County and City Officials Say Asteri Building Remains Unsafe; Board of Health Fines Levied

County Chair (Shawna Black) convened an update after a vacate order at the Asteri building and invited the city and county public-health teams to report on living conditions and enforcement actions. Mayor Rob Quintalmo told the legislature he toured the property with management and described “an elevator that had no working lights,” damaged units and common areas that staff found to be unsanitary and unsafe. The mayor said management has not been responsive to follow-up inspections and that the county and city are coordinating with state partners to press for improvement or alternatives for long-term property management.

Whole Health and environmental health staff described repeated inspections that began May 1 and said the county levied a $40,000 fine tied to violations of a commissioner’s order; the team deferred an additional $9,000 penalty pending remediation and noted the board retains the discretionary authority to seek $2,000 per-violation-per-day penalties if violations persist. County staff said their inspections focused on solid-waste and biohazard conditions that rose to a public-health nuisance; they clarified that building and fire-code inspections are handled under different authorities, with the fire marshal able to act with broader autonomy. Multiple legislators pressed for more frequent inspections, clearer cost accounting for public responses, and stronger case management for residents; officials warned that legal options such as taking possession of the property would likely require eminent domain and be prohibitively expensive.