I appreciate great interest in the MAC noise insulation program and the significant efforts the Rybak administration takes to extend noise insulation to other homes, at no cost to the property owner. But, I cannot help but point out how incredibly unjust this effort is, given other priorities in the city--in particular lead poisoning of the more than 4,000 children in the city since 1989, most of whom are disproportionately children of color. Consider this:
1. Property owners in the MAC sound insulation program--just in Minneapolis alone and not in other participating suburbs--have received more than $150 million in home improvements since 1994, including free windows, doors, insulation, central air and heat, etc. Property owners since 1990 who must deal with a lead-poisoned child--either in an apartment they own or in their own homes--have received less than one-tenth of that amount, but must also match any money provided by grants. 2. Some South Minneapolis properties assessed at more than $400,000 have received more than $120,000 in sound abatement improvements. Consider 5014 Woodlawn Blvd., in the city's Keewaydin neighborhood. Currently valued for tax purposes at $416,500, it received $121,400 in improvements during the spring and summer of 2000 (by the way, the value of this 5 bedroom two-bath home went from $261,000 in 2000 to its current assessed value of $416,000 today). 3. The Rybak administration proposed (and it deserves credit for doing so) a $3.00 per unit per year fee on rental properties to help raise about $180,000 for the City's lead hazard control program. That proposal died after some fairly aggressive opposition, but Rybak was not present to fight for that fee. 4. City staff asked Mayor Rybak last year to attend a national conference in order to obtain funding for lead hazard reduction activities. Mayor Rybak declined to attend, and the City lost an opportunity to obtain significant funding for controlling lead-based paint hazards in the city. 5. Two extraordinary leaders locally in the fight against childhood lead poisonings no longer even work for the city, partly because the way they were treated (largely as 'renegades' who were threatened with termination) and partly because the city doesn't even have a lead hazard control program anymore (it's been taken over by Hennepin County through federal grants). 6. The city refuses to release addresses where the city knows there have been lead-based hazards in the past, contributing to the relative 'secrecy' of such knowledge and leading to tenants and others not being adequately informed of the hazards. 7. Project 504, in a letter in 2001, requested Mayor Rybak to join numerous other municipalities and counties in suing the lead industry for causing the lead-paint poisonings and the corresponding cost to the city of responding to those poisonings. To date, we have not even received the courtesy of a response from anyone. To be clear: I do not begrudge property owners who receive sound insulation in South Minneapolis (my son lives in a property that received $58,000 of such improvements), and I met with Sara Strzok of ROAR to make sure she knew this. After all, airport noise is pollution. But I do begrudge priorities that do not give equal weight and effort to property owners who must deal with lead-based paint hazards and, horrifyingly, a child who is poisoned and ultimately brain-damaged. Ask this: who matters? Children of color in homes dealing with lead-based paint hazards? Or property owners, predominantly white, who deal with the nuisance of airline noise? Airport noise mitigation funding and lead-hazard control funding is certainly not apples to apples. But, ultimately, it is a fundamental question of priorities that belies the phrase 'where there's a will, there's a way.' Gregory Luce St. Paul www.nomorelead.org -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rybak, R.T. Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 8:33 AM To: Mpls Issues Subject: [Mpls] MACs broken promises There was a very disappointing turn of events yesterday when a committee of the Metropolitan Airports Commission voted to not go forward with the promise to insulate homes most effected by airport noise. http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/9146813.htm?1c If this stands when the full commission votes, it will mean the MAC will be going back on a promise it made to thousands of homeowners who depended on this promise was they made choices about what to do with their homes. And this wasn't just any promise. It was the basic underpinning for the agrement to expand the airport at its current site. I strongly disagreed with the MAC decision in 1996 to expand the airport at its current site---they put $3.1 billion into a facility that is landlocked, is nearing capacity and will increasingly face serious noise pollution problems well beyond Minneapolis; a facility that because of these limitations can't compete with air facilities in competitive cities like Denver and Detroit. But they justified the decision to expand at the current site by saying they would fully insulate homes out to the 60 DNL.* That was a bad deal then but it's much worse now when yesterday's vote says the MAC won't even live up to its promise. The MAC has a lot of new commissioners who were appointed by Gov. Pawlenty. Council members Benson, Colvin Roy and I, along with my rep. Dan Boivin, have had a series of meetings with these new reps to give them this background. Sen. Wes Skoglund and Rep. Thiesen have also been lobbying the MAC. Our meetings with commissioners seemed to have gone very well but there has been tremendous lobbying pressure from Northwest. In recent days there were even letters to commissioners from legislators who should otherewise have no connection to this issue, including House Speaker Steve Sviggum and Sen. Dick Day. In the wake of this pressure great credit should go to former Bloomington Mayor Coral Houle, who with my rep. Dan Boivin, led this fight and put in tremendous blocks of time lobbying other MAC members. Also deserving credit is commission member Lonni McCauley of Coon Rapids. It was greatly disappointing the John Williams, north Minneapolis dentist, voted to break the promise to these residents. Facing such a blatant disregard for its own acommittments, the MAC seems to be, once again, devolving into a group that can be pressured into doing whatever Northwest and the Governor wants...even if it means breaking a long held promise to thousands of homeowners about their single largest investment. Seeing how all this worked, or didn't, it's clear that it's time to consider legal action that will finally establish that the MAC made a promise and it needs to stick to it. R.T. Rybak * (The 60 DNL refers to the neighborhoods on the noise maps that have the worst airport noise. These lines cover neighborhoods closest to the airport but it's important to note that even if the MAC agreed to do what it promised...to insulate to the 60 DNL--it wouldn't come close to providing relief to neighborhoods like Central, Kenny, Lynnhurst, King Field, etc. that also have very bad noise issues. That's why we continue to work hard on issues like landing patterns, quieter jets and cargo hubs at other locations that can help relocate the loudest traffic. We are making progress in these areas, esp. in building a statewide coalition of people to work on these issues. ) REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
