Vandalia motel condemned, owners arrested after multiple code violations
The operational permit of a local motel is being revoked and its operators are now facing criminal charges.
On Aug. 15, an inspection of the Super 8 Motel in Vandalia showed that the motel had failed to correct multiple violations of the city’s fire code and the building itself was deemed unsafe, according to a release from city officials.
“Some of the violations have progressively become more severe,” Rich Hopkins, communications director for Vandalia said.
“There are a lot of ways that could turn very deadly, very tragic, very quickly,” he added.
The building’s two owners were arrested Friday and are facing misdemeanor charges in relation to knowingly violating Ohio’s fire code in multiple instances, according to Hopkins.
The building must be vacated by Aug. 22, Hopkins said the city has tried to work with the residents to find them resources.
“We do not take actions like this lightly,” Jason Eckert, Vandalia Fire Marshal, said. “We have worked with the hotel management for years, and these issues have not been addressed.”
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The motel has 94 rooms and the capacity to lodge more than 180 people, according to Vandalia Mayor Richard Herbst.
An ordinance passed in Sept. 2021 required all hotels and motels within the city to apply for an operational permit and operators needed to follow specific requirements to keep their permits.
Eckert said Super 8′s fire suppression system lacks adequate water pressure and is not operational. The owners were required to install smoke detectors connected to a central line in each room, but inspectors found multiples rooms without working smoke detectors. Additionally, other rooms had smoke detectors that were not connected to a central line.
Additional violations included stairwell fire doors being blocked or not working, missing fire related signage and “continuing deterioration of exit balconies requiring structural evaluation.”
“The bottom line is that this structure is not safe,” Eckert said.
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Dan Wendt, Vandalia City Manger, said the motel’s owners had “refused to comply with basic safety measures to protect their guests.”
“The conditions are unacceptable, and the city is revoking the Super 8′s permit and working to shut down the establishment until it can stop habitually breaking laws in our town,” Wendt said.
Herbst said the decision to revoke the permit was “not made lightly.”
“The city remains dedicated to working in concert with our business community to create an environment in which they can prosper,” Herbst said in a statement posted to social media.
The owners have 10 days to file an appeal, if they choose to do so.
