Look who's talking on Bensenville's, airport's future

The village of Bensenville and city of Chicago are talking.

If you've paid no attention to the Cold War between the two communities over the modernization of O'Hare International Airport, then this won't be a surprise.

But for anyone who's watched the standoff between expansion foe John Geils, former village president of Bensenville, and Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino, who also heads the airport construction program, the détente is extraordinary.

This sea change is due to Bensenville's newly elected leader Frank Soto, who took office in May. Soto said he's immersed himself in village issues leading to "interesting days and long nights and a lot of coffee drinking."

Geils fought the city's modernization plan tooth and nail, throwing lawsuit after lawsuit at Chicago to halt the condemnation of about 600 homes and businesses on the village's northeast side. Chicago intends to build six parallel runways to reduce congestion and a western terminal at O'Hare, but the powerful city was been held back by the tiny village's legal maneuvering.

Now in 2009, without the support it previously had from local, state and federal leaders like former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, Bensenville stands alone. Chicago owns most of the properties it wants, which now sit empty and deserted. But the village also has multiple legal actions ongoing, which the city wants to go away.

The time has come to deal, Soto contends, and to get the best possible outcome for the village.

"I think the issue of the airport proceeding is a relatively foregone conclusion," Soto said. "The work is already being done, it's being done 24 hours a day. The FAA is behind it, the state legislature is allowing it to occur.

"It's a disservice to our residents if we ignore the obvious and don't deal with the future. At this point in time, we have to deal with the cards we have. The key is to improve the quality of life, resolve the issues and get rid of the uncertainty."

To that end, Soto sat down with Andolino recently to exchange preliminary information and no doubt size each other up.

"It was a cordial discussion," he said.

As a result, the city is helping Bensenville with flooding problems by providing stormwater detention at the airport.

"Their offer to resolve flooding was a good-faith gesture that was appreciated and opens the door to future discussions," Soto said.

On the city end, Chicago Department of Aviation First Deputy Commissioner Michael Boland was similarly diplomatic.

"I can confirm the collegiality and information sharing of the relationship," he said.

So what's next?

Right now given that demolition of the 600 properties appears inevitable, Soto is focusing on the aftereffects and what Chicago will do to mitigate them.

For instance, what happens to infrastructure throughout the village when 600 properties are demolished?

The previous administration "had done no prep work," Soto said. "They had no idea of how sewer systems would be affected, how the water systems that goes to the residents would be affected."

Along with nuts and bolts, Soto also wants to know what the city will do to buffer the expansion and how the village can benefit economically.

"It's not only the loss of homes and businesses but the tax in perpetuity is gone," he said. "We want to put Bensenville in a position where it's better off both from a financial position and from a quality of life position."

With the prospect of a western terminal and the Elgin O'Hare Expressway actually being extended to the airport, "that creates tremendous potential in the future," Soto said. "There could easily be hotels, restaurants, a convention center. This area will provide a tremendous growth opportunity and jobs, and at the end of the day, generate sales tax revenue that will lower taxes.

He's also envisions a green buffer area at the airport border involving parks and bike trails.

The village comes to the negotiations at a time when the city has concerns about funding for the expansion which has shot past original budget estimates in part because of delays caused by lawsuits, and is eager to finish the project by a promised 2014 date, two years before Chicago could get the Olympics.

Boland noted the city wants the litigation settled "yesterday. We would like these cases to go away as soon as possible. They're costing us time and money."

That gives Bensenville a perfect bargaining position, Soto thinks.

"They have issues that are time-sensitive," he said. "We don't want to be obstructionist, but we're not just going to disappear because it's a new administration."