121 Motel closed for health violations
May 8—HENDERSON — An awning that fell at 121 Motel back on April 22 led inspectors to find multiple health and fire violations. The city closed the hotel on Tuesday and cut off power at around noon.
The main concern was around the structural stability of the building, Henderson Fire Chief Tim Twisdale told the Dispatch.
On the interior, there's mold growing on the walls, bed bug infestations and visible electrical wiring.
Rust and grimy windows are visible from the outside. A separate building, used for storage of some kind, is in rougher shape — some of the doors lie off their hinges.
In the leadup to the closure of the hotel on Tuesday, the city learned that the 150 or so residents had no clue they were being displaced — the owner or manager of the property never communicated that fact to the residents, the press release from the city said.
The state Emergency Management and the NCDHHS opened a shelter at the old Eaton Johnson Gym at 500 North Beckford on Tuesday. More than 100 people checked in.
Baptists on Mission came out with showers and laundry machines, meals and a generator for the residents, who were brought to Wal-Mart to purchase some essentials.
"Henderson Mayor Melissa Elliott wants to share thanks to the community for 'the acts of kindness and the resiliency of this community to answer the call to help our families in need,' " the press release from the city reads.
It'll remain open for the next week. In the meantime, the plan is to re-house those impacted.
The owner of the property is Fortune Hospitality LLC out of Gastonia. Fortune purchased the property in 2021 from Carolina Sun Hospitality in Raleigh for $1.47 million. According to opencorporate.com, some 33 LLCs also share that address, 2417 East Ozark Avenue, Gastonia, North Carolina.
Srini Potluri is the name of the owner, according to the Henderson motel's general manager, Saleem Zafar.
The plan is to "remodel the property" quickly, said Zafar. He declined to comment further but answered a couple more questions.
"We love our people," he said, "they have been very cooperative."
Some of the residents who have been displaced might be able to move back in once those remodels are complete, said Zafar, if they can afford to do so.
The motel's next steps include finding an architect and an engineer. From there, they'll decide whether to remodel or tear the place down, said Twisdale.
Generally, if no one reports issues like these, it's easy for them to fly under the radar, said Twisdale.
The property manager had made some effort to renovate the rooms at the motel, according to the fire chief, but not enough to prevent its closure.
