Feed producer, Mount Prospect reach interim deal on odor monitoring; parties head for trial

Mount Prospect and an animal feed producer that has sparked complaints from neighbors about noxious odors have reached a “confidential interim agreement” covering the manufacturer’s hours of operation and odor monitoring.

Details of the confidential agreement were summarized in a joint statement on Tuesday from the village, the manufacturer at 431 Lakeview Court and the City of Des Plaines, which is a party to the litigation.

Under the agreement, Prestige agreed to random odor testing. If odors exceed certain monitoring standards, Prestige will temporarily halt its operations on the following shift.

The agreement also limits Prestige to operating its production equipment to between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily. A 5:30 p.m. warmup period for the equipment with no product running is allowed before the shift, while a cooldown period ending at 6:30 a.m. is also allowed.

Prestige is suing Mount Prospect to prevent the village from shutting the plant down. This agreement resolves some issues while the lawsuit winds through the system.

The statement called the agreement “an attempt to temporarily protect all parties’ interests in advance of a trial on the merits of the lawsuit.”

It does not, it continued, constitute a “settlement, waiver or admission of any claim.”

The agreement includes a commitment to a March 2025 trial date “or as soon thereafter as the law division judge assigned to the lawsuit provides.”