Aug. 26--A bold paint job and the smell of dog feces at a Glen Ellyn house have prompted complaints from neighbors who say they are unable to enjoy the outdoors because of the situation.
The DuPage County Health Department ordered Terry Berndt of Glen Ellyn to clean up property in the 400 block of Longfellow Avenue, according to county records. Under the health department's Aug. 5 notice of violation, Berndt has until the end of the month to clean up the yard.
"We're just looking for a resolution for this," said neighbor Patty Amabile. "We've all worked very hard on our homes, and we just want to have a nice neighborhood and not see our property values go down."
Last month, in response to complaints from neighbors, Glen Ellyn officials visited the home and cited an adult resident for having four pet dogs when the village code allows no more than three. Julie Dombrowski, 55, was cited for exceeding the maximum number of pets, according to Glen Ellyn Police reports.
After the citation, one side of the house was painted orange, yellow and purple, neighbors said.
Two people contacted at the house declined to to interviewed about the situation.
"It's a challenging and emotional issue, and we sympathize," said Glen Ellyn assistant village manager Al Stonitsch. "But we don't have a regulatory tool to enforce paint color on a private residence. You would hope that folks could resolve things in a different way."
The county's Environmental Health Services department received a complaint about the property on July 31, conducted an inspection that same day and issued the notice of violation.
"They were given one month to clean up the property," said DuPage County Health Department spokesperson Stephanie Calvillo. "We will be following up to check on that compliance."
Neighbors say the smell of dog feces coming from the yard is strong enough that they must keep their windows closed and stay indoors.
But some residents are hopeful that a solution can be found without branding anyone as the bad guy.
"Maybe the attention that this situation has drawn can be a catalyst toward a solution," said neighbor Leigh Van Heule. "I'm hoping this can encourage everybody to be good neighbors, and I really hope we can make some progress."
triblocaltips@tribune.com
