The Washington County Board of Supervisors made the right decision last week when its members unanimously agreed to demolish the historic Robert E. Lee Motel.
Despite the emotional connection many residents have to this building, the facts are clear. The building has fallen into such serious disrepair that it needs to be torn down to eliminate a threat to public health and safety.
Supervisor Dulcie Mumpower, who long has sought to remove the building, noted that the board has taken the proper steps, notified the owners and given ample time for a response to address the issue.
“My concerns are for the people that live in this area, for their safety and for their welfare,” Mumpower said.
The historic motel is vacant, dilapidated and a nuisance that bears evidence of vagrants and vermin. The county can tear down a building that meets these criteria and place a lien against the property to recoup the expected $84,000 cost. So on Tuesday, supervisors directed County Administrator Mark Reeter to find a company to tear it down.
Scott Miller, who owns a dentistry practice next door, cannot be expected to maintain his customers or an aura of professionalism with rats running into his yard from the motel.
“I’ve got to try and tell somebody about their dental health with all of that beside me,” he said. “It needs to be exterminated.”
John Jessee, an attorney who represents the property owners, Janak and Neelam Sachdev, said they would build a 6-foot-tall fence around the building to protect the public. Several months ago, the couple claimed they were considering turning the motel into low-income housing, but no plans for the work were submitted to the county.
In a Tuesday telephone interview, Neelam Sachdev said the couple doesn’t want to see the building razed, but has been unable to find financing to renovate the building.
There lies the crux of the problem.
No one relishes seeing this historic building torn down. But it has deteriorated to the point it is a health and safety hazard to neighbors. And no one has come forward with the substantial cash needed to renovate the building. Logic must win over emotion in the case of the Robert E. Lee Motel.
Since 2007, county supervisors have asked for an action plan from the building’s owner to no avail. On Tuesday, supervisors agreed to the only logical plan that remains.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement