MIAMISBURG — News Center 7 is learning new information about how bad conditions were inside a Miamisburg motel that the city abruptly shut down Monday.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell will be LIVE where a court order shut down the Rodeway Inn on News Center 7 beginning at 6 p.m.
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All the room doors at the Rodeway Inn on Byers Road have orange eviction notices, calling the premises unfit for human occupation.
The city made it clear these rooms were not safe, and a lot of people needed to find a new place to stay.
“There was an inspection about a week and a half ago that came through, we were concerned because there is damage over there,” Jennifer Smith said.
Smith and her partner Mitchell are two of the 50 people told to pack it up Monday afternoon.
They’d stayed long-term here, seven years, and knew the city was watching the place but were still surprised when police and housing officials moved in.
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“We didn’t think for a second that they would displace us all like this in an instance,” Smith said.
City leaders said the condition here left them little choice.
“They have a lot of violations against them as far as fire codes, which are in place for a reason as well as building code violations,” said Miamisburg Officer Cindi Threlkeld.
Both firefighters and building inspectors were at the motel Monday.
News Center 7 reached out to inspectors Tuesday who detailed fire code violations in 17 different categories, including missing and inoperable smoke detectors, wires coming through walls, and missing ventilation fans.
The building problems included holes in walls, weak and dangerous floors, and missing switchplates.
“They deserve to live in better conditions than what this hotel is currently offering,” Threlkeld said.
Police showed News Center 7 a high number of service calls, compared to the number of guests.
The motel’s calls increased dramatically from a year ago.
By contrast, the Red Roof Inn showed a dramatic decrease even with more guests, and the Quality Inn and Super 8 posed far fewer demands on police resources.
The bottom line is people that who lived at the Rodeway Inn and worked nearby are battling a sudden life change.
“I am actually working two jobs, one at Perkins, one at Tim Hortons, right where I live now, now I’m going to have to figure out how to get there as well,” Mitchell said.
Managers have declined to speak with News Center 7 Monday but they will have a chance to appeal the temporary injunction in court when the city asks for it to become a permanent shutdown.
News Center 7 will continue updating this story.
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