HomeMy WebLinkAboutBennett Appointment to NOC
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Jordan Gilgenbach, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0396 • jgilgenbach@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Edina City Council Member Appointed To Aviation Noise Group
Edina, Minn., April 4, 2013 – Edina City Council Member Joni Bennett was recently appointed to the
Metropolitan Airport Commission’s Noise Oversight Committee (NOC) as a member of the “at-large city
group.”
As a member of the group, Bennett will work with and advise At-large Representative John Bergman, a City
Council Member from Apple Valley, on aviation issues affecting Edina. Bergman represents the cities of Apple
Valley, Burnsville, Edina, Inver Grove Heights, St. Louis Park, St. Paul and Sunfish Lake on the NOC. The
committee, formed by the Metropolitan Airport Commission (MAC) in 2002, focuses on addressing noise issues
and concern in areas surrounding the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
“I am continually growing and acquiring knowledge in transportation issues in the City and region,” Bennett said,
who previously served on the City’s Transportation Commission. “I am bringing awareness and knowledge of
transportation and a willingness to learn what I need to learn about these important issues.”
“This is a great thing for Edina residents,” said City Manager Scott Neal. “Having a voice on the Noise Oversight
Committee keeps us plugged into activities of the MAC, and gives us access – and earlier access – to aviation
issues and decision makers.”
In November 2012, the City of Edina and residents were caught off guard by a proposal to change flight
distribution patterns, sending much of the plane traffic over concentrated areas of Edina and southwest
Minneapolis. The plan of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), called “RNAV,” or Area Navigation, uses
satellites to guide and concentrate air traffic. The City requested membership to the NOC in November 2012
following resident concerns with the proposed RNAV system.
“This system, if implemented, highly impacts certain neighborhoods,” Bennett said. “Before any decision is made,
we need to know how it will impact the lives of community members.”
“We lacked a voice on the committee and a community representative a year ago,” Neal said. “With Council
Member Bennett as the City’s voice, concerns of Edina residents will be heard and the City will continue to be
informed on these issues.”
“It’s very important to me,” Bennett said, “that information be shared with the community in a way that is
understandable.”
For more information on the Noise Oversight Committee, visit www.macnoise.com.
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