North Linn fined $6K for asbestos violations in school renovation

The North Linn Community School District has agreed to pay a $6,000 fine based on allegations staff violated state law on asbestos removal during a 2022 school renovation.

The district was renovating the middle school and high school building in Coggon in August 2022 when contractors found asbestos in the flooring materials of the school, built in 1967, according to an enforcement order released Thursday by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Asbestos was used in building materials because it is resistant to heat, but over time fibers break down and, when breathed in, can damage the lungs. Iowa law requires trained specialists to remove asbestos.

Tricon, a contractor working on the North Linn project, told a subcontractor not to disturb the asbestos flooring, but on Aug. 24, 2022, a worker was using a grinder on the flooring to prepare to install carpet, the order states.

On Aug. 25, 2022, Iowa DNR officials talked with then-North Linn Superintendent David Hoeger and said the school should be closed until a certified asbestos abatement decontaminated the area. School administrators did not commit to closing the building, the Iowa DNR alleged. Later, workers were asked to sign a waiver of liability to be in the building.

“There were people in the building when the fiber was released and people were allowed in the building after the fiber release,” the order states. “These violations threaten the integrity of the regulatory program because compliance with the asbestos regulations is required by all persons in this state.”

North Linn hired Iowa Environmental Property Solutions to do the decontamination, which was completed Aug. 28, 2022, the state agency reported.

The school district neither admitted nor denied the allegations, but “specifically denies” responsibility for the renovation project as it relates to these violations, the order states.

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