Minnesota Session Laws - 1993, Regular Session

  
    Laws of Minnesota 1993 

                        CHAPTER 162-H.F.No. 962 
           An act relating to metropolitan government; requiring 
          a classroom noise study.  
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
    Section 1.  [AIRPORT NOISE STUDY.] 
    The metropolitan airports commission in consultation with 
representatives of the school districts adjacent to the 
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shall conduct a study 
that identifies appropriate noise criteria for assessing 
aircraft noise impact in classroom situations.  The study shall 
develop realistic noise criteria taking into account basic 
speech communication needs and recognizing real-life situations 
where ambient noise, due either to aircraft or other noise 
sources, varies in nature at different times.  The realistic 
noise criteria will be different from the design values used in 
the original classroom acoustic design, due to the consideration 
of noise from aircraft and other noise sources in addition to 
background, steady state noise.  The study must take into 
account the impact of noise characteristics including the:  
    (1) level of intruding aircraft noise signals compared to 
speech signals; 
    (2) duration of noise signals; 
    (3) frequency of occurrence of the noise signals; and 
    (4) extent to which aircraft noise intrudes above noise 
from other sources.  
     The study shall include noise frequency measurements 
accomplished using A-weighted sound levels. 
The criteria that are developed should apply to both classroom 
situations where aircraft noise is appreciable and where 
nonaircraft noise sources may exceed idealized noise goals.  
    The study will consist of:  
    (a) evaluation of alternative types of classroom noise 
measures; 
    (b) selection of an appropriate noise measure and 
appropriate classroom noise criteria on the noise measurement 
scale; 
    (c) testing of the alternative noise measure in public and 
private classrooms; and 
    (d) identification of classroom locations that exceed the 
noise criteria.  
    The classrooms selected for testing must be located in at 
least two different public or private schools in each of the 
following cities:  Eagan, Bloomington, Mendota Heights, 
Minneapolis, Richfield, and St. Paul.  Not more than two of the 
schools tested may be located inside the 1996 65 Ldn contour as 
identified in the federal report "FAR Part 150 1991 Study 
Update."  
    The metropolitan airports commission shall report the study 
findings to the chairs of the senate metropolitan and local 
government committee and the house local government and 
metropolitan affairs committee by January 15, 1994.  
    Sec. 2.  [APPLICATION.] 
    This act applies in the counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, 
Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington. 
    Presented to the governor May 11, 1993 
    Signed by the governor May 14, 1993, 9:09 a.m.