Nine members representing Chicago and suburban communities near O’Hare International Airport were named today by O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) Chair Arlene A. Juracek, mayor of Mount Prospect, to an ONCC Ad Hoc Fly Quiet Committee to review and recommend modifications to the airport’s nighttime noise abatement program.

Village President Soto suggested the idea for an Ad Hoc Committee based on his own interactions and experiences as a current Board member with the national NOISE organization.

The initiative follows an assessment by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of interim environmental conditions due to the O’Hare Modernization Program and the Chicago Department of Aviation’s (CDA) recommendations for modifying the Fly Quiet Program, which were announced during meetings with community groups held this summer.

Joseph Annunzio, ONCC Vice-Chair and Niles village attorney, will lead the ad hoc committee whose members will represent Chicago and suburbs impacted by O’Hare noise.

Selected members include: ONCC Technical Committee Chair Catherine Dunlap, Chicago Ward 41; ONCC Technical Committee Vice-Chair Dennis Ryan, River Grove; Harwood Heights Mayor Arlene Jezierny; Schiller Park Mayor and Suburban O’Hare Commission (SOC) member Barbara Piltaver; Bensenville Mayor Frank Soto, SOC; Des Plaines Alderman Malcolm Chester; Schaumburg Director of Transportation Karyn Robles; and the Chicago Ward 45 designee.

“This ad hoc committee is a balanced representation of the citizens we serve,” said Mayor Juracek. “The FAA tasked us with the responsibility to oversee O’Hare noise mitigation efforts. We have carefully reviewed the FAA’s environmental re-evaluation, as well as CDA recommendations for ways to modify nighttime noise abatement procedures. Committee members are ready to tackle the complicated noise abatement program modification process.”

ONCC has extended an invitation to the Fair Allocation in Runways (FAiR) Coalition to serve as a non-voting guest participant on the ad hoc committee with the promise of a standing agenda item at each committee meeting for direct citizen input.

“The sole purpose for this ad hoc committee is to look at the Fly Quiet Program and find ways we can provide relief for residents who are impacted by noise,” said ONCC Vice-Chair Joseph Annunzio. “We will call upon both SOC and CDA consultants for their recommendations, as well as O’Hare Air Traffic Control, airlines and their pilots. We won’t compromise safety, but stay focused to reach a consensus and present our modifications to the FAA,” he said.

ONCC is an intergovernmental agency, established under the Illinois Constitution of 1970 and the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, consisting of 55 voting members comprised of municipalities and school districts that represent nearly 1.3 million residents affected by O’Hare operations.