By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
Hutchinson City Manager Enrico Villegas said the process that is beginning with the scheduling of a public hearing regarding the state of the Atrium Hotel property is a necessary step to get the building dealt with.
"The asbestos would need to be abated first," Villegas said. "There are definitely a lot more issues, there's a heavy presence of black mold in the building. Of the 47 rooms that were inspected, 81% of the 47 had a heavy presence of black mold. There are a lot more issues with the building than just those toxins. There are no running utilities, water, sewer, electricity. All the fire suppression in the building is non-existent. So it's a genuine hazard for the community."
Scheduling the public hearing for August 20 will allow the owner a chance to come and respond in Hutchinson if he wishes to do so.
"From a time frame standpoint, it could be six months to a year," Villegas said. "Depending on how things go, it could be longer than that."
It's not just uninhabitable, it is worse than that.
"What it should be called is dangerous," Villegas said. "That is the recommendation of staff. Part of that, inside the facility, everything has been stripped. The ceiling is caving in. There's no copper piping anymore. All of the wires are exposed. There's debris everywhere. It is in very, very bad shape, especially through the hallways and inside the rooms and everything. It is definitely dangerous."
The City does not currently own the Atrium property, so unless the owner is willing to sell, it would take condemnation to take care of it.