By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Kansas Fire Marshal inspection reports released Wednesday indicate significant structural damage to the Rodeway Inn, 3404 Vine, Hays.
The reports, which were released after the Hays Post filed a Kansas Open Records Request, said inspectors found structural instability in the second-floor walkways of the motel.
SEE RELATED STORY: Kansas Fire Marshal orders Rodeway Inn in Hays closed
The Hays Fire Department placed a wooden support structure under one of the walkways as a temporary measure. It issued a complaint to the state fire marshall's office on July 25.
That temporary support was still in place during the last inspection of the facility in October and a Hays Post visit to the building on Monday.
The fire marshal's office delivered a cease-and-desist order to the business on Aug. 12 after multiple safety issues were found in August.
The fire marshal's office said in an order that a structural engineer needed to access the structure and provide repair recommendations.
Other issues included problems with the electrical system, non-working smoke detectors, and a stairway that had at least one step completely broken through.
The state inspected the facility again on Oct. 4 and found 10 rooms were still occupied despite the cease and desist order. Some of those rooms were on the second floor. According to a lodging report, the owner told an inspector employees of the closed motel were still trying to find places to live.
The Hays Post was unable to confirm if anyone was still living at the motel as of this post.
The motel's lodging license was listed as expired in May, according to a lodging inspection.
HKHR Hospitality, the motel's owner, also owes $43,580 for unpaid 2023 property taxes, according to the Ellis County Treasurer's Office. Property owners have three years to pay delinquent taxes before the property is auctioned at a tax sale.
The motel, built in 1974, is actively listed on a real estate broker's website, Hotel Broker One, for sale for $1.2 million.
The Hays Post has not been able to identify or contact the owners of the motel. A clerk at the Ellis County Register of Deed's Office said the signature on the motel's deed was unreadable.