All but two of the now repaired 34 Katrina cottages at the Fields Subdivision on Sixth Avenue in Lake Charles had “subflooring
and insulation issues,” according to an audit released Monday.
The report by Legislative Auditor Daryl
Purpera’s office reviews the $75 million Alternative Housing Pilot
Program and the
461 cottages built at 12 sites in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and
Lake Charles. Habitat for Humanity, Calcasieu Area Inc. and
Project Build a Future were partners in the Lake Charles project
that also included 35 cottages at lots scattered throughout
Lake Charles. Those units had no reported issues.
The American Press
reported in 2011 that “open-cell spray foam insulation trapped moisture
from underneath the units in the flooring.” Nicole
Miller, executive director of Project Build a Future, said
condensation from the metal frames caused more problems at Fields
Subdivision.
Miller said her company and Habitat for
Humanity filed suit in 2010 against Cypress Realty Partners, the
project’s developer,
and other subcontractors, including the architect, Looney
Ricks/Kiss/LRK. She said the parties reached an undisclosed settlement
in December 2011, and the money was used to pay for floor
replacement, mold remediation and new “rigid foam” insulation.
“As a taxpayer, what was most disheartening was trying to make right what should’ve been made right before,” she said. “Cypress
didn’t do its due diligence to make sure the homes were properly constructed. The insulation was a change order after the
fact.”
About 12 units were occupied during the
repairs, and those occupants were moved to vacant houses that were
already repaired,
Miller said. She said all 34 units were repaired, and all 69 units
are occupied. The other 35 cottages are being managed by
Habitat for Humanity.
Despite the setback, Miller said the extra time helped provide adequate housing for people who could not afford them.
“We worked with them throughout those years to improve their credit,” she said. “Were it not for this giant faux pas, we may
not have gotten there. There’s always a rainbow at the end of a storm.”
According to the report, construction on the Fields Subdivision cottages began in April 2009 and finished in December 2009.
Work on the cottages at scattered sites started in September 2009 and finished as late as January 2011.
The total square footage cost for the 69 cottages was $10.2 million. Each cottage cost an average of $148,059.