MIFFLIN TOWNSHIP — The last tenant at the Mansfield Inn left the building on Friday.
That’s the word from the Mansfield/Richland County Homeless Response Team, which was on site again Friday at the 800 Laver Road motel.
All tenants at the motel had to leave by Friday under a Jan. 30 order from the Richland County Building Department that the motel is structurally unsafe and the premises must be vacated.
Fifteen of the former tenants have been placed temporarily in other local motels and around 10 have secured their own places elsewhere, according to Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero.
He credited the work of HRT members Wayfinders Executive Director Miles Parsons, social worker Angela Riley from Catalyst Life Services and Mansfield police officer Matt Davis for convincing the tenants to leave and for helping secure other temporary lodging.
Richland County Building Dept. Director Steve Risser, whose office issued the order two weeks ago, has also been assisting with the situation, according to Vero, who helped launch the HRT five years ago.
The motel manager, who was also living at the hotel, also had to vacate the premises under the county’s order, which was upheld on Wednesday afternoon after an appeal hearing with the Ohio Board of Building Appeals.
“The owner (Paresh Patel of Barstow, Calif.) asked our building codes if the manager could stay out there and the answer was obviously ‘No,’ ” Vero said.
Vero said the HRT has also worked with the Richland County Humane Society and a shelter in Marion to take care of dogs and cats at the motel.
“There are no animals left in the rooms and the Humane Society is trying to capture one or two strays that are outside the building,” he said.
Vero said the HRT will work to find more permanent accommodations for the 15 residents placed in other motels, an effort funded by $10,000 from the Wayfinders board.
Many of the residents lived at the Mansfield Inn on a long-term basis, paying between $225 and $250 per week.
Vero said the last person leaving Friday was a satisfactory conclusion to the effort that began when the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office contacted Risser about concerns at the site.
Around the same time, the Ohio EPA inspected the facility and found it had no running water. The state agency cited six violations of Ohio laws and rules regarding safe drinking water.
“We had anywhere from 15 to 25 people living in close to squalor to a certain extent, when you don’t have running water. Miles, Angela and Steve deserve all the credit, period. They’ve been working non-stop since the county issued the order to vacate,” Vero said.
No one may occupy the motel until Patel makes required structural repairs.
In his order, Richland County Chief Building Official Kenneth Arthur wrote, “The structure has sustained structural damage and subsequent structural failure. As such, the structural damage and failure is deemed a serious hazard and the structure is deemed an unsafe building in accordance with OBC 109.4.”
Arthur’s report noted “cracking, spalling and failure of second-floor concrete balconies, walkways and stairs.”
“Water intrusion, ice buildup and inadequate drainage have been observed and are contributing to the concrete failure as previously described,” Arthur wrote.
He also cited a failure in the hotel’s plumbing system as identified in the same state code.
“The structure is currently not provided with any water supply system and causes the structure to be unsanitary,” Arthur wrote.
Vero said he lacked confidence Patel, who bought the motel for $1 million in 2007, would make the repairs.
“You can quote me on this. The owner has engaged the services of an engineer. But no one in the community believes the appropriate repairs will be made,” he said.
