About 70 Glenview residents, most of whom live in The Glen, pack a meeting room at the Glenview Park Center for an open house about a planned remediation of the former Navy landfill and burn pit off Buccaneer Drive. (Tom Robb/Journal photo)
Approximately 70 residents gathered at the Glenview Park Center on Tuesday (March 3) to question Navy officials regarding the planned cleanup of a former burn pit and landfill at the site of the decommissioned Naval Air Station Glenview (NASG).
The 2.2-acre area, known as Site 26, is located off Buccaneer Drive in The Glen residential development. Navy officials, joined by state environmental and natural resource representatives, detailed a three-phase plan to remove contaminated soil and return the fenced-off land to green space.
The site operated as a disposal and burn area during the 1950s and 1960s, containing household refuse, construction debris, and solvents. A 2005 assessment identified the presence of benzo(a)pyrene, a carcinogen, in the soil.
While Navy officials emphasized the site currently presents no danger to the public, they stated the remediation is necessary now because project funding has been appropriated.
Navy spokesman Matt Mogle outlined a three-phase schedule for the project. Phase one in April will require six weeks of equipment setup. Phase two (late May/June) calls for 10 weeks of heavy excavation and soil removal, pending weather conditions. In phase three, a final four-week period will wrap up the project.
Work will be restricted to weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to minimize traffic disruptions.
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The project will involve approximately 750 covered trucks hauling an estimated 15,000 tons of waste to an off-site landfill. Residents expressed concerns about the truck routes through narrow residential streets and the potential for contaminated dust to escape during transport.
To mitigate these risks, officials stated they will use water to dampen the soil, utilize air monitors to track contaminants, and add asphalt to containment zones to prevent soil from tracking onto public roads. Operations will be halted if air monitors detect unsafe levels of contaminants.
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) said in an email that her team is working with local and federal partners to ensure minimal community disruption.
“I also encourage the Navy to take the suggestions, comments, and concerns raised by residents seriously,” Schakowsky said, noting the importance of protecting local infrastructure from damage caused by heavy truck activity.
Despite the detailed presentation, officials at the meeting could not provide a current total cost for the project or identify the specific congressional appropriations bill that authorized the spending.
The Navy’s 2.2-acre “Site 26” as seen through a fence in the 900 block of Buccaneer Drive, Glenview. (Tom Robb/Journal photo)
The proposed truck route would bring vehicles in via Shermer Road to Coral Lane and 1st Street, looping through Buccaneer Drive. While residents suggested an alternative route to pass fewer homes, Navy officials argued the current plan is necessary to prevent large trucks from passing each other on narrow streets.
“My team and I are working closely with the village of Glenview, the Navy, and our federal and state partners to ensure this project is completed with as little disruption to the community as possible,” Schakowsky said.
Site 26 located fenced-off behind a basketball court in the 900 block of Buccaneer Drive in Glenview. (Tom Robb/Journal photo)
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