Summer is the season for backyard barbecues.
But many of the residents of Des Plaines’ Longford Glen subdivision say they are afraid to wander into their backyards because of the smells coming from the animal feed processing plant, which is just across the street in Mount Prospect.
Mount Prospect is hoping to, at least temporarily, pull the plug on the cooking activity at Prestige Feed Products. It has filed a request in Cook County circuit court for a temporary restraining order against Prestige, 431 Lakeview Court
There was a hearing on the motion Thursday before Cook County Circuit Judge Clare Quish, and another is expected Friday.
Neighbors say Prestige Feed Products in Mount Prospect has been causing unpleasant odors from its animal feed plant.
Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
Riccardo DiMonte, Prestige’s attorney, tried during the Thursday hearing to delay Friday’s by a week, but Quish stuck to the date. DiMonte argued the village already has filed and withdrawn two previous emergency temporary restraining order requests based on the same issues.
Des Plaines neighbors, from left, Brian Wilk, Mary Ann Solida, Mary Beth Stillmaker, Alouise Gredell, Alan Gredell, Sargon Merza and Joe Alosio have complained of odors in the area caused by a Mount Prospect plant.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
DiMonte accused Mount Prospect of “being extremely aggressive,” arguing the village was presenting evidence at what was basically a scheduling hearing.
During the Thursday hearing, Mount Prospect’s attorney, Isaiah Fishman, said time is of the essence. He said tests show Prestige Feed Products failed to reduce odors escaping the plant, even after making recent modifications.
The tests revealed the levels were in excess of the threshold, he said.
Fishman told Quish the experts went to locations in the area. The usual number is 7 or 8 on the odor monitor’s scale. Readings were in the 60s, he said.
It was another round in a legal wrangle between the village and the animal feed producer that goes back to May 2023, when Prestige filed suit against the village to stop it from shutting down the plant. During that time, nearby residents, businesses, and a Montessori school all have complained the “burned cheese” odor is overpowering.
Fishman said the odor has been particularly pungent the past few days. He expressed concern that with the upcoming holiday weekend and customary outdoor activities that accompany it, the community is not likely to accept even overnight hours.
“Residents are trapped inside their homes,” he said, because of the smells wafting into their neighborhood.
Residents like Marta Kulaga, who lives in Longford Glen, says that since Prestige began operating in 2019, her life has been a waking nightmare.
Kulaga said she is unhappy with the legal delays. “We feel for years we have been abandoned and nobody cared.”
“We suffer the consequences of the really nasty odor,” she said, adding it makes her gag.
The smell, she said, was especially oppressive during last week’s spell of intense heat, when there was no wind to disperse the odor.
Kulaga does not believe the business can control the problem.
“I think they should just basically move out of the residential area,” she said. “We can’t plan a barbecue party. You never know what to expect. We have a dog. We have kids. And the usage of our backyard has been very limited because of Prestige.”