While the future of the 1st Interstate Inn remains up in the air, the Alliance City Council is looking for options to reduce the risks associated with the building being openly accessible.
At their meeting on Oct. 15, city council members heard from Alliance Police Department Chief David Leavitt and Alliance Volunteer Fire Department Chief Troy Shoemaker. regarding the hazards the structure poses in its current condition. Leavitt said he is frequently asked about the 1st Interstate Inn, noting that he wants to address the concerns that people have shared.
“Not only is it an eye sore, it is actually a public-safety hazard,” said Leavitt. “We have found people living in there. We have found people sleeping in there. We’ve had people overdose in that building while they were staying in there. Even though it’s abandoned, it continues to be vandalized and there is litter everywhere, there’s debris everywhere. With the weather turning colder, I expect you will find folks wanting to take up shelter inside because most of those doors are standing wide open, or not there. So, it’s becoming a public safety concern, and I think it would be in our best interest to address that public safety concern so that someone doesn’t get hurt.”
Leavitt recommended boarding all the doors and windows to the structure. Shoemaker explained that developing tactics for emergency response to the 1st Interstate Inn would be difficult with the way the building currently stands, noting that the only action they could take now would be searching the structure.
“That is putting our first responders at risk,” Shoemaker said. “The one thing I want to note about first responders is most of Alliance’s first responders, when it comes to the fire department, do this for free as volunteers. So, I really take it to heart and trying not to put them in a situation, and always come home after whatever that incident might be.”
Shoemaker said that there are a number of steps that can be taken to secure the building and ameliorate the risks. He also recommended securing the structure, noting that they would require budgetary backing from the City Council to complete the task.
“We have no spending authority as it is right now to secure that building,” said Shoemaker. “So, we need to, if we’re going to do it, we need to figure out how we’re going to do that.”
He explained that there are ways to secure the structure without making it appear as an attractive nuisance, such as using coverings that appear like windows and doors. He noted that health hazards may also come into play, citing rodents as an issue. He said that he is also surprised the structure has not caught fire as a result of arson.
“One way to limit the exposure, to limit the health hazard, is to board it up,” Shoemaker said.
Councilman Jay Weisgerber asked if firefighters would still have the access they need in the event of a fire if the structure is boarded up. Shoemaker said that if the structure catches fire, they will make access however they need to in order to battle the fire. He explained that the 1st Interstate Inn does not currently have utilities to it, so arson would be the most likely culprit for a fire at the structure and that by boarding the building, it would limit the access for people to commit arson.
Weisgerber asked why this is a concern all of a sudden. Shoemaker said that this is one of the first times he has been asked to weigh in on the issue, though they tried to put spending authority for this issue into the budget, but that it was removed. He said the problem persists, explaining that it is a community eye sore on a main thoroughfare.
Mayor John McGhehey said that it is becoming a bigger issue with the changing weather, noting that it becomes an attractive structure to those seeking shelter from the elements.
Community Development Administrator Brent Kusek explained that Community Development was not permitted to go onto the property until they received permission from the property owner. He said they made contact with that person in early March and proceeded to inspect the property, resulting in the building’s condemnation.
McGhehey said that one of the reasons the council has delayed action on the property is that they have been told that a person who purchased the tax-sale certificates on the property is nearing, or at the point they can foreclose the tax sale certificates and sell the property.
“We were hoping that we wouldn’t have to incur the expense of tearing the thing down with an estimated cost of $250,000,” said McGhehey. “I have to agree, I think it’s time we board up the nuisance because of the liability of fire or, if somebody’s already overdosed in there, we’ve got to look at the access so we don’t have those kind of issues. I have gotten to a point where I think we need to get an estimate of what it’s going to cost to board it up.”
Shoemaker noted that there are more vacant structures in Alliance than just the 1st Interstate Inn that pose similar risks, highlighting the need for a bigger conversation.
“I do believe that the 1st Interstate Inn is just a portion of the problem that we have with vacant, dilapidated structures within our community,” Shoemaker said. “We’re addressing one that’s really, probably the most visible, but there’s other things. Every vacant, dilapidated structure is a public-safety hazard, not only to the first responders, but to the community itself.”
After some more discussion, including hearing input from the public, the council asked City Manager Seth Sorensen to put together a Request for Proposals to help determine a path forward on securing the structure.