City moving along on work at McIlvaine home
St. Charles leaders have signed off on a $27,300 contract for a firm to install a conventional roof at the home of Cliff McIlvaine, who first began a home addition project in 1975.
Officials hope Absolute Construction and Roofing of St. Charles will complete the job by the next time the city and McIlvaine are due before a judge July 12.
“Our goal is to have the roof completed by the time we have to go to court for a status report (in front of the judge),” said Bob Van, the city's building and code enforcement division manager.
The city sued McIlvaine in late 2010, arguing he had refused to allow inspectors into his home in the 600 block of Prairie Street since he first was issued a permit.
The two sides eventually inked an agreement in which McIlvaine agreed to finish the project by September 2012, but he missed numerous deadlines leading up to that date, was found in contempt of court for refusing to connect to the city water supply, and spent two weeks in jail.
Upset with the lack of progress at the site, the city petitioned Judge David Akemann for permission to perform repairs and to bill McIlvaine. Akemann signed off on the city's request in early May 2013.
McIlvaine also is being fined $100 a day since last summer for every day the project is incomplete.
Vann said he hopes the roofer can begin work before the end of the month. Since Akemann granted the city permission to do the work, crews have buried a power cable and installed an exterior stairwell on the west side of McIlvaine's home, Vann said.
“The judge gave us the direction and we're taking it item by item to get this completed,” he said. “We're making progress.”
The city allowed McIlvaine to hire his own contractors to finish work on window sill, a garage door and soffits and fascia, Vann said.
A message left for McIlvaine was not returned. He previously said if the city installed a conventional roof atop his super-insulated home it would torpedo the entire design because energy would escape. He has said his home addition is for his late father's inventions and city memorabilia.
A message left at Absolute Construction was not returned.