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Where do the candidates stand on local airport issues?
Post your questions and opinions on the message board.
Fill out the questionnaire online.
In the Sept 23, 2004 issue of the Eden Prairie News there is a front page article on the expansion. According to Jeff Hamiel, executive director of MAC, there is an obstacle in the way of the expansion. It comes by way of the MAC Commission Chair, Vicki Tigwell. Tigwell's assessment of expanding FCM is that she's not sure it's justified, "spending that much money." Zero Expansion couldn't agree more and feel that our meeting and discussion with Tigwell several months ago may have resonated with her.
Take the questionnaire.
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Your Email: |
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| 1. Are you for the expansion of Flying Cloud Airport? |
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Yes |
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No |
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2. Do you support expanding the airport runways with the full knowledge that there will be a negative impact on residential property values because of it?
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Yes |
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No |
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| 3. Knowing that there are several viable, alternative 5,000ft runways, can you support an $83 million* dollar taxpayer-paid expansion at (FCM) Flying Cloud Airport? |
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Yes |
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No |
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| 4. How do you feel about the possibility of privatizing the air traffic control towers at (FCM) Flying Cloud Airport; do you think the airport operations will be as safe? |
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Yes |
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No |
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| 5. Would you agree with NWA not to expand FCM for $84M*, which is undetermined funding, and instead spend $25M, which would come from federal, state and city sources to reduce the flooding at STP (St. Paul Holman Field) in order to take advantage of its facilities, which includes a 5,000 ft runway? |
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Yes |
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No |
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a) Do you think lobbying efforts to get this undetermined funding for the expansion, by NATA and the Chamber of Commerce, and legislators, is appropriate, when the city and residents are opposed to the expansion?
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Yes |
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No |
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| 6. MAC's stated mission and philosophy statement to relieve MSP on their web site, in public notices, and in the EIS is contradictory to findings by the FAA and GAO. In view of this, don't you think it's incumbent on our legislators to rethink local mandates and expansion plans that include a serious rethinking of how out-dated philosophies, mandates, which are now a direct cause of incompatible land use? |
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Yes |
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No |
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| 7. If you knew that the cost of the airport went from being $49.7M to$60.5 M to the current cost of $82.9M would you support it when there are alternative runways to provide capacity growth for General Aviation in the Twin Cities? |
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Yes |
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No |
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| 8. Did you know that planes will be diverted over more populated areas so they don't fly over the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge area; would you agree then that residents near the Refuge will feel a greater impact from the expansion? |
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Yes |
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No |
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9. Were you aware that the air quality impacts will exceed 100tons/yr of CO emissions based on the Proposed Action to expand the airport?
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Yes |
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No |
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10. Do you believe it's possible that the FAA determined that MAC's projections of operations for the expansion are 49% higher than the FAA's?
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Yes |
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No |
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11. Do you know about the pavement based weight restriction in the Final Agreement and new FAA laws pertaining to them and what do you know about it?
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Yes |
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No |
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| 12. Would you favor subsidizing Flying Cloud Airport instead of Metro area bus transportation? |
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Yes |
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No |
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| 13. Do you think the expansion of FCM will be a boon to the local economy, or a boon to businesses directly related to airport usage? Which? |
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Local Economy |
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Business |
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| 14. Zero Expansion/talktrans is a non-partisan homeowners' group dedicated to informing the public in regard to local airport and transportation issues. Do you think that party endorsements are appropriate on the local council level? |
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Yes |
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No |
* Disclaimer- There are so many different estimations of the expansion price tag that we have included all the most recent ones that we've heard. We don't know the final price; neither does MAC. What we do know is that the price keeps going up and it's now in the $80M range