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Council Member Marty stated he had never met Senator Novak, however, would like to express his personal thanks and appreciation to the Senator for his assistance with the airport issue, which is something that is near and dear to the hearts of many of the residents of Mounds View. Senator Novak stated he appreciated Council Member Marty's comment very much. He added that he was going to bring this matter up, if no one else did, and begin by thanking Mayor Coughlin, City staff, and particularly City Administrator Whiting and others he had worked with on this issue for many years. He stated they had applied themselves very constructively to the matter. He stated he had worked with Mayor Coughlin and various delegations of people from Mounds View, as well as Representative Haake from Mounds View on this issue, as he had with previous House members of both political parties. Senator Novak stated this was a bi-partisan issue, and an issue of real interest and concern to the community. He stated it continues to amaze him how difficult it is to "get their arms around this," and come to a final conclusion, because over the years, they have had significant successes that indicated they had finally resolved the matter.. He stated that almost twenty years prior, Holman Field in St. Paul, and the military, had attempted to move the helicopter base to the area. He stated they all united and worked very hard with the National Guard and others who went to Washington, and gained permanent resolution to that issue. He stated he thought they were all glad that this change did not take place. He stated that 12 to 15 years prior, they were faced with the same issue they are currently addressing, which was the issue of noise and flight patterns. He stated, after years of negotiations, they were successful in moving the runway a mile north, and this appeared to alleviate the problem at that time. He stated the issue is back, due to a variety of reasons, which include the consolidation of metropolitan agencies. He explained that the Metropolitan Airport Commission is no longer totally independent, and the Metropolitan Council has also been intervening to some degree. He added that the review of the Metropolitan plans, which take place automatically every ten years, has brought some of these issues back. Senator Novak stated he believed they had a lot of good people that were negotiating in good faith. He complimented the Mayor, the Council and the staff for their hard work on this issue. He stated he has been working hard on it, and hoping they come to a resolution that is satisfactory to everyone. He stated they did have legislation introduced, which was passed through the committees, and had attempted to negotiate directly with the Metropolitan Airport Commission regarding the issue. He stated it has been frustrating at times, however, they are staying with it, and he hopes they will come to an agreement that will satisfy everyone involved. Mayor Coughlin expressed his thanks to Senator Novak for handling himself with calm and grace, in the midst of the relatively tense discussion. He stated the issues involved are very passionate on all sides. He stated he was very impressed and proud to have had the opportunity to sit next to the Senator in the Committee meeting, and testify to his bill. He stated he had also had the opportunity to discuss the issue privately in the Senator's office, and attempt to negotiate a compromise to prevent the expenditure of millions of taxpayer dollars to continue to fight this year after year. He reiterated his thanks and appreciation to Senator Novak for his efforts, adding it was a valiant effort on his part, and that he hoped, during the next session, they could come to an equitable resolution • 16 C:\ADMIN\MINUTES\CC\8-09-99.CC