Residents protest as Mount Prospect, feed producer near settlement

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the employment of Joey and Ryan Cassady.

Fed up with odors from a Mount Prospect animal feed company, Prestige Feed Products’ neighbors descended upon the site this week to protest.

Meanwhile, the village of Mount Prospect are back in court to discuss terms of a settlement to the litigation it’s been locked in with Prestige since last year.

New village attorney Isaiah Fishman told Cook County Circuit Judge Clare Quish last week the two sides have made “substantial progress” on an interim agreement.

While that is ongoing, the feed producer continues to operate at 431 N. Lakeview Court, to the frustration of neighbors, especially in Des Plaines’ Longford Glen subdivision.

The residents trekked to the street near the plant carrying signs Tuesday to vent their anger. About two dozen people chanted, “Stop the stink.”

Becky Pfisterer, who lives in the Craig Manor subdivision in Des Plaines, said the “burnt cheese” odor from the plant has been worse than ever over the past six months, even when its operations have been limited to nighttime hours.

“We still can’t enjoy our backyards at night. We can’t enjoy our fire pits. We can’t sleep with our windows open,” Pfisterer said. “And the smell lingers. We will smell it when we wake up in the morning. And if you leave your windows open, good luck getting the smell out of your house.”

Residents recently raised questions about the employment of Mount Prospect Village Manager Michael Cassady’s sons by the construction management firm Nicholas & Associates. Court documents have named the firm’s president, Nick Papanicholas Jr., as the landlord’s representative.

Under the lease, Prestige pays approximately $300,000 annually until it expires in 2029, according to legal documents.

When asked about their employment, Cassady said his son, Joey, was hired in February 2017 as an assistant superintendent for Nicholas & Associates.

“I disclosed that to our board at the time just to be transparent,” he said.

His said his other son, Ryan, did an internship with a Nicholas & Associates company, Wingspan Development Group. He said there is no connection between Prestige’s approval and their employment.

“I’ve seen the social media traffic. I think it’s really disgusting,” Cassady said.

In court documents filed by Prestige, the feed producer maintains that Nicholas & Associates, Inc., on behalf of Prestige, submitted all the necessary building and construction permit applications and supporting materials prior to the business opening.

It cites a Feb. 21, 2018 email to Nick Papanicholas Jr., in which Cassady congratulated Papanicholas on “landing Prestige Cheese for 431 Lakeview. That use fits into our light manufacturing zoning classification in the I-1. We look forward to working with you on this project!”

But Cassady this week said material originally submitted for the business license and permits was “pretty evasive.”

“We’re in a legal process where we can’t shut them down,” he added.