Wilmette set to battle O'Hare airplane noise by joining commission

Chicago Tribune

4 days ago

The village of Wilmette is looking to become the 61st member of the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, an intergovernmental group focused on lessening the impact of aircraft noise on residential areas and schools.
The Village Board adopted an intergovernmental agreement with the ONCC on June 24 in its bid to become a sitting member on the commission. The full membership must still vote to approve the addition of Wilmette.
Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman said complaints from residents regarding increased traffic and noise from O'Hare aircraft prompted consideration of the village joining the ONCC. Residents have also objected to noise from Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling due to new flight approaches, Braiman said.
'Over the past 12 to 14 months, we have received hundreds of noise complaints, the vast majority of which were related to Chicago Executive Airport, but we also saw an increasing number of complaints we hadn't seen before regarding O'Hare traffic,' he said.
These complaints involved planes that could be seen lined up over Lake Michigan, waiting to land at O'Hare, largely in the late afternoon and early evening hours, Braiman said.
Joining the ONCC will allow Wilmette officials to advocate for residents and become better educated about flight patterns and changes at the airport, he explained.
'I think there's a lot of value in having a seat at the table and ensuring our residents' concerns have an outlet,' he told the Village Board.
Formed in 1996, the ONCC's mission is to reduce the impact of aircraft noise through residential and school soundproofing measures and by advocating for quieter aircraft regulations, explained Maura El Metennani, executive director of the ONCC, during her presentation to the Wilmette Village Board on June 10.
There are currently 60 members, consisting of 34 municipalities, 18 school districts, six Chicago wards and two counties. Meeting monthly, the commission works collaboratively with agencies like the FAA, as well as aviation experts and community leaders. It also oversees the Fly Quiet Program, which is a recommendation to airline pilots to use specified nighttime runways and flight routes to reduce noise.
There is no cost to members to join the commission.
Homes and schools qualify for soundproofing based on the current noise contour map, which depicts areas of noise intensity and was created using data collected by dozens of noise monitors located in communities around the airport.
Based on the current map, Wilmette homes and schools would not benefit from the sound insulation program, El Metennani said.
Wilmette Trustee Michael Lieber acknowledged that the village does not have the same problems with O'Hare noise that communities closer to the airport have, and questioned how the village might be received as a member of the ONCC.
'Do other members of the commission …. want a community that is further away from O'Hare as a member?' he asked, suggesting that more impacted municipalities may wonder 'Wilmette, what are you complaining about?'
El Metennani noted that Wilmette wouldn't be the only suburb 'on the outskirts' of O'Hare to have a seat at the table, pointing to northwest suburban South Barrington and west suburban Hinsdale as examples.
'It hasn't been an issue in the past that I'm aware of,' she said. 'We're all working toward the same thing.'
As for noise complaints related to the smaller Chicago Executive Airport, which is located 11 miles from downtown Wilmette, the communities of Wilmette, Evanston and Glenview have submitted recommendations to the FAA for alternate flight paths and are awaiting a response, Braiman said.