13th Ward neighbors Nichelle Williams-Johnson and Louis Smith volunteer their time to serve as appointed members on the Community Commission on Police Oversight (CCPO). They would like to extend a personal invitation to the upcoming Public Hearing with the CCPO. They hope to hear new voices and fresh perspectives on the CCPO's work and priorities, especially from neighbors who don't usually attend the Commission's meetings.
Community Commission on Police Oversight Public Hearing
Tuesday, May 21 at 6 p.m.
Public Service Building, Room 100 - 505 Fourth Ave. S.
Public Hearing
Interested people may register to speak in the public hearing starting at 5:30 p.m. Speakers will be taken in the order they have registered.
Written Comments
Written comments may also be submitted for the record of this public hearing. Written comments may be submitted three different ways:
Learn how to participate in a public hearing.
While the City doesn’t have decision making authority over the airport, we sit on boards and commissions to provide input on growth and represent the concerns from our community. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has a project underway at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport (MSP) as part of a nationwide effort to develop satellite-based departure and landing procedures. The national effort to modernize the airspace uses GPS coordinates to guide planes rather than relying on ground-based navigation aids.
Shifting to Area Navigation (RNAV) Departure Procedures
The FAA is decommissioning the outdated ground-based navigation equipment currently in use, known as Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range (VOR). The FAA may refer to this as “decommissioning the VOR.” Other terms you may hear include Performance Based Navigation (PBN) and Area Navigation (RNAV).
The project is focused on departure procedures. MSP has been utilizing satellite-based arrival procedures since 2015 but will be making some adjustments to the existing procedures. The FAA schedule has new procedures being implemented by August 2025. A video from the FAA describing this project and other information can be found on the Project Webpage.
Public Input
Satellite-based procedures can introduce more precision to flight paths and are seen as beneficial to safety and efficiency. However, there can be negative impacts, such as the potential to concentrate flight paths and noise. The City and members of the Noise Oversight Committee (NOC) have been communicating with the FAA in hopes of mitigating and preventing negative impacts.
We have also stressed the need for thorough engagement, where resident input is taken into account and questions are answered. The public will have opportunity for input, and that public input will be considered before a design is finalized. This engagement is planned for this summer, likely in August.
Some residents will remember that satellite-based departure procedures were proposed around 2011-2012 and that the City and other stakeholders had significant concerns at the time. There were concerns about the design and the level of information provided to understand potential impacts. Many regional stakeholders expressed that more work should be done before proceeding. The FAA continued to explore options but ultimately did not implement the departure procedures at that time.
Since that time, the city has continued to monitor implementation across the country to learn from those experiences. While we have seen some progress in terms of FAA design and engagement practices, the City will remain diligent about fully understanding the proposed design and impacts. We will continue to be strong advocates for you to be heard and to have your questions answered. |
