COD, Glen Ellyn still at odds over building jurisdiction

College of DuPage officials met a village-imposed deadline Wednesday to submit certificates of compliance to Glen Ellyn for four new or renovated buildings they plan to open next month for classes.

But the ongoing dispute isn’t close to being over. The two sides are expected in DuPage County circuit court Thursday for a hearing on the village’s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent use of the four structures until they receive certificates of occupancy from the village.

The village and college are locked in a long-running dispute over who should have jurisdiction over building projects on the school’s Glen Ellyn campus.

Village board members this week imposed the Wednesday deadline for 16 interim certificates of compliance. The village also wants the college to submit final certificates when the buildings are ready to open, at which point Glen Ellyn would conduct its own inspections and likely issue occupancy permits.

COD already has submitted a final certificate for one of the buildings, the Berg Instructional Center, and a village inspection is scheduled for Friday, village attorney Stewart Diamond said.

A complete village inspection report for that building is expected to be complete by July 26, Diamond said.

The village sought compliance with the process in the absence of village-led inspections of the buildings. The college has maintained its peer review inspection process meets or exceeds village standards.

“By providing these certifications to the village, we believe we have demonstrated that we have constructed facilities that are, first and foremost, in consideration of the health and safety of students, staff and the community,” Tom Glaser, COD senior vice president for administration, said in a statement.

In a heated exchange during Monday’s village board meeting, Trustee Robert Friedberg asked COD attorney Ken Florey if the buildings were being occupied by others beside students. Florey wouldn’t answer.

“Mr. Florey was not willing to say the buildings wouldn’t be occupied by staff or other people and we feel for (their) safety,” Diamond said. “The buildings shouldn’t be occupied until there’s a certificate of occupancy.”

In his statement, COD’s Glaser said, “We sincerely hope the village will not attempt to prevent our students from using our state-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities.”