With a noise study and plans for a Stage 2 aircraft nighttime ban approved by the Palwaukee Municipal Airport commission, Palwaukee (Ill.) Airport (PWK) has taken proactive steps to address noise issues. In late May an FAR Part 150 noise-compatibility study for the airport made 12 recommendations, including a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on Stage 2 aircraft operations. The airport commission, a group jointly operated by the city of Prospect Heights and the village of Wheeling, accepted the recommendations. But implementing the ban requires a Part 161 notice and approval of airport noise and access restrictions study. Such a study would take approximately two years to complete, with another six to nine months needed to implement the ban. The airport commission has requested federal Airport Improvement Program funding for the Part 161 study, which is expected to cost between $500,000 and $2 million.
The airport recently instituted a community-engagement program known as PACE (Palwaukee Airport Community Engagement), designed to establish constructive lines of communication with area residents. PACE is meant to address not only the noise issue, but to inform airport neighbors of the value of the facility, including an estimated contribution of some $37.5 million to the local economy. PWK is nine miles north of Chicago O’Hare Airport.
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