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Residents urge Glenview to press Navy for safer plan and alternate truck routes for landfill remediation
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Summary
Several Westgate residents told the Village Board they oppose the Navy's planned excavation and haul route for a former landfill and asked Glenview to demand a safer remediation method, an alternate (non-residential) truck route and independent oversight.
Dozens of residents pressed the Glenview Village Board on March 19 to push the U.S. Navy for clearer answers and safer controls around a planned remediation of a former Navy landfill.
John Sopoci, president of the Westgate Homeowners Association, told trustees the Navy's plan calls for digging up what the Navy describes as decades-old wastes and transporting them through neighborhood streets, with an estimated 20 to 30 truck trips per day for multiple weeks. He said neighbors received limited information at the Navy's open house and urged the village to press for an alternate route through nonresidential property to avoid hauling contaminated material past homes and schools.
Ben Gerstman, a Glenview resident of more than 30 years, said Navy outreach has been "very sketchy," that Navy reports are incomplete and that the rush to perform excavation this spring has increased community anxiety. He told the board that missing pages in older studies and unanswered questions at the open house left neighbors unconvinced of the Navy's plan.
Ryan Foley, whose house sits on an anticipated truck route, urged stronger action: "No residential truck route," he said, calling on trustees to push the Navy to fully examine less disruptive alternatives such as capping and to demand the safest possible excavation protocols if removal proceeds.
Technical-minded residents asked for specifics the Navy has not publicly provided: the identity of the environmental consultant, the written work plan, dust-control measures, who will perform air monitoring, truck‑tire cleaning and street‑sweeping protocols, tarping requirements and an on-site environmental observer. Architect and developer Kevin Dybala listed mitigation measures he said the village should insist on, including gravel haul roads, tire‑wash stations at gates and regular street cleaning.
President Michael Jenney responded that the village lacks regulatory authority over the federal cleanup but said the village has pressured the Navy for better outreach and invited residents to funnel concerns through village channels. He said the village would contact relevant federal and congressional offices and would explore hiring an independent third-party firm to monitor the cleanup on Glenview's behalf.
The board did not take formal action on the remediation during the meeting; residents asked the board to pursue alternatives and to insist the Navy avoid residential truck routes if excavation proceeds.
