Elmhurst Mayor Wants Seat On O'Hare Committee

ELMHURST, IL — The city of Elmhurst has requested a seat on the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission Ad Hoc Fly Quiet Committee. The committee met recently to review the draft report on Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Test #3 along with potential scenarios for the 2.5 year Interim Fly Quiet Plan. Survey results showed that Elmhurst residents strongly opposed Fly Quiet Test #3.

The city said The Ad Hoc Fly Quiet Committee was formed after the ONCC approved the City of Elmhurst membership. Due to this timing, Elmhurst was not afforded the opportunity to be appointed to the Ad Hoc Committee.

Now, Mayor Steve Morley has formally requested that Elmhurst have “a seat at the table” for the discussions and decisions on the Interim Fly Quiet Plan. If ONCC decides not to appoint an Elmhurst representative to the Ad Hoc Committee, Morley has requested that the vote on RRP be halted until the Ad Hoc By-Laws Committee can make Fly Quiet a standing committee. According to the city, this would allow fair representation for communities on the diagonal runways to have a vote in the recommendation to the full ONCC Board.

Test #3 of recent runway rotation tests directly impacted specific areas in Elmhurst, with a 100 percent increase in nighttime airplane traffic compared to Test #1 and Test #2, the city said. Every other week during the evening hours of 11 p.m. – 5 a.m. during this test period, aircraft traffic and its related noise from low flying planes caused distress to many Elmhurst residents. The city encouraged residents to voice concerns by filling out a survey on the RRP Test #3, conveying its impact on Elmhurst to the ONCC.

The next committee meeting is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 17 at 10 a.m. At that time, CDA is expected to present 2-3 options for an Interim Fly Quiet Plan. The city said the committee could potentially vote on an option at that meeting, which will then go to the full ONCC for approval. It is anticipated that the earliest an Interim Fly Quiet plan would start would be in 2018.

The City of Elmhurst is waiting for a response from the ONCC on this request.

Image via City of Elmhurst.