A central Iowa resort with an extended historical past of well being and fireplace questions of safety has been cited for greater than a dozen violations associated to unsanitary circumstances, rodents, cockroaches, human waste and fireplace security.
State data point out that on March 7, inspectors from the Iowa Division of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing, in addition to the Colfax police chief and a consultant of DIAL’s Hearth Security Bureau, visited the two-story, 63-unit Colfax Inn close to Interstate 80.
DIAL officers inspected 47 of the 63 visitor rooms and, in response to their report, the resort’s supervisor “indicated that he had no technique to unlock” a number of of the rooms. The supervisor additionally indicated that 9 of the visitor rooms “had been closed and never accessible to lease primarily based off numerous elements,” DIAL officers said of their report.
The Colfax Inn.
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Of the visitor rooms that had been inspected, DIAL officers reported “sturdy, foul odors” in 11 of the rooms that contained tenant’s belongings “and had been in gross, unsanitary circumstances.”
The 11 rooms had been described by inspectors as having “an extra of trash, empty meals cans, open packing containers and luggage with uncovered meals, unwashed eating ware, private gadgets all through the room and loo, numerous forms of cooking tools, stains and holes on carpets and partitions, unsanitary beds, unsanitary bogs and bogs with gathered feces.”
The door locks weren’t purposeful in seven rooms and home windows in six rooms had been described as damaged or cracked. The world the place the pool, spa and gymnasium are situated had been “deserted,” inspectors mentioned, with an extra of “unusable tools” and development supplies littering the environment. The world was closed off from company, though there have been no working locks to safe the world, inspectors reported.
Glue traps and pest-control gadgets had been seen within the hallways and there was proof of water-damaged ceiling tile exterior of 1 room. Hallway wallpaper was reported to be torn and there was a “foul odor” all through the second-floor hallway, the inspectors mentioned.
Ceilings and unspecified “electrical tools” within the pool space had been reported to be broken and never maintained. A part of the ceiling was lacking within the mechanical room close to the pool, exposing what inspectors referred to as the “progress of a mold-like substance” within the rafters.
“There may be an abundance of meals and non-food-related rubbish in a number of rooms,” the inspectors reported. “Trash has gathered in these rooms, creating an unsanitary situation with the proliferation of pests … Proof of flies, cockroaches and mice are current in rooms 107, 114, 119, 120, 121, 125, 222, 228, 229, and 234.”
Some rooms had been outfitted with mattress comforters that confirmed indicators of burns, and the lavatory flooring of a number of rooms had been cracked or left in disrepair. One toilet tub was described as “not maintained clear,” the bathroom seat in one other room was cracked and damaged, and there was a “buildup of a mold-like substance alongside the lavatory flooring” of one other room.
Extra points had been famous with lighting, a nonfunctioning elevator, toilet fixtures, water strain and proof of smoking happening in non-smoking rooms.
State data point out the go to was in response to a non-illness grievance of an unspecified nature. The data additionally point out DIAL’s Hearth Security Bureau “noticed violations of the Hearth Security Code in the course of the inspection,” however these violations should not detailed in DIAL’s printed report.
Twelve rooms had been designated unsanitary, with inspectors noting that they contained “extra meals, human refuse, sturdy foul odors, and bogs stained with fecal matter.” As well as, unwashed dishes and cooking utensils had been present in toilet sinks and tubs.
The DIAL inspectors’ report signifies a follow-up go to is to be accomplished on or after April 3.
Lodge has historical past of recurring violations
State data present that most of the issues cited by inspectors this month additionally had been cited by DIAL inspectors in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
In Might 2022, DIAL rejected the resort’s license utility after a pre-opening inspection revealed quite a few violations. Just a few weeks later, nevertheless, DIAL authorized the license, noting that repairs and enhancements had been nonetheless in progress in rooms not but authorized for occupancy.
Extra violations had been discovered throughout inspections in September, October, November and December 2022, in addition to June 2023. Through the September 2023 inspection, DIAL concluded the enterprise was additionally working as extra of an condominium constructing than a resort, with some company having stayed there for six months whereas receiving their mail on the resort.
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At the moment, DIAL inspectors additionally famous a proliferation of pests, together with mattress bugs, flies and mice. There additionally was fecal matter that signaled the presence of bigger animals within the constructing, inspectors mentioned. The state fireplace marshal’s workplace discovered a number of fireplace security violations. together with a scarcity of smoke alarms in a number of visitor rooms.
In December 2023, extra violations had been cited, together with mould, peeling wallpaper and a “sturdy, foul odor” within the constructing. Mattresses and bedding had been described as closely stained and broken.
In April 2024, DIAL suspended the resort’s license. Three months later, in July 2024, state inspectors and town’s police chief revisited the resort and concluded that regardless of the dearth of a license it was nonetheless open and doing enterprise as a resort. The county then took the resort’s homeowners to civil court docket for working with no license, however the matter was dropped a number of weeks later when DIAL indicated the resort was again in compliance.
DIAL data present that in August 2024, a preopening inspection resulted in citations for points with a jacuzzi tub, rodent droppings, the air con and heating unit, and the dearth of air flow in 15 rooms. However per week later, DIAL authorized the resort for licensing, saying the resort administration had “submitted documentation” to the company, together with photographs, that verified the issues there had been corrected.
Police chief says there isn’t any investigation
Jasper County data point out the resort was foreclosed in 2010 and bought one yr later by the Nana Corp. Final yr, it was offered on contract to an organization referred to as Vairt Inc. of Pennsylvania.
On the time of the state’s August 2024 inspection, Jamil Ahmed Sukhera of Vairt Inc. was listed in state data because the individual in cost on the resort. On the time of the March 7, 2025, go to, Dylon Turner was listed because the individual in cost.
A person who recognized himself solely because the resort’s supervisor mentioned Friday that the employees is working to convey the resort into full compliance with all fireplace and well being rules and has bought fireplace extinguishers and made repairs to electrical programs.
When requested in regards to the March 7 inspection of the resort that he participated in, Colfax Police Chief Jeremy Burdess supplied a written assertion to the Iowa Capital Dispatch that mentioned, “The Metropolis of Colfax and relevant state companies should not engaged in any investigation — moderately simply guaranteeing that the enterprise is following all relevant metropolis codes and state legal guidelines that pertain to a resort/motel.”
One Colfax Metropolis Council member, Karla Jones, declined to touch upon the state of affairs apart from to say it was thought-about a “very critical” matter by town. “It’s a critical concern and so I’m not going to offer you any particulars,” Jones mentioned. “In the event you’re a reporter and that is going to be public information, I’m not the individual to talk.”
Discover this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is a part of States Newsroom, a community of stories bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
This text initially appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa inspection finds Colfax hotel rife with violations
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