Hoffman Estates denies exemption for St. Hubert

The Hoffman Estates village board on Tuesday voted against granting St. Hubert Catholic School a special exemption for installing a fire sprinkler system, but the issue has yet to be extinguished.

Hoping to come up with language that would give St. Hubert an exemption without leaving the village open to a potential lawsuit, the board voted to bring the entire sprinkler ordinance up for discussion at an upcoming committee meeting, perhaps in May.

Village Attorney Art Janura said the exemption as written would be unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. He said the village must treat all similarly situated parties or individuals -- all private schools in this case -- the same way. If the village wants to give St. Hubert an exemption, it should rework the entire sprinkler ordinance.

St. Hubert officials had argued they couldn't afford the $569,000 to install the sprinklers by the village's 2010 deadline. Janura said if a fire were to injure a student, the village could be liable for failing to enforce a code that was applicable at another private school. Last week, the village gave preliminary approval to extend St. Hubert's deadline for sprinkler installation until 2020, needing a revote on Tuesday. The board established the 2010 deadline in 1996, and violators could be fined $750 per day.

Trustees Cary Collins and Gary Pilafas voted in favor of the exemption. Pilafas disagreed with Janura's conclusion that the exception was unconstitutional, saying the playing field for schools wasn't equal, as the sprinkler requirements for public schools are different. The village has no authority over public schools, like Conant and Hoffman Estates high schools, which have sprinkler systems.

The Rev. Robert Rizzo, St. Hubert pastor, said the board's actions leave school officials confused.

"We don't know how to proceed," he said.

Rizzo also said the school has other projects, like installing air conditioning, that would take a backseat until the village provides direction.

Rizzo said last week that school's 581 students can safety exit the school, as each classroom has its own exit outside of the school. The school was built in the early 1960s.

Trustee Karen Mills, a member of St. Hubert Catholic Church, said she had a problem with giving the school 10 extra years, citing increasing construction costs.

"It's not fair to the school because it will triple the cost of work that will be eventually need to be done," she said.