Carol Stream, condo association reach deal to fix more than 100 code violations
A Carol Stream condo association must fix more than 100 code violations at its complex just west of Gary Avenue under a draft court order that would settle a long-running legal dispute with the village.
The consent degree is expected to come before a DuPage County judge Thursday. The Carolshire Condominium Association has signed the agreement, and the village board followed suit this week.
The group charged with the maintenance and day-to-day operations of the 216-unit complex along Elk Trail would have to fix a majority of the 117 remaining code violations this year and provide monthly updates to the village about what repairs have been completed.
The association also must reconstruct the parking lot and replace building canopies over the next three years.
If the judge formally issues the consent decree, the association would be required to pay the village's $69,579 in legal fees. The payments would be made over three years, with the first $20,000 due May 30.
The association would face a stiff penalty - a $3 million fine - if a judge determines it has failed to comply with the terms, meet the deadlines and make the fixes.
The village filed a lawsuit against the association in September 2013, claiming the group refused to address hundreds of needed repairs in common areas of the complex, spread out across nearly 20 three-story buildings.
Built in 1977 as apartments and later converted into condos, the complex had fallen under added scrutiny after the collapse of a canopy in August 2010. There were no reports of injuries at the time, but nearly two dozen families were temporarily evacuated.
A village structural engineer identified other canopies at risk of collapse and some structural supports for exterior balconies that were rotting, officials say. The association removed all of the complex's canopies after the village condemned the structures.
Then, in August 2012, a village-hired firm, T.P.I. Building Code Consultants, flagged 665 violations in exterior and interior common areas. The most hazardous infractions at the time included broken windows and doors, rotten landings, covered sprinkler heads, unsecure railings and hanging, low-voltage wires, the suit states.
The agreement would set a schedule for resolving the remaining violations. Some of the high-priority items on the list involve repairing exterior doors and replacing broken windows in commons areas. Other violations stem from sunken or cracked paths that could pose a tripping hazard.
By April 1, the association also would have to submit plans on reconstructing the parking lot. Before that project, the group would have to fill potholes in the lot.
Mark Reinbold, who has been listed in court documents as the condo association's attorney, did not immediately return a message seeking comment Wednesday.