Des Plaines ratchets up fight against Patriot Acres compost facility

Des Plaines city officials want to make it more difficult for Cook County commissioners to approve a controversial 25-acre composting facility near Oakton Community College.

The city argues a supermajority, or 13 out of 17 commissioners, needs to support Glenview-based Patriot Acres' plan to build the facility at 9800 East Central Road in a letter Des Plaines attorneys sent to county officials Tuesday.

Typically, the project could be approved with a majority vote. The city says aldermen formally opposed the project early enough to require the higher threshold but added county officials have said the need for a supermajority is optional. County commissioners are expected to vote next Wednesday, May 10.

Neighbors have complained the facility, which would transform yard trimmings and food scraps into compost, will cause foul odors and attract insects and rodents.

Des Plaines officials contend they were duped by the developer. For example, the city believed the composting would occur in an indoor building and residents would be notified about public hearings about the project, City Manager Mike Bartholomew said.

"I believe they misled us and there was a clear intent to mislead us," he said.

John Lardner, an engineering consultant with experience in landfills and composting facilities, is designing the project. He said the developer has followed the rules for notifying nearby residents and wanted public input to adjust the plan sooner in the process.

"I don't know that we misled them," Lardner said. "I think both sides fell victim to the process."

Since the county zoning board recommended the project for approval in March, Patriot Acres has hosted public meetings at Oakton Community College and in Mount Prospect. The developer has also created a website to counter opponents of the project, some of whom have posted campaign yard signs with a red "no" symbol over the name Patriot Acres.

"It kind of comes down to science versus speculation," Lardner said.

The proposed site, which was formerly a landfill, is about a half-mile from the nearest resident and vegetation surrounds the property, making the spot an appropriate location for composting, Lardner said. The proposal also includes efforts to reduce foul smells, he said.

Waste will be dumped at a three-sided building with a covering to trap odors while workers mix food and landscaping waste. Most of the composting process will then occur in piles covered by fabric.

The final step to "cure" the material will occur under open air, when the material is nearly matured into compost, Lardner said.

In the letter, the city argued a resolution approved by aldermen in early April was submitted within a 30-day deadline after the final public hearing in March - in time that it should require the proposal to receive support from a supermajority. County officials didn't reply Tuesday or Wednesday to questions on their position, but city officials said the county maintains it can waive the supermajority rule to approve a special-use permit.

"I think if they have the rule, they probably ought to enforce the rule," Bartholomew said.