Almost a year to the day after a court-ordered shutdown, renovations have apparently begun on the condemned Midwest Inn Motel on West Main Street.
Workers were at the site last Thursday, removing debris and setting the posts for a new second floor walkway. Owner Charlie Patel didn't say much about the work, only that he was hoping to convert the former extended-stay motel into apartments.
A reopening date has not been determined.
"The only thing (the owners) have discussed with us is putting the building back in service," said Zoning Administrator Doug Bishop, who is also the city's engineer on a consultant basis. "Apartments would be a possibility."
The site now known as the Midwest Inn Motel has a history. It was formerly the Hub Motel and a 1971 American Hotel Association directory lists Violet and Sessel Clark as owners and managers.
Going back further, a 1957 advertisement listed the owners as Cliff and Velma Varnum.
Bishop said Patel has secured the services of a professional engineer for the rehabilitation by the name of Patrick Nettemeyer. He noted himself, the city's structural engineer in Bill Lueking, and Nettemeyer have all looked over the building.
"The city is watching what's going on very closely," Bishop said. "Mr. Lueking is going to be checking the structural work on an as-needed basis to make sure the work being done over there is being done safely and to code."
Bishop said the hotel was condemned when it was discovered people were living there without electricity, heat or running water. The hotel was shut down on Feb. 8, 2017, with the city's police and fire departments working to relocate residents to other locations.
"It appears to me they're going to cooperate with the city and do (the rehabilitation) right," Bishop said. "The city's interest is making sure the building is safe for habitation from a structural standpoint and a code standpoint."
