September 1, 2008
O'Hare Residential Sound Insulation Program Kicks in to High Gear
The O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) recently announced that it will increase residential sound insulation of homes impacted by the O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) by 43 percent in 2008. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently added $18 million in grant funds to the aggressive project, with the City of Chicago matching monies through Passenger Facility Charges (PFCs).
"Last year we had a substantial commitment of $21.6 million in funding," said Frank Damato, ONCC Residential Sound Insulation Committee Chairperson. "We strongly support the increase in the number of homes to be insulated by approximately 330 to 1,000 total. We know this economy has put a lot of constraints on budget items, but we are optimistic that additional monies will come through to make these added homes sound-insulated and increase the quality of life for O'Hare area neighbors."
Park Ridge is one of the communities that has already received an allocation of homes and will be eligible for additional homes in the future. "Right now 75 homes in the northern portion of Park Ridge have qualified for and received sound proofing," commented Alderman Donald Bach of Park Ridge. "Our residents are grateful to ONCC, the FAA and the City of Chicago for their dedication and hard work to mitigate aircraft noise in our community. With another new noise monitor in Park Ridge, we will be able to have a good, solid baseline to measure and compare noise regarding the ongoing O'Hare expansion. We are confident the south end of our city will receive the same consideration for residential sound insulation."
Residential sound insulation construction starts again this summer on eligible single-family and multi-family homes in areas where the FAA indicates homes will be most affected by aircraft noise upon OMP's completion. The FAA assigned ONCC specific responsibilities as O'Hare Airport is reconfigured, which include continued oversight of communities impacted by aircraft noise as new runways are constructed.
What began as a 10-home demonstration project in 1995 by the City of Chicago is now a partnership with the FAA, the City of Chicago and the ONCC with a total of 6,100 homes sound-insulated already and an additional 6,000 housing units slated to be completed by the full buildout of the OMP.
"We know we raised the bar by increasing the homes we want sound-insulated for the 2008 Program," said Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene J. Mulder, ONCC chairperson. "Completion of the first phase of the O'Hare Modernization Program is just a short five months away and the 2014 completion year is just six years from now. That's a lot of work in a short amount of time in order to ensure a high quality of life for those living within the new noise contour of O'Hare Airport."
Communities earmarked for sound insulation for the 2008 Program Year include: Schiller Park with 354 multi-unit residences; Park Ridge with 9 multi-unit residences; Bensenville with 232 multi-unit residences; Chicago with 434 multi-unit residences.
May 12, 2008
ONCC Welcomes 43nd Member – Village of Itasca
The members of the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission unanimously approved the Village of Itasca for membership at its May 4, 2008 meeting. Itasca Mayor Claudia "Gigi" Gruber and Trustee Ron Putzell will represent Itasca on the ONCC. Itasca is the 43nd ONCC member.

February 29, 2008
Four Schools Participate in 2007 School Sound Insulation Program
The O’Hare School Sound Insulation Program
continued advancing during 2007 to include more schools in noise testing and possible consideration for funding.
The Program is the largest of its kind in the world. It is operated and funded by the City of Chicago with monies from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AlP), the Passenger Facilities Charge (PFC) and Non-Passenger Facility Charges. It is overseen by the ONCC through its School Sound Insulation Committee, which is chaired by School District 86 Superintendent Dr. Raymond J. Kuper.
Through December 2007, the program included 115 schools either completed or in some phase of sound insulation. More than $285 million have been spent to effectively sound insulate schools around O’Hare International Airport.
Consistent with FAA guidelines, the following schools qualified for potential funding based on the results of the 2007 Monitoring Program:
Ebinger Elementary School, Chicago
Hitch Elementary School, Chicago
Farnsworth Elementary School, Chicago
Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School, Park Ridge
While being ranked is an important step in securing funding for sound insulation work, it is not a guarantee that funding will be available for a specific school for either the design phase or actual sound insulation work.
More information about the 2007 O’Hare School Monitoring Program can be obtained by clicking here.
December 7, 2007
ONCC Chairperson Testifies at “Aviation and the Environment: Noise” Hearing

On Wednesday, October 24, 2007, a special hearing was held on October 24, 2007 on “Aviation and the Environment: Noise”
ONCC Chairperson and Arlington Heights, IL Mayor Arlene J. Mulder gave testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Aviation Subcommittee.
This Committee is chaired by Illinois Congressman Jerry Costello.
Committee members and panelists responded favorably to the ONCC’s approaches to addressing aircraft noise, and its support for noise-related initiatives. Mayor Mulder articulated the need for Congressional support for the Federal Aviation Administration’s focus on NextGen, which defines the FAA’s priorities for environment, safety, security, and other aspects of aviation thru 2025.
Mayor Mulder’s testimony before the Aviation Subcommittee can be accessed by clicking
here
November 21, 2007
ONCC Members Briefed on OMP Progress
At the November 2, 2007 ONCC meeting, Michael Boland, first deputy director of the O'Hare Modernization Program, informed attendees that two runways are scheduled to open on November 20, 2008. One of the runways, 9L/27R, which will be located on the far northern end of O'Hare, has been under construction for months. It will parallel Touhy Avenue in Des Plaines and will mainly handle smaller jet aircraft landing from the east. The second runway, 10/28, will be an extension of an existing one that when finished will measure 13,000 ft., in length.
Once commissioned, the additional capacity provided by new Runway 9L/27R and the extension of Runway 10L will reduce O’Hare’s delays by at least 24%. Delays will be reduced by approximately 49% in the most frequently used bad weather airfield configuration. Boland added that the program is expected to add 195,000 new jobs and pump in $18 billion to the local economy.
The OMP presentation to the ONCC can be accessed here.
Boland also addressed plans for a new western access to the airport that will include the extension of the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway to the vicinity Thorndale Avenue and York Road.
More information on this project can be found by clicking here
March 25, 2007
Arlington Heights Mayor Honored for Contributions to Environmental Improvements at 2007 Symposium
Mayor Arlene J. Mulder of Arlington Heights, IL, Chairperson of the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, has been honored with the 2007 Gillfillan Award, the University of California Davis, sponsor of the internationally renowned Aviation Noise and Air Quality Symposium, announced.
The award recognizing Mulder for her valuable contributions in addressing the environmental impacts of aviation was presented in conjunction with the 22nd Annual Symposium in Aviation Noise and Air Quality, held in San Francisco, CA, March 4-7, 2007. Nominees for the Gillfillan Award can come from any sector, including government, industry, non-profit, and community.
The special award was named in honor of the founder of the Symposium - aviation consultant, and former University of California Berkeley faculty member and facilitator Walter Gillfillan. Gillfillan received the inaugural award at the 2006 Symposium.
Gillfillan commented: “Mayor Mulder has been an active participant in the Symposium as not only a contributor at the program committee level but as a speaker and moderator. Mayor Mulder’s contributions over the years have been extremely important to making progress in the area of aviation noise reduction since she represents the community side of environmental issues. She is an extraordinary person who maintains excellent relationships with a variety of stakeholders, and is certainly well-deserving of this honor.”
Mulder indicated she was truly touched by the recognition, but she believed that the entire Commission was responsible for this award: “I am pleased and proud to receive this award, However, this recognition is truly a testament to the dedication and commitment of all of our members in working to improve the quality of life for residents near O’Hare International Airport.”
In 1997, Mayor Mulder was elected by other local government leaders in the Chicago area to serve as chair of the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, a regional commission created to help solve the aircraft noise problems at the “World’s Busiest Airport.” She has been re-elected to that position every year since and is now an internationally recognized leader on aviation noise mitigation issues.

March 24, 2006
Noise Concerns Are Among Constraints on Aviation Growth Says New Report
The O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC)
today was told by an FAA official that continued efforts to reduce
aircraft noise are essential to the growth of air transportation in the
21st century. The FAA’s
Director of Environment and Energy Carl Burleson briefed the ONCC on a
new congressional report entitled “Aviation and the Environment,” which
concludes that “there is a compelling and urgent need to address the
environmental effects of air transportation.”
(View entire
presentation)
Burleson told
the ONCC that while there has been a 95 percent reduction in the number
of Americans impacted by aircraft noise in the last 35 years, progress
in further reducing aircraft noise has
slowed. He also said that while
aircraft are 60 percent more fuel efficient today than they were three
decades ago, the strong growth in aviation has resulted in some aircraft
emissions increasing. The report concludes that concerns over the
adverse impacts of aircraft noise and emissions will place constraints
on air transportation, which in turn would ultimately threaten the
mobility, economic vitality and security of the nation.
The report
recommends to Congress a “National Vision for Aviation and the
Environment,” with a goal of absolute reductions in aircraft noise and
emissions by 2025. Burleson told the ONCC that there are great
opportunities for reducing noise impacts even sooner through flight
management tools to keep aircraft away from residential areas around
airports. For the past several months, the ONCC has been studying one
such tool, called RNAV, (Area Navigation) for possible use at O’Hare.
However,
Burelson noted that the air transportation system and the aviation
industry are complex and that there is no silver bullet to reduce
emissions and noise. He said that the report calls for a balanced
approach of both operational and policy changes.
The
52-page report was prepared by the Partnership for AiR Transportation
Noise and Emission Reduction, an FAA, NASA, and Transport Canada “Center
of Excellence” research organization at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The ONCC is a member of the organization’s advisory committee. “The
broad representation of 38 stakeholders, including the ONCC, makes this
report especially important,” Burleson said.
February 10, 2006
ONCC Officially Accepts Role in O’Hare Modernization
Program
The ONCC adopted a
resolution today formally accepting the Commission’s aircraft noise
mitigation role in the O’Hare Modernization Program (OMP) as directed in
the FAA’s Record of Decision
for the OMP. The Record of Decision was
issued on September 30, 2005. The FAA designated the ONCC to continue
overseeing the residential sound insulation program with a directive
that approximately 5,000 additional homes be insulated before the OMP is
completed.
In addition, the FAA charged the ONCC with
continued oversight of the O’Hare School Sound Insulation Program and
the Fly Quiet Program, as well as responsibilities for evaluating
changes to the Airport Noise Monitoring System and other
aircraft-related noise issues related to the reconfiguration of the
airport.
Dramatic Reductions in O'Hare
Aircraft
Noise Seen in New Video
Since 1979, there have been dramatic reductions in
aircraft noise for residents around O'Hare. However, because of how
people perceive changes in noise over time these reductions might
not be obvious.
Now there is a new graphical depiction that shows
exactly how the noise footprint around O'Hare has decreased in the
last 26 years. This decrease is due to several factors including
advancements in aircraft design, airline fleet mixes,
the Fly Quiet Program and the efforts of the City of Chicago and the
O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission to effectively address
aircraft noise issues.
Please click on the image below to start the video
demonstration.

The presentation is based on 65
DNL
and uses
Windows Media Player