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Get airport land now, itizens---League says Bil-Aurie Blake bolster the campaign of south Minne- abd)Conrad deFiebre apolis residents who see a new air- Staff Wri ters port as the only hope of relief from jet noise. 4i:time to acquire land for a major ';! airport is now, in case Minne- But the draft does not call for a new a�ois-St. Paul International Airport airport, which by various estimates eadnot keep pace with future de- would cost between$2 billion and$5 marid, the Citizens League says in a billion. pSel6inary draft of a new report. Instead, the draft calls for steps to BGt the draft also endorses use of the ensure that land is set aside in case a existing airport for as long as possi- new airport is needed. While a site is b(e- along with aggressive steps to being acquired, it recommends that mace air traffic noise and conger- the Metropolitan Council continue tiob to make it a more tolerable studying the issue. n�i�hbor. •�. "We do not want to build on the new The.report is expected to be adopted site unless it is absolutely necessary," 6T the league board Thursday. It the draft says. woild be the first call by a significant public-policy group to begin planning fora new airport. As such, it would Airport continued on page 9B Sta' r Tribune/ Saturday/December 12/1987 .913 W' IRPORT: Northwest backs ma or points ontinu 1 ed from page IB airport will be needed,but when. airport's capacity. move to a new airport as rapidly as possible." Thus,the draft's major recommends- But the airline industry is changing MAC Chairman Harold Greenwood tions won support even from an out- so rapidly and it takes so long to said the commission is considering a The draft urges some changes at Mis- spoken corporate opponent of a new build an airport, he said, that the site owned by the University of Min- neapolis-St. Paul to make it more airport,Northwest Airlines. council is striving for a formula to nesota in Rosemount that has been compatible with the surrounding determine when a decision to build proposed for a new airport. But, he neighborhoods. All were originally "Being prepared is certainly not a can be made. Much of the time need- stressed,"we're just looking at it." proposed by the Metropolitan Air- problem," Northwest spokesman ed to establish an airport goes to site — - craft Sound Abatement Council,said Redmond Tyler said Friday. selection,he said. Nigel Finney,MAC deputy executive the council chairman, Walter Rock- director of operations, said the Met- enstein. Forecasts indicate that the existing Because establishing a new airport ropolitan Council would have to de- airport may be too small for future would be so expensive, Keefe said, fine a search area before the commis- The proposed measures include: air travel demand, the draft said. the council also is attempting to as- sion could seriously look for a new Therefore, officials should use tax semble an economic model to weigh airport site. ■Directing planes when possible money and airport landing fees now the costs and benefits. over nonresidential areas, and more to buy a new airport site as close as Anti-noise activists were encouraged equitably distributing the noise over possible to the center of the metro The Metropolitan Airports Commis- by the league draft all communities around the airport. area,the draft recommends. sion (MAC) also is studying the air- port's future. Until recently the com- Jan Del Calzo, who represents Min- ■Extending a secondary runway Airport and government officials re- mission had opposed a new airport. neapolis Mayor Don Fraser on the toward Bloomington and Richfield ceived the draft favorably. But they Its staff still maintains that there is MAC, called the report a prudent as a way to relieve some of the noise would need to reverse metro govern- plenty of life left in Minneapolis-St. recommendation to secure land 20 to over south Minneapolis. ment policies to follow league recom- Paul International. 30 miles from downtown, instead of mendations. waiting and being forced to locate ■Using airport landing fees to ex- Robert Stassen, MAC deputy execu- much farther away. pand noise abatement efforts,such as Two- years ago the Metropolitan . tive director of administration, said insulating some homes and public Council found no need for a new yesterday, "We don't really see that Minneapolis City Council Member buildings and buying others. airport when it updated its aviation this airport necessarily will ever over- Steve Cramer, who represents noise- master plan. And it has no plans to run its capacity. But, on the other weary residents of the I Ith Ward, ■Enforcing noise reduction goalt by outline an area appropriate for an hand, we recognize the need to keep said the report "gives real legitimacy ordinance if voluntary airline agree- airport, as the league urges. But the monitoring to make sure." to the issues of noise and air traffic ments fail to meet the goals. uncil is studying the issue again, growth." rs expected to deliver a fresh He said landings and takeoffs this In addition, the draft urges sharp rnion late next year on whether the year are expected to total around As for the recommendation that the increases in landing fees at Minne. Twin Cities needs a new airport. 300,000, z. decline from previous existing airport remain open for as apolis-St. Paul to encourage small years and far short of the limit of long as possible, Cramer said: planes to use other airports.Fees alsc Council Chairman Steve Keefe said 500,000 the Federal Aviation Admin- "That's open to interpretation as to should be adjusted to spread traffic the question is not whether a new istration uses as the estimate of the how long is possible. We want to to nonpeak hours,it said.