Mount Prospect takes action to stop odors from feed producer
Mount Prospect is seeking an emergency temporary restraining order against an animal and pet food producer that has faced complaints about odors from its plant in the Kensington Business Center.
The village filed the motion Monday against Prestige Feed Products, LLC, 431A Lakeview Court. It is asking the court to stop Prestige from operating until it complies with village code pertaining to a limited industrial district and is no longer a nuisance to nearby residents and businesses, including a Montessori school.
Prestige, which began operating in 2019, takes cheese and dries it into powdered form. The product is sold as a raw ingredient in swine feeds, according to its business license application.
But neighbors nearby in Des Plaines and Mount Prospect have been complaining about the smell and the noise from the process.
The village is already involved in a legal battle with the feed producer, and the homeowners have initiated a class action lawsuit against Prestige.
In the latest action, the village claims that the odor mitigation equipment that Prestige installed in December has not quieted the complaints. The village withdrew a previous request for a restraining order based on Prestige’s move to install the equipment.
But Village Manager Michael Cassady said, “Our position now is it’s gotten so bad that we’re going back to the TRO route.”
The village has said it has even received complaints from personnel at Park View Montessori School, located in the Kensington Business Center, that children have been adversely affected by the odors.
In an affidavit, Irena Nikolic, the school’s assistant director, states that several children complained on Feb. 8 that they felt ill after being outside and smelling the “burnt cheese” odor.
That day, teacher Jennifer Stanley stated in an affidavit, a student was so overcome that she thought she was going to vomit.
Stanley said that the smell forced her to cut mandated outdoor playtime.
Michael Sobotta, the plant manager of a nearby business, Mizkan America Inc., said he could smell the odor in the company’s parking lot. He said it also infiltrated the HVAC system at the business, interfering with its work testing food products.
The village’s environmental health superintendent said he detected the odor on at least three occasions, while Mount Prospect police have confirmed at least two odor complaints during late-night operations.
Village staff has also detected the odor beyond Prestige’s boundaries on at least 22 occasions since Feb. 1.
An attempt to reach the attorney for Prestige was not immediately successful.