From:
     
    Chad
     
    A.
     
    Gifford
     
    1126
     
    Foster
     
    Ave.
     
    Lake
     
    Bluff,
     
    IL
     
    60044
     
    847.283.0515
     
     
    To:
     
    Illinois
     
    Pollution
     
    Control
     
    Board
     
    RE:
      
    Case
     
    #
     
    PCB
     
    08
    13,
     
    Chad
     
    Gifford
     
    VS.
     
    American
     
    Metal
     
    Fibers
     
     
    Dear
     
    Board,
     
     
    I
     
    would
     
    like
     
    to
     
    respond
     
    to
     
    the
     
    filing
     
    on
     
    behalf
     
    of
     
    American
     
    Metal
     
    Fibers
     
    by
     
    their
     
    attorney.
     
    I
     
    would
     
    like
     
    this
     
    case
     
    to
     
    proceed,
     
    as
     
    my
     
    house
     
    hold
     
    and
     
    my
     
    neighborhood
     
    is
     
    suffering
     
    on
     
    a
     
    daily
     
    basis
     
    by
     
    the
     
    noise
     
    created
     
    by
     
    this
     
    factory.
      
    Regardless
     
    of
     
    the
     
    other
     
    noise
     
    that
     
    is
     
    present
     
    in
     
    the
     
    area
     
    during
     
    daylight
     
    hours,
     
    my
     
    contention
     
    is
     
    mainly
     
    with
     
    the
     
    operations
     
    taking
     
    place
     
    after
     
    8pm
     
    on
     
    Sunday
     
    nights
     
    and
     
    all
     
    week
     
    day
     
    nights
     
    (there
     
    are
     
    exceptions
     
    where
     
    they
     
    shut
     
    down
     
    on
     
    Friday’s,
     
    however,
     
    this
     
    summer
     
    they
     
    have
     
    often
     
    run
     
    Friday
     
    nights).
      
    I
     
    ask
     
    that
     
    you
     
    do
     
    not
     
    dismiss
     
    this
     
    case
     
    on
     
    any
     
    basis.
     
    I
     
    have
     
    met
     
    with
     
    my
     
    neighbors,
     
    they
     
    are
     
    willing
     
    to
     
    give
     
    testimony
     
    to
     
    what
     
    we
     
    endure
     
    and
     
    are
     
    happy
     
    to
     
    get
     
    involved
     
    with
     
    this
     
    process.
      
    I
     
    have
     
    spear
     
    headed
     
    this
     
    effort
     
    by
     
    a
     
    personal
     
    willingness
     
    to
     
    try
     
    to
     
    improve
     
    our
     
    neighborhood,
     
    our
     
    homes,
     
    and
     
    well
     
    being.
     
    Please
     
    note,
     
    that
     
    even
     
    in
     
    the
     
    2+
     
    years
     
    I
     
    have
     
    lived
     
    in
     
    my
     
    residence,
     
    the
     
    noise
     
    has
     
    increased
     
    in
     
    volume,
     
    the
     
    nature
     
    of
     
    the
     
    noise
     
    has
     
    gotten
     
    worse
     
    and
     
    more
     
    invasive,
     
    and
     
    the
     
    frequency
     
    that
     
    we
     
    are
     
    subjected
     
    to
     
    this
     
    noise
     
    has
     
    also
     
    increased.
      
    There
     
    have
     
    been
     
    attempts
     
    in
     
    the
     
    past,
     
    before
     
    my
     
    residency
     
    in
     
    the
     
    area,
     
    where
     
    residents
     
    have
     
    attempted
     
    to
     
    speak
     
    directly
     
    with
     
    the
     
    management
     
    of
     
    AMFI,
     
    and
     
    met
     
    very
     
    rude
     
    and
     
    dismissive
     
    response
     
    (please
     
    note,
     
    I
     
    have
     
    also
     
    encountered
     
    the
     
    same
     
    and
     
    have
     
    this
     
    documented).
      
    This
     
    is
     
    not
     
    a
     
    new
     
    issue,
     
    we
     
    have
     
    simply
     
    found
     
    the
     
    proper
     
    channel
     
    to
     
    deal
     
    with
     
    it.
     
    In
     
    regards
     
    to
     
    their
     
    statement
     
    of
     
    lack
     
    of
     
    proof,
      
    I
     
    was
     
    directed
     
    by
     
    the
     
    ILPCB
     
    office
     
    staff,
     
    that
     
    upon
     
    filing,
     
    my
     
    proof
     
    need
     
    not
     
    be
     
    submitted.
     
    Electronic Filing, Received, Clerk's Office, September 5, 2007

     
    I
     
    have
     
    the
     
    following:
     
    A
     
    formal
     
    statement
     
    from
     
    Greg
     
    Zak,
     
    noise
     
    consultant,
     
    who
     
    had
     
    directed
     
    myself
     
    in
     
    taking
     
    detailed
     
    video
     
    evidence
     
    and
     
    noise
     
    readings
     
    from
     
    a
     
    calibrated
     
    meter,
     
    that
     
    strongly
     
    suggest
     
    that
     
    AMFI
     
    violates
     
    state
     
    limits
     
    in
     
    regards
     
    to
     
    noise
     
    levels.
      
    Control
     
    measurements
     
    were
     
    made
     
    and
     
    recorded
     
    on
     
    video
     
    that
     
    show
     
    the
     
    ambient
     
    noise
     
    level
     
    is
     
    below
     
    the
     
    50DBA
     
    levels
     
    prior
     
    to
     
    the
     
    factory
     
    beginning
     
    its
     
    nightly
     
    operations.
      
    The
     
    video
     
    also
     
    shows
     
    the
     
    change
     
    as
     
    the
     
    factory
     
    starts
     
    (10
     
    pm
     
    nightly),
     
    and
     
    progresses
     
    to
     
    get
     
    to
     
    a
     
    level
     
    sustained
     
    above
     
    55DBA
     
    (which
     
    would
     
    suggest
     
    a
     
    strong
     
    nuisance
     
    from
     
    this
     
    noise).
      
    The
     
    video
     
    also
     
    allows
     
    one
     
    to
     
    observe
     
    the
     
    nature
     
    and
     
    quality
     
    of
     
    the
     
    noise.
      
    This
     
    includes
     
    the
     
    “pops”
     
    and
     
    train/plane
     
    sounds.
      
    The
     
    letter
     
    from
     
    Mr.
     
    Zak
     
    is
     
    part
     
    of
     
    the
     
    evidence,
     
    as
     
    are
     
    the
     
    series
     
    of
     
    videos
     
    (several
     
    hours
     
    worth
     
    of
     
    recording
     
    over
     
    a
     
    period
     
    of
     
    two
     
    weeks
     
    in
     
    May).
      
    It
     
    is
     
    also
     
    easy
     
    to
     
    produce
     
    more
     
    video
     
    evidence,
     
    as
     
    this
     
    occurs
     
    on
     
    a
     
    nightly
     
    basis,
     
    should
     
    that
     
    be
     
    required.
      
    There
     
    is
     
    also
     
    day
     
    time
     
    footage
      
    that
     
    shows
     
    the
     
    distance,
     
    through
     
    the
     
    wetlands
     
    and
     
    tracks,
     
    to
     
    the
     
    back
     
    of
     
    the
     
    facility
     
    and
     
    illustrates
     
    the
     
    factory
     
    in
     
    operation
     
    during
     
    daytime
     
    running
     
    (which
     
    is
     
    also
     
    a
     
    problem,
     
    but
     
    not
     
    as
     
    great),
     
    this
     
    shows
     
    that
     
    this
     
    noise
     
    does
     
    indeed
     
    come
     
    from
     
    AMFI’s
     
    facility
     
    on
     
    Nagel
     
    Ct.
     
    I
     
    have
     
    begun
     
    to
     
    journal
     
    the
     
    noise
     
    in
     
    a
     
    log.
      
    This
     
    log
     
    states
     
    any
     
    changes
     
    or
     
    disruptions
     
    in
     
    my
     
    home
     
    from
     
    the
     
    noise.
       
    Mainly
     
    documenting
     
    the
     
    quality
     
    of
     
    the
     
    noise,
     
    and
     
    if
     
    it
     
    has
     
    caused
     
    any
     
    members
     
    of
     
    the
     
    house
     
    to
     
    wake
     
    from
     
    sleep.
      
    Please
     
    understand,
     
    with
     
    the
     
    doors
     
    and
     
    windows
     
    shut,
     
    we
     
    clearly
     
    hear
     
    this
     
    noise
     
    and
     
    can
     
    not
     
    abate
     
    it.
     
    I
     
    have
     
    a
     
    series
     
    of
     
    police
     
    reports
     
    that
     
    also
     
    validate
     
    the
     
    readings,
     
    suggesting
     
    again
     
    that
     
    this
     
    is
     
    a
     
    strong
     
    noise
     
    nuisance,
     
    and
     
    also
     
    documents
     
    the
     
    position
     
    of
     
    the
     
    readings.
      
    This
     
    encompasses
     
    nearly
     
    a
     
    year
     
    of
     
    calls
     
    to
     
    the
     
    Lake
     
    County
     
    sheriff,
     
    as
     
    we
     
    in
     
    this
     
    neighborhood
     
    did
     
    not
     
    know
     
    whom
     
    could
     
    assist
     
    in
     
    stopping
     
    this
     
    pollution.
     
    I
     
    also
     
    have
     
    a
     
    petition
     
    to
     
    the
     
    village
     
    of
     
    Green
     
    Oaks,
     
    asking
     
    them
     
    to
     
    enforce
     
    their
     
    noise
     
    ordinance
     
    (which
     
    they
     
    did
     
    not
     
    due
     
    to
     
    unknown
     
    reason)
     
    from
     
    Jan.
     
    of
     
    2006.
      
    This
     
    is
     
    signed
     
    by
     
    40+
     
    of
     
    my
     
    neighbors.
     
    I
     
    have
     
    detailed
     
    satellite
     
    maps,
     
    readily
     
    available
     
    from
     
    Google
     
    Earth
     
    to
     
    show
     
    the
     
    proximity
     
    of
     
    the
     
    factory,
     
    the
     
    tracks,
     
    the
     
    wetlands,
     
    and
     
    our
     
    homes.
     
     
    I
     
    ask
     
    that
     
    the
     
    board
     
    consider
     
    this
     
    case,
     
    for
     
    the
     
    well
     
    being
     
    of
     
    my
     
    family
     
    and
     
    the
     
    families
     
    that
     
    are
     
    effected
     
    by
     
    this
     
    noise
     
    nuisance.
      
    I
     
    ask
     
    for
     
    your
     
    intercession
     
    either
     
    by
     
    cease
     
    and
     
    assist,
     
    fines,
     
    or
     
    some
     
    other
     
    course
     
    of
     
    action
     
    that
     
    the
     
    board
     
    can
     
    take.
      
    This
     
    case
     
    is
     
    neither
     
    frivolous
     
    nor
     
    duplicitous
     
    in
     
    nature.
      
    I
     
    am
     
    looking
     
    forward
     
    to
     
    having
     
    the
     
    evidence
     
    seen
     
    by
     
    the
     
    board.
      
    We
     
    have
     
    suffered
     
    through
     
    another
     
    hot
     
    summer,
     
    un
     
    able
     
    to
     
    open
     
    our
     
    windows
     
    at
     
    night,
     
    entertain
     
    on
     
    our
     
    properties
     
    as
     
    we
     
    see
     
    fit,
     
    and
     
    often
     
    have
     
    a
     
    peaceful
     
    nights
     
    rest
     
    disrupted
     
    by
     
    the
     
    noise
     
    created
     
    by
     
    this
     
    factory.
      
    Again,
     
    we
     
    have
     
    no
     
    way
     
    to
     
    buffer,
     
    stop,
     
    or
     
    abate
     
    the
     
    noise
     
    ourselves
     
    and
     
    look
     
    to
     
    you,
      
    The
     
    Board,
     
    to
     
    enforce
     
    our
     
    right
     
    to
     
    peace,
     
    quite,
     
    and
     
    use
     
    of
     
    our
     
    property
     
    as
     
    we
     
    deem
     
    fit.
     
    Electronic Filing, Received, Clerk's Office, September 5, 2007

     
    Kind
     
    Regards,
     
     
    Chad
     
    A.
     
    Gifford.
     
     
    Electronic Filing, Received, Clerk's Office, September 5, 2007

    Back to top