Judge orders non-profit to pay $60,000

CEDAR RAPIDS --A judge this week assessed a $60,000 civil penalty against Affordable Housing Network, Inc. for a number of asbestos-related violations that occurred during a 2009-2010 renovation of the Hawthorne Hills apartment complex.

In a petition filed Wednesday in Linn County District Court, Attorney General Thomas Miller claimed the Affordable Housing Network, a non-profit organization that owns the 202-apartment complex at 2262 C Street NW, conducted renovations in 2009 without taking the required precautions for asbestos.

Affordable Housing failed to inspect prior to renovation, failed to notify the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, failed to remove asbestos prior to activities that may have caused their release and mishandled the demolition waste containing asbestos during the renovation and at the time of disposal, according to the petition.

The renovations included the removal of about 60,000 square feet of asbestos-containing floor tile and 2,000 square feet of asbestos-containing linoleum flooring, according to the petition.

According to the judgment filed Wednesday, Affordable Housing admitted to the violations for settlement purposes only and stated the violations were unintentional.

In addition to the civil penalty assessed, Sixth Judicial District Senior Judge William Thomas permanently enjoined Affordable Housing Network from further violations of the asbestos-handling requirements.

Four Oaks acquired the Hawthorne Hills apartments when the previous non-profit that managed it went bankrupt. Affordable Housing Network was created to run the low-income housing complex and others as an affiliate of Four Oaks. Affordable Housing Network is also the fiscal agent for the Block By Block flood home repair program.