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35-year construction job has October deadline

The ongoing dispute between St. Charles and Cliff McIlvaine, who the city says has had an ongoing construction project for more than 35 years, could come to an end by Oct. 5.

Attorneys have agreed on a schedule to complete work on an addition to McIlvaine’s home by then and are set to present it to Kane County Judge Robert Mueller next week.

“We wouldn’t set (the date) thinking we weren’t going to make it,” said McIlvaine’s attorney William Foote. “We want to get this done.”

The city sued McIlvaine in November 2010, arguing McIlvaine was issued construction permits in 1975 but never let the city inspect work done at his home in the 600 block of Prairie Street on the city’s near west side.

The permits expired after a year but the work was not completed and the city sued, saying McIlvaine’s project was an eyesore, a blight on the neighborhood and a public safety hazard.

A judge denied the city permission to search the inside of McIlvaine’s home for more possible code violations; the city threatened to take the case to trial and possibly fine McIlvaine $750 per day per violation going back to the 1970s if he didn’t finish his project.

The new schedule, which Foote said attorneys from both sides agreed on last month, has rough framing work on the two-story addition scheduled to wrap up by Feb. 13. The work will be done by the St. Charles-based Royal Builders, which has been hired by McIlvaine.

By May 29, plumbing, HVAC and electrical work will be done and the city will inspect the project then.

Windows and doors are slated for installation in early September with a final cleanup completed by Oct. 5.

Robert Funk, attorney for the city, could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

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