Glen Ellyn, COD to discuss building projects

Building inspectors from Glen Ellyn and the College of DuPage will huddle next week to review inspection reports for four new buildings on campus.

The meeting could lead to the village issuing certificates of occupancy for the buildings, which the college plans to open this fall. Village officials originally wanted to have the session this week.

The village has sought to talk to the college’s inspectors after reviewing their reports, which the college submitted earlier this month. Last week, the village board adopted a policy statement indicating the village’s willingness to waive permit and review fees and standard practices for the buildings under construction — unless officials found the inspectors or their reports to be inadequate.

The two sides have been sparring over jurisdictional issues since at least 2007. An intergovernmental agreement that would have represented a truce fell through in April.

Village building and zoning official Joe Kvapil wrote in a letter last week to the college that “a general walk through and face to face discussion” with architectural and consulting firms who reviewed the college’s buildings “may well solidify our final needs in closely examining the final process to consider a certificate of occupancy.”

Both sides say they are on board with the meeting. COD spokesman Joe Moore said college President Robert Breuder has offered to hold a meeting in which inspectors would “clarify all of the information provided, which clearly demonstrates we have met or exceeded all requirements for inspections of our buildings.”

While the college has argued that its architects and structural engineers are certified and buildings go through several levels of inspection, the village has maintained that process is not the same as village inspections.

Still, the village is working on an “alternate arrangement” to review inspectors’ reports and certificates of compliance that would certify construction rules were followed properly, village attorney Stewart Diamond said.

“If the village believes that is an adequate alternative to the normal process, the village board would consider giving a certificate of occupancy,” Diamond said.

But, he said, “in the absence of a reasonable process being worked out,” the village is willing to go to court to prevent the college’s four buildings from being occupied.