Signs of immaturity in Glen Ellyn

We took a tour recently to check out the efforts the College of DuPage is making to beautify its sprawling campus in Glen Ellyn and came away impressed with the gleaming building projects underway, the parklike landscaping and, yes, even the now-infamous signs.

There's a long way to go before COD's refurbishing project is complete, of course, but it's clear in contrasting old and new that it's going to mean a tremendous improvement, one that will enhance the educational atmosphere at the college but also one that will be good for the stylish suburb in which it's situated.

Glen Ellyn is a beautiful community. When its refurbishing is complete, COD will be a beautiful campus.

What then, is all the blustery fuss about?

For those fortunate enough not to have been exposed to the childish warring between municipality and community college, let us provide a summary: The two sides have been fighting angrily throughout the summer over sidewalks that don't appear to be needed, trees that are being replaced by more impressive ones and new signs that don't appear to be any more obtrusive than the old ones.

For now, at least, the sidewalk and the tree disputes seem to have been resolved, but the fight over the signs seems to be headed toward a long court battle.

An expensive court battle, we might add, that is being funded and will continue to be funded by taxpayers' money on both sides.

Yikes, can't anyone here start behaving like an adult?

Is this any way to spend tax money in the midst of a recession when municipal revenues are down and student population has declined? Is it any way to spend tax money when the taxpayers themselves are having a particularly hard time coming up with the payments?

In the end, it seems to be an ugly, needless turf war - nothing more, nothing less.

Instead of embracing COD as the magnificent asset to the community that it is - and working in a spirit of harmony and collaboration - Glen Ellyn municipal officials seem to want to bully and dictate, almost arbitrarily.

COD, for its part, claims it doesn't have to follow Glen Ellyn's rules and as a state-funded institution has only to pay heed to the state of Illinois and the Illinois Community College Board.

Please, this is ridiculous.

These two government institutions should be working together.

Let's end the court nonsense now, drop the lawsuits and nullify the citations.

Let's lock the two sides together in a room with a commitment to achieve a fair and happy resolution, one that works for both sides.

Let's stop the bickering. And above all, let's stop wasting the taxpayers' money.