MSP Airport-Noise Forum Draws 'Feisty' Crowd

A forum on airport noise Tuesday drew hundreds of residents from Richfield, Edina and Minneapolis, according to media reports that characterized the crowd as "feisty."

Almost 400 people gathered for two hours to air concerns about potential changes the paths that more than 300 daily flights take as they approach and depart from Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport (MSP). U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN) and Erik Paulsen (R-MN) hosted the event at Washburn High School in Southwest Minneapolis. 

Edina resident Lori Grotz asked about the width of new flight tracks and the altitude of planes using them, according to the Star Tribune. Barry Cooper, regional administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said aircraft would not fly lower and that “the corridor is a line, basically." Another Edina resident, Kris Grette, told KSTP-TV, "There's days I've started crying and I just can't deal with it. ... It's just an insane amount of planes."

One theme at the forum was that changing flight patterns would up-end residents' choices about where to buy a home, according to a tweet by Southwest Minneapolis resident David Brauer.  

Ellison represents Minneapolis, Richfield and parts of Edina. Paulsen's district includes Eagan and other parts of Edina. Besides the FAA, another organization represented at the meeting was the National Organization to Insure A Sound Controlled Environment, the Star Tribune reported. 

The Metropolitan Airports Commission maintains a website for residents affected by airplane noise, including noise-mitigation maps for Richfield, Minneapolis, Eagan, Bloomington and Inver Grove Heights. 

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