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DuPage joins effort to reduce O'Hare jet noise

With residents in northeast DuPage sending a loud and clear message they want something done to reduce airplane noise from O'Hare International Airport, county board members are getting involved.

The board's work will begin Wednesday evening with the first meeting of its ad hoc committee on airport noise mitigation.

Formed by Chairman Dan Cronin, the seven-member panel has been directed "to provide insight and direction" on the issue of increased noise created by air traffic at O'Hare.

"We're not here to stop airport expansion," said county board member Paul Fichtner, who is chairman of the ad hoc panel. "We're not here to close runways. We're not here to stop the noise. We're here to minimize the noise."

Fichtner says the amount of jet noise over towns near O'Hare has increased since the opening of a new runway in October 2013 shifted air traffic to an east/west flow instead of multiple directions.

"All anybody has to do is park on a residential street corner in Bensenville, Wood Dale or Itasca," he said, "and they'll hear it for themselves."

During last week's election, voters in Bensenville, Itasca, Wood Dale and Bloomingdale overwhelmingly supported advisory referendum questions calling for solutions, including soundproofing neighborhoods and requiring airlines to reduce flight noise during overnight and early morning hours.

The question now is what can be done.

Fichtner stressed that Chicago owns and controls O'Hare and the Federal Aviation Administration controls the skies above the airport.

"They will have to be part of the solution," he said.

He said a plan for minimizing the noise must be developed and then presented to Chicago and the FAA so they can help that proposal become a reality.

In the meantime, DuPage is expected to coordinate municipalities, noise groups and others to develop a noise reduction plan.

"The county cannot dictate what the noise plan should be," Fichtner said. "It should come from the municipalities and the groups working together."

The ad hoc committee may enlist the help of experts and other professionals during its review.

If possible solutions require changes in state law, county officials might use their contacts in Springfield to advocate for legislation, Fichtner said.

In addition to Fichtner, the other county board members on the ad hoc committee are Don Puchalski, Sean Noonan, Brian Krajewski, Amy Grant, Tony Michelassi and Jim Zay.

Wednesday's meeting of the ad hoc committee is scheduled for 4 p.m. in room 3500B at the county administration building, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton.

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