The City Council will hold a special workshop session on Monday, June 11, at 6 pm in the Heritage Rooms here at Eden Prairie City Center to discuss Flying Cloud Airport. The City has been receiving feedback and input from citizens regarding what the City’s relationship with the airport should be. Should the City encourage the closure of the airport? Should the City embrace the airport? Should the City market the presence of the airport? Should the City ignore the airport? These are all possible positions the City could assume.
The Council has received input from residents and businesses that support, in varying degrees, all possible positions on the airport issue. The one thing the Council hasn’t done yet is have a discussion among themselves about what they would like the City’s airport policy to be. That’s the purpose of the June 11 workshop. The workshop will begin with a short briefing on the content and status of the 2002 Final Agreement between the City and the Metropolitan Airports Commission concerning Flying Cloud Airport followed by Council discussion.
The Council has been thoroughly advised on this issue. They know the depth and breadth of public pinion on the airport. I have advised the Council not to take additional public testimony at this workshop because opening that door will necessarily limit the amount of time available that evening for the Council to discuss the issue among themselves. And as that is the primary purpose of the workshop, I think that’s what we ought to try and maximize.
