"FAA signs off on $127 million Minneapolis airport noise settlement"

Saturday, December 1, 2007

FAA signs off on MAC's $127 million airport noise settlement
BY TAD VEZNER 
The St Paul (MN) Pioneer Press


The Federal Aviation Administration on today approved the Metropolitan
Airports Commission spending $127 million to settle its noise-mitigation
lawsuit with Eagan, Minneapolis and Richfield. 

In October, Eagan's City Council voted unanimously to settle the years-old
lawsuit against the MAC, allowing hundreds of city residents to shield their
homes against noisy overhead traffic to and from Minneapolis-St. Paul
International Airport. Minneapolis and Richfield's city leaders also voted
in favor of the settlement. 

In a formal letter released today, the FAA said the settlement does not go
against any federal grant assurances; thus, the MAC is free to spend the
millions on home improvements for residents along the noisy air traffic
corridor. 

The settlement allows about 700 homeowners in northeast Eagan to receive a
total of $7.4 million to help shield their homes from high-decibel noise. 

In Eagan, 492 homes north of Yankee Doodle Road and south of Interstate 494
- including those along both sides of Minnesota 55 to Inver Grove Heights -
are eligible for MAC-sponsored noise-mitigation options. 

Homeowners along that route can either have central air conditioning and
$4,000 for a specific list of noise-dampening improvements or $14,000 for
improvements not including air conditioning. Such improvements include storm
windows, doors and roof baffling. 

Also, 38 multifamily homes in Eagan can receive up to $1,500 in air
conditioning improvements, and up to 177 homes not included in the most
recent mitigation area outlined by the MAC - but included on the MAC's 2005
maps - could get up to $2,500 in noise relief.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************