The Glen Ellyn Public Library might look OK from the outside, but on the inside, it is less than lovely.

“I’m dealing with building issues every day, and there’s usually something new that goes wrong with us on a regular basis,” Library Director Dawn Busse said. “The building was not constructed as well as it could have been, and we need to fix it.”

Last month, Busse asked the village’s Board of Trustees to approve a property tax increase and issue $3 million in bonds to cover projected costs of library building repairs. Busse requested that the village increase property taxes by 3 cents per $100 of a home’s assessed value, which would bring an estimated $445,000 to pay for operating capital.

E.W. Corrigan Construction Co. built the library in 1995. According to the library’s Web site, total construction cost $6.9 million. Busse said E.W. Corrigan was chosen through an open bidding process.

The roof leaks and has improper ventilation, water has infiltrated exterior walls and windows, and the software used to control the building’s mechanical systems is outdated.

Photos posted on the library’s Web site show wood and drywall that has been damaged by water.
However, Busse said E.W. Corrigan is not solely to blame. She suspects the designs for the building, drawn by Cordogan, Clark & Associates Inc. of Chicago, may also have contributed to problems.

“There were things (missing from) the original drawings,” she said. She pointed out that, for example, the windows in the turret area had no flashings to prevent water from leaking into the building.

Busse said that when she first began with the library in 2007, she approached the architects with concerns about their work. She said the architects offered to complete new drawings to guide the library during reconstruction. The library board turned them down.

Asked if the board was wary of working with the same company twice, Busse said, “You tell me.”
Responding to the allegation that the drawings had mistakes, John Clark of Cordogan, Clark & Associates said it was the first he had ever heard of it.

“I had heard of issues with (the way things were installed in the original construction), maintenance and repairs, but not with the original drawings,” Clark said. “I don’t believe there are problems with the original drawings.”

He said that in response to some maintenance issues, the architectural firm did offer to help with construction and repairs, but he personally never heard back from the library. In a later conversation, Clark said someone from the library board might have contacted someone else at the firm.

Both Clark and Busse said E.W. Corrigan is no longer in business. A phone number listed for the company has been disconnected and attempts to contact the company’s owners were unsuccessful.

In 1999, the village of Carol Stream filed a lawsuit against E.W. Corrigan, claiming the company installed a gasket backwards during construction of a fountain. The case was dismissed with prejudice.

However, the Glen Ellyn library board will not sue for damages.

“It’s past the statute of limitation,” Busse said. “That’s what we’ve been advised by our council.”
Busse said problems with the building revealed themselves just after the building was constructed.

“The thought is that (a lawsuit is) not a practical thing to do at this time,” she said.

In 1993, voters approved issuing bonds to get the library built. Busse said to ensure the job is done correctly the second time around, the library has brought on Building Technology

Consultants, a firm that creates drawings and oversees the work of contractors and sub-contractors.

“We’re confident that they are very good at what they do so we won’t have the same kinds of issues,” Busse said.

To the untrained eye, the building might appear to be fine.

“So many of the problems, you really can’t see,” said Busse.