By Phil Young

Flying Cloud Airport (FCM) has recently been the subject of many letters and commentaries. Residents, activists and former politicians alike have offered their opinion on FCM and the current Eden Prairie City Council. As most of the authors have projected erroneous intentions regarding FCM upon the council, I thought it was time to separate fact from fiction.

As many residents already know, the city of Eden Prairie agreed in 2002 to withdraw its political opposition to the plan by the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) to lengthen two of the runways at FCM. Although this MAC project has yet to begin, it one day likely will. However, the council simply has not had any discussion about this project and certainly has not decided to take a leadership role on this project. Moreover, neither MAC nor the local Chamber of Commerce has asked the council to take such a role.

The council has taken two actions regarding FCM this year and both are ministerial. The first action involved approving the work plan of the city’s Flying Cloud Airport Advisory Commission. The second action involved approving the city manager’s federal legislative agenda attendant to his participation at a municipal conference in Washington, D.C.

The Airport Commission is composed primarily of Eden Prairie residents and includes a leader of Zero Expansion. The work plan was created (unanimously) by the commission and adopted with only minor revision by the council. The approved work plan does not propose that the city of Eden Prairie take a leadership role on the issue of lengthening the runways at FCM or spend any tax dollars marketing the airport.

The city manager participates every year in a legislative conference put on by the National League of Cities. This conference is attended by hundreds, if not thousands, of local government officials from around the country, all of whom hope to spend some time (usually just a few minutes) meeting with their federal legislators on items of local interest. This year, the city manager advised the council that FCM was one of the nine or so items he put on his agenda to discuss with legislators. The city manager’s agenda did not propose that the city take a leadership role on the issue of lengthening the runways at FCM nor did it propose seeking federal funds for that project.

The city manager prepared a cover letter on FCM for his legislative visit which has caused some to conclude that the council, presumably working at the direction of the local Chamber of Commerce, has decided to take a leadership role on lengthening the runways at FCM. Frankly, I think it’s a stretch to read this conclusion into the city manager’s letter but the substitution of a few words may have avoided some misunderstanding of the council’s intention.

It is true that the city has a historically strong working relationship with the local Chamber of Commerce and a much improved working relationship with MAC. Both relationships are important. And, it’s also true that the city has an interest in taking a leadership role on certain discrete issues involving FCM – increased airport security, improved hangars, bringing sewer and water onto the airport property and the commercial development of small parcels of land which MAC owns outside of the airport fence. But whether, when or how the runways at FCM are lengthened remains an issue for MAC to decide.

 Phil Young is the mayor of Eden Prairie.