Northern Hills Homeowner's Association

Pajama Party at the Airport ?

May 14, 2001

Airport pollution has become a major issue in the Minneapolis city elections as R.T. Rybak ( Candidate for Mineappolis Mayor ) announced he was taking on incumbent Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton.

Rybak is one of the founders of Residents Opposed To Airport Racket(ROAR), whose innovative protests have drawn hundreds of participants and turned the
group into a statewide political force. Scott Benson, another ROAR board
member, is running for one of the city council seats, and airport pollution is becoming a major issue in at least two other races. The November
elections could produce a new majority in Minneapolis City Hall promising a more aggressive attack against airport pollution.

Rybak first came onto the scene as an airport activist two years ago when he led a rumba line of several hundred pajama-clad protesters through Minneapolis St. Paul Airport. ''The Pajama Party'' was staged to protest the
growth of night flights into the airport and led to new landing patterns that
redirect flights over industrial areas at night.

Last summer, when construction under the airport threatened groundwater
under nearby lakes, Rybak helped lead another protest in which several
hundred people wore swimming suits. The protests forced the airport to
change construction procedure so it did not disturb groundwater near
Minneapolis' famed lakes.

''Citizens fighting pollution shouldn't have to keep taking off their clothes
to show City Hall that the airport is an environmental train wreck,'' Rybak
said in his announcement. ''We need an activist mayor who will fight
pollution for all four years, not just when there are votes at stake.''

Rybak's agenda includes restricting the body that governs the airport and
building a national coalition of other big city mayors to fight for federal limits on airport noise and air pollution.

Noise Monitors in NH

In N.H.? Really?

Well, these are not the kind that the consultants use, but these are accurate within 2dB.

Now, when that DC-9 takes a right turn over Northern Hills a little too soon, not only can we call Jerry Rankin's office and say ''that flight was too loud'', but we can say ''That flight registered 87 decibles on my noise meter!''

Where can we get these? I'm glad you asked. Just across Naco-Perrin from David Carpenter's Office is a Radio Shack. They sell two versions of their popular VU Meters. One version is analog, and sells for $34.99. The other is Digital, and sells for $59.99.
They have some unique features that should come in handy in our fight.

Anyone who gets one is welcome to send daily reports to me for compilation. I am curious to know what the current level of single event noise is now, and if it changes as the year goes by... and the tests for Ricondo begin.

You can order one on-line at:
Radio Shack VU Meter

These units were used in California when the El Toro Airport wanted to do sound tests, and should come in handy for us after the May elections as well.

Editor's note. This Candidate WON!