By NATE KING
Salina Post
The Salina City Commission held a public hearing at its regular meeting yesterday, July 23 to decide whether to list the Ambassador Hotel as a dangerous structure.
The seemingly abandoned 192-room hotel, located at 1616 W. Crawford Street in Salina, has been owned by various chains since it opened in the 1980s under its first name, "The Holiday Inn Holidome." Later the hotel was rebranded as a Ramada before it was named "The Ambassador."
City of Salina Dangerous Structure Specialist Sean Furbeck provided commissioners with a timeline of events which led staff to conduct a review of the structure's safety and stability.
"If the commission supports the dangerous designation of the building, we will ask that you direct the repair or removal of the structure and fix a reasonable time within which one of these must be commenced and diligently prosecuted," Furbeck said.
Since 2023 the property has violated City Code regarding maintenance seven times. The violations concerned grass height, graffiti, unsecured entry points and a fire inside the building.
How does the City label a building as a dangerous structure?
Furbeck presented commissioners with a definition of how a dangerous structure according to the City ordinance.
"A dangerous structure is one that is found to be dangerous to the life, health, property or safety of the public or the occupants of the structure by not providing minimum safeguards to protect or warn occupants in the event of fire," Ordinance 13-10693 reads. "Or because such structure contains dangerous equipment or is so damaged, decayed, dilapidated, structurally dangerous or of such faulty construction or unstable foundation, that partial or complete collapse is possible."
The City of Salina's Division of Building Services is responsible for ensuring properties in the City of Salina meet building and property maintenance codes. According to City Staff, to meet this goal, city employees respond to resident complaints and conduct inspections in order to deem whether a property fits the definition of "dangerous."
Furbeck provided commissioners with the reasons his department felt the property should be deemed dangerous. They are listed below.
1. The structure contains doors, aisles, passageways, stairways, exits or other means of egress that do not conform to the approved building or fire code of the jurisdiction as related to the requirements for existing buildings.
2. The walking surface of aisles, passageways, stairways, exits or other means of egress from the Structure are so warped, worn loose, torn or otherwise dangerous as to not provide safe and adequate means of egress.
3. Portions of the Structure have been damaged by fire, wind, deterioration, neglect, abandonment, vandalism or by any other cause to such an extent that it is likely to partially or completely collapse, or to become detached or dislodged.
4. Parts of the Structure, because of dilapidation, deterioration, unrepaired fire damages, unrepaired holes in the roof assembly, and because of unrepaired or removed wall sections on the third floor, are likely to partially collapse.
5. The Structure, or portions thereof, is clearly dangerous for its use and occupancy.
6. The Structure is neglected, damaged, dilapidated, unsecured or abandoned so as to become an attractive nuisance to children who might play in the Structure to their danger, become a harbor for vagrants, criminals or immoral persons, or enable persons to resort to the building or structure for committing a nuisance or an unlawful act.
7. The Structure, which is or was used or intended to be used for dwelling purposes, because of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, decay, damage, faulty construction or arrangement, inadequate light, ventilation, mechanical or plumbing system, or otherwise, is determined by the code official to be unsanitary, unfit for human habitation or in such a condition that is likely to cause sickness or disease.
8. The Structure has been constructed, exists or is maintained in violation of specific requirements or prohibitions applicable to such structures provided by the building or fire code of the city, or of any law or ordinance to such an extent as to present either a substantial risk of fire, building collapse or an imminent threat to life and safety.
9. The Structure, because of a lack of sufficient or proper fire-resistance-rated construction, fire protection systems, electrical system, fuel connections, mechanical system, plumbing system or other cause, is determined by the code official to be a threat to life or health.
10. The Structure is abandoned so as to constitute such building or portion thereof as an attractive nuisance or hazard to the public.
Salina Post has received several reports of people removing boarded-up entries to gain access to the property. Furbeck said since 2019 the structure received 23 violations and has been cited for its crumbling structural supports, mold, and a lack of plumbing and electrical wiring.
"When a building is abandoned and becomes a harbor for vagrants or criminals, it is a dangerous structure," Furbeck said.
Photographs shown to commissioners, from inside the hotel, suggest at one time or another, multiple vagrants lived inside the abandoned structure. Syringes and needles were found in several areas within the building and part of the hotel was engulfed by fire back in March.
Ambassador Hotel owner addresses commissioners
Joshua Joseph/Andrea Investments LLC, owner of the Ambassador Hotel, spoke at the city commission meeting saying he felt like he was given "the run around" by city employees and commissioners.
"Knowing that the building is old and can not continue as a hotel, I brought in architects, came up here and brought to the planning session a plan to change the property zoning into a strip center in the front and a storage facility in the back," Joseph said.
According to Joseph, this plan fell through due to zoning issues with the City of Salina.
The Ambassador Hotel has been the subject of many community discussions since it closed in 2020. It was looked at as a possible location for a housing project in 2023, but the plan was scrapped in favor of a property with a less expensive price tag and without an existing deteriorating structure.
"We are beyond any developement and those prospects went a different direction. We are here today to declare this a dangerous structure," said Salina Mayor Bill Longbine.
Commissioners voted 4-0 in favor of labeling the Ambassador Hotel as a dangerous structure, with Commissioner Mike Hoppock absent from the meeting.
What's next?
Following the commission's decision to label the hotel as a dangerous structure, Joseph must make the premises safe and secure by either fixing or tearing down the structure.
According to the resolution, if Joseph intends to demolition the building, he must hire the needed consultants and contractors and send in permit applications for demolition by August 21, 2024. Demolition must begin by September 5, 2024, and continue until complete, including filling in any holes.
If Joseph decides to keep the structure and instead make repairs, he must send in permit applications by September 20, 2024. Repairs must begin by November 19, 2024, and continue until complete.
If Joseph does not follow these rules, the building official can request a show cause hearing. Joseph must then explain why the City should not fix or tear down the Structure and charge Joseph for it. The building official will send the hearing notice to interested parties at least 14 days before the hearing.
If Joseph does not comply, the City can proceed with the necessary work and recover the costs.
Salina Post will update this story as new information becomes available.