Noise An Issue With LTHS South Campus Plan

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Neighbors are concerned with the proposed addition of another cooling tower at Lyons Township High School's South Campus.

That has delayed the Western Springs Village Board's approval. The tower is part of a larger project that includes the addition of a new cafeteria and a renovation of the current cafeteria into a music wing.

"We think these plans are good for the school overall, and we always support the actions that improve educating our neighborhood children," said Chris Pieszko, whose house on Rugeley Road backs up to South Campus. "Our only issue has been with the noise and appearance of the existing cooling towers and now the proposed addition of a third cooling tower."

The school started with one cooling tower that was completely screened and the noise shielded, Pieszko said. Then it had two towers with no such protections, he said.

"Please understand that these issues are and will affect us in our daily lives, and we take this very seriously," Pieszko said.

Because of that, he hired a certified sound engineer to examine the situation. The engineer proposed major changes, and as a result, the high school adjusted its plan to include more screening and noise controls, he said.

Heather Valone, the village's community development director, detailed the changes in the school's proposal.

"The high school, after they install the cooling towers, the landscaping and also the silencers, would need to produce a report back to us that they're meeting the noise standards," she said. "Our sound engineer would review their findings to ensure they're correct before we complete any final inspection for the permit."

Village Trustee Nicole Chen supported the air conditioning project.

"As a mother of a student who is at South campus and who experiences some hot temperatures, I know this will be a welcome upgrade," Chen said.

With the upcoming project, the school plans to have air conditioning in 80 percent of the building, excluding the gymnasium, an architect told the Village Board.