Restitution ordered for Spokane House Hotel renovation that exposed the public to asbestos

The owners of a company will have to pay $115,000 in restitution for exposing the public to asbestos-laden debris while remodeling the former Spokane House Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.

Dayabir Bath and Gee Grewal own 2013 Investors LLC, based in Kent, Wash. They pleaded guilty to multiple violations of the Washington Clean Air Act in Spokane County Superior Court Thursday and also have to complete two years of probation, according to a news release from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.

The hotel renovation took place in 2013 and 2014. Twice employees of the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency happened to drive past the site and saw piles of debris sitting out in the open. One of the piles had visible asbestos and sat exposed for months, including during a major windstorm that would have spread the asbestos fibers throughout the neighborhood, the news release said.

The company did not obtain required permits and didn’t have the training or equipment to deal with asbestos, the news release said. An employee of the company, John Hickson, previously pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Clean Air Act and was sentenced to 60 days in jail.

The majority of the restitution will be paid by Bath and the company, while Grewal will pay $25,000. The money will be used for asbestos education, awareness and training.