More Plane Noise For North Elmhurst: Ex-Official

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst Alderman Bob Dunn touts a new plan that aims to fairly distribute plane noise at night for nearby towns.

But one of his former colleagues disagrees.

"Sadly this means that Elmhurst, especially (northside wards) 2 and 3, will have the potential of A LOT more nighttime airplane noise/pollution," former Alderman Michael Bram said Wednesday in a Facebook post. "In my opinion, Elmhurst didn’t do much of anything to reduce the impact to Elmhurst residents."

Bram, who represented Ward 3 for two decades, said in a text to Patch on Thursday, "We were told diagonal runways were not to be used as everyday rotation. The use of east-west runways as originally promised would mitigate the impact to Elmhurst residents while utilizing the diagonal runway 4R/22L as weather use only."

Ward 2's Dunn, meanwhile, serves on the Fly Quiet Committee, which is made up of suburbs near O'Hare. The committee unanimously supported the plan last month.

"A runway rotation plan was voted upon and passed, one that is fair and that exposes all sides of the airport equally – east, west, north, south," Dunn said at a council meeting earlier this month. "After seven years of Fly Quiet Committee meetings, finally we're able to pass what I think everyone felt was a reasonable plan for nighttime rotation."

According to the Daily Herald, the runway plan would alternate from the north airfield, to the south airfield and then move to the crosswind runways.

"We've developed a 12-week runway rotation schedule," the committee's chairwoman, Karyn Robles, told the newspaper.

The plan must still go to the FAA and the Chicago Department of Aviation.

At the council meeting, Mayor Scott Levin praised Dunn for his work and leadership on the committee.

"You've represented our interests quite well," the mayor said.