Elmhurst residents: Do more to cut O'Hare noise

Roughly 50 Elmhurst residents complained about noise from O'Hare International Airport during a city council committee meeting this week - and the mayor and several council members told them they're not alone.

"We're on it all of the time," Alderman Scott Levin told frustrated residents at the public affairs and safety committee meeting. "We're doing everything we can."

But resident Nick Parisi said increased airplane noise is disturbing his sleep.

"I received a wake-up call at 4:45 a.m.," he told committee members.

Monica Anderson complained about a plane with its engine on fire flying roughly 1,600 feet over Emerson Elementary School when she dropped her daughter off on June 1.

Her husband, Jim Anderson, said noise from O'Hare also has financial implications for homeowners.

"Our property values are being depressed because of the air traffic," he said. "I don't understand why there's no support from the committee."

But Mayor Steven Morley said officials are doing everything they can to address the problem, including attending meetings of the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission that includes 42 communities and 16 school districts dedicated to reducing aircraft noise.

"There's a lot of stuff that's been happening to address this," he said.

Residents say they're upset with a plan called the Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Test 2 that began in late April and lasted for 12 weeks. A similar test was done for six months last year, according to the website oharenoise.org.

The program rotates flights to different runways overnight each week to spread the noise over different areas, Levin said. Elmhurst is directly in the flight paths when diagonal runways are used.

Alderman Bob Dunn said he's unhappy with the lack of results from the Fly Quiet tests.

"Test 2 just ended," he said. "They really don't have a lot of firm conclusions."

A third test began Sunday evening and will continue for 12 weeks incorporating five runways at O'Hare.

Elmhurst long has opposed use of the diagonal runways, except when necessitated by safety concerns, Levin said.

Morley said east and west runways make more sense for Elmhurst, but other communities near O'Hare - including Chicago and many in suburban Cook County - have different opinions and that weakens Elmhurst's stance.

"That's the kind of political muscle we're facing," he said.

Because the Federal Aviation Administration has ultimate authority over what happens at O'Hare, Morley encouraged residents to contact U.S. Rep. Michael Quigley. He also encouraged them to log complaints on the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission website.

The safety committee, meanwhile, is considering a resolution opposing diagonal runways at O'Hare. But Morley cautioned residents not to be overly optimistic about the results.

"I don't want to oversell the impact of a resolution," he said. "I think the expectations need to be more realistic."

Levin also cautioned against optimism.

"I think it will have an impact, but will not cause decisive action by ONCC," he said.

After the meeting, Monica Anderson said she wasn't satisfied with what she heard.

"It feels like they're kind of giving up," she said. "I want our voices to be heard."