Prairie, its residents and businesses.

As presented by a previous city finance director, and then Mayor Jean Harris, the city will in total lose over $100 million in taxes and fee revenue. According to my calculations as a business owner and financial adviser, the lost business revenues from reduced home building and related family and business expenditures (because of the airport using 660 buildable acres) could easily reach 150 million every year not including inflation. I don’t believe the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce has any idea of how much spending (financial development) it would take to build, decorate and furnish 3,000-plus new Eden Prairie homes. Not to mention $30,000-plus per year per family in local spending on food, clothing, entertainment , utilities, etc. The financial benefit of lengthening two runways at Flying Cloud airport, so that five passenger jets instead of three passenger jets can land is quite minimal for 99 percent of Eden Prairie residents and businesses.

As an ex-Flying Cloud Airport Advisory commissioner I think it would be fun and prudent to go to this meeting and try to find out who the Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce and its member Mayor Phil Young are trying to please and why. Other then the rich guy who wants to bring his larger jet from St. Paul to Eden Prairie (because it is a shorter drive for him).

Oops! There go two more planes. I would like the Eden Prairie citizens and businesses owners who will suffer a reduced standard of living, increased noise and air pollution, lower property values and loss of business revenues to identify and boycott airport users which would likely benefit from a Flying Cloud Airport expansion.

Come to this meeting and ask what companies would encourage MAC and the Chamber of Commerce to ask for millions in grant money (free money for them, paid in taxes by us) to complete an expansion that will benefit almost no one. We all have a lot to lose, so why not go to the meeting and ask which politicians and businesses are more important then 40 percent of Eden Prairie residents.

See you there. Bring friends. The noise complaint line phone number is 612-726-9411 or www.macnoise.com/complaint.

Gary Demee

Eden Prairie

Flying Cloud Airport gets a pass?

I am dismayed by the apathy of our city leaders regarding Flying Cloud. From my perspective as a proponent of a strong local business climate, a strong residential, commercial and retail tax base and pride in the aesthetics of our community I have yet to hear the positives this airport brings.I do not know of a single business that arrived or stayed due to Flying Cloud. I believe as a 19-year Realtor and 11-year resident that Flying Cloud Airport is becoming more of a threat everyday to our future home values. Perhaps one positive is that the soccer fields and diamonds are heavily used. Do we need an airport to provide park space for sports?

Is this the highest and best use of our precious land to have an ugly, annoying airport that plans to further expand runways, hangars and bring more planes to the area? Our leaders either run to Washington extolling the benefits of expanding or simply sit back and watch as the MAC tells us what a wonderful job they are doing on our behalf to listen to concerns and monitor jets above. Who are they kidding! It is up to me as an individual to make a complaint – MAC has no clue who is coming and when – only limited information from some planes that actually follow protocols and times. I found out where to go to make complaints and did so for a couple weeks tracking three to four planes nearly every morning over my home (four miles from airport) from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. and also tracking planes overhead many evenings after 10 p.m. in violation of the voluntary curfew. Then I realized that the MAC has no full tracking data and only relies on a handful of citizens that even know where to go to make complaints.

Why should I need to have a notepad by my bed each time a plane awakens me from overhead? There should be a transparent, full and reliable accounting of all planes using Flying Cloud done by the MAC for overall safety and respect of the curfew.I am tired of reading about how MAC listens (makes it time-consuming detective work for complaints to be heard), that the MAC does not have the resources to fully track or monitor who comes and goes and when (how secure are we?), that the citizens have no reliable data available, and that our city leaders are completely neutral or hand-tied.I am amazed that the airport just gets a free pass to keep on annoying the population with noise and eyesores while we are lectured on all the benefits (still waiting to hear one) and hear that most of our leaders are more than content to allow the MAC to dictate their free will on us for the common good. At least insist that the MAC provide detailed reports on every single plane that uses our airport. I challenge our leaders to take a real stand and provide a specific cost/benefit analysis of positions taken or their previous lack of positions taken regarding the airport.

Lyndon Moquist

Eden Prairie

Historical Society

History that’s interesting

Why did you move to Eden Prairie? Was it for a job, the parks, the schools or the great choice of restaurants? Was it because a friend lived here? And why do you suppose families moved here in 1858? The ‘jobs’ were mostly agricultural and the restaurants were non-existent, although there were bountiful lakes and land if you were the self-sufficient type. There were already two log school houses in operation (Gould and Anderson), and beautiful, unpaved and unlabeled trails.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to take a short trip back and see what Eden Prairie looked like? The recently transformed EP history museum showcases what this city looked like 150 years ago give or take, and one can understand why the city became a desirable destination.

Please make a point to visit your history museum and discover some surprising facts. The recent renovation and ‘face lift’ was led by our Museum Curator, Kelley Regan, who is a full-time realtor with a full-time family and was the creative genius behind this effort. It was an intimidating project, and Kelley worked hard, along with other Historical Society and Boy Scout volunteers and city staff to make it happen.

The ‘new’ museum is close at hand in the lower level of Eden Prairie City Hall, and is open the first Thursday of the month from 12:30-2:00pm, the third Tuesday from 7-8 p.m., or by calling (949-8580). It is definitely worth the price of admission (it’s free). We have already held two special events, and hope to do so periodically.

Jan Heinig Mosman

Eden Prairie

Editor’s note: Mosman is acting president of the Eden Prairie Historical Society. 

Thanks

Thanks from Primrose

Primrose School of Eden Prairie wants to thank all of the community businesses that contributed time and merchandise, the Eden Prairie Fire Department with their shiny red fire engine, our staff and their families and all of our playful guests for being part of our second annual Family Fun Health Festival this last Saturday. $1,925 was raised and will be donated to national nonprofit organizations: “Band of Parents, bound by hope,” financing research and supporting families with children battling neuroblastoma cancer, and “Reach Out And Read,” promoting early literacy by giving new books and encouraging reading aloud.

What a day! An abundance of sunshine and generosity made the fundraiser a success and delivered oodles of family fun! Thank you everyone.

Ben and Lisa Adams

Primrose School of Eden Prairie