Elk Grove High School To Receive $11.6 Million For Soundproofing

The FAA has approved an $11.5 million grant for noise abatement at Elk Grove High School in the Chicago suburb to insulate the school from jet noise from nearby O'Hare International Airport.

The grant was announced at a meeting of the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC).

The grant represents 80 percent of the cost of the work according to a report in the Daily Herald newspaper. The remainder will be paid out of Chicago's airport funds.

The school nearly did not qualify for the grant. It was notified in June 2009 that the FAA determined that the modernization project underway at O'Hare would mean less noise in the area around Elk Grove High. A group of federal, state, and local officials were successful in getting that assessment overturned.

In all, the paper reports that the FAA has funded noise remediation measures at 116 schools around the airport. The work at Elk Grove is expected to be started over the winter break and completed next summer.

On its website, the ONCC claims it has secured over $550 million for aircraft sound mitigation.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.oharenoise.org