Doesn't want longer runway at CEA

My family and I have lived in Prospect Heights since 1977 and have enjoyed being a part of this community. My wife has been a teacher for over 20 years in District 23 as well. Recently, I read an article in the Daily Herald discussing the possibility of Chicago Executive Airport creating a runway of 7,000+ feet which would be able to accommodate a larger corporate client base.

Until recently, we have endured the traffic pattern from O'Hare Airport's runway 32L and 4L which brought air traffic to the Northeast/west. With the new runway patterns at O'Hare, we are finally able to sit out and enjoy a more serene experience with little or no air traffic from O'Hare.

My heart goes out to the residents of Bensenville, Itasca, Wood Dale and Addison ... for they are now experiencing a new surge in jet noise and their attempts to appeal to the aviation oversight agencies, hoping for closer monitoring and mitigation is not looking very promising. The financial investment made by the airport and the gains made by the airlines seem to trump any meaningful effort made on behalf of the surrounding homeowners.

To the individuals in the position of making the final decision for this runway expansion, I appeal to your sense of "quality of life" for the residents of Prospect Heights. While I am pleased that our mayor and the council have created a more lucrative tax base by bringing in new businesses, I would hate to see the serenity of our community negatively impacted by allowing a larger, noisier and more frequent jet traffic at Chicago Executive.

Phillip Zbaraz

Prospect Heights