GARFIELD RIDGE — Call it a consolation prize.
At Thursday's meeting of the Midway Noise Compatibility Commission, the group that handles city and suburban jet noise concerns, officials agreed to install a new noise monitor somewhere northeast of the airport.
But the quasi-public body isn't taking much action on the groundswell of complaints from Bridgeport and McKinley Park residents who've found themselves living under a new noisy flight path to Midway International Airport.
Residents have wanted an expansion of the federal noise contours, which set the boundaries for eligibility in residential noise-dampening programs, and to put some teeth into a voluntary program asking airlines to avoid flying over residential areas.
So far, no meetings between the city's Aviation Department, the noise commission, Ald. James Balcer (11th) and residents have been scheduled.
"We have not yet followed up on that. That's still pending," said Aaron Frame, an assistant commissioner with the city's Aviation Department. "We still have the opportunity to reach out to Ward 11 and have a discussion about the noise."
Still, noise commission chairman Thomas Baliga told Bridgeport residents who spoke at Thursday's meeting that any actions, like shifting the noise contours or advocating for new flight paths, would come incrementally.
At the earliest, changes in the noise contour won't happen until 2018.
"We're dealing with federal regulations, rules, safety of the planes and passengers, so it's a little more complicated, and we have to take baby steps," he said.
One thing commissioners can do quickly is pressure airlines to adhere to the Fly Quiet program, which gives airlines a voluntary curfew on overnight flights, among other guidelines. Baliga said it's a request airlines have typically honored.
But some residents say that's not enough.
Peggy Weyer fought back tears as she told commissioners daily disruptions from jet noise had her family considering leaving Bridgeport.
"You can't sit on the back deck and enjoy what you've earned," she said.
Newly released data shows the number of flights arriving at Midway's Runway 22L — sending planes right over Bridgeport, McKinley Park and Brighton Park — has decreased.
In the third quarter of 2014, Midway-bound planes landed on the runway about 26.6 percent of the time. That's down from the second quarter, when planes used the runway about 31 percent of the time.
Down too are the number of noise-related complaints.
From July through August, 304 complaints were made by city residents, down from earlier this summer, when complaint hotlines registered 394 city complaints.
And the overall total of 420 complaints registered from city and suburban residents is down from last quarter, when there were 594 total complaints.
Baliga and other commissioners stressed that the addition of a new noise monitor won't mean Southwest Siders will be eligible for sound insulation programs anytime soon, per FAA guidelines.
But the device, expected to be installed early next year, will help gather more information. It's unclear where it will be placed.
"We know there is noise, and it's disruptive, obviously. But [the monitor] might show you don't have as much noise as you think, or it might show you're being overwhelmed by sound," Baliga said. "I'd like to wave a magic wand and say 'everybody's getting sound insulation' but that's not reality."
The commission is set to meet again 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 22, 2105, at The Mayfield banquet hall, 6072 S. Archer Ave.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
