I was driving on Waldron St last week and was astonished that some of the new Hilton Garden Inn hotel walls had sprung up seemingly overnight. Granted, I hadn’t been out that way for a few days, but I distinctly remember seeing the skeletal framing silhouetted by the setting sun.
Later that same day, I drove down the short strip of Lorraine Street between 11th and 17th Avenues, and I saw a contrasting site—a mix of crumbling walls, rotting boards, strewn glass and a pitted cement parking area formerly known as The Atrium.
I watched Tuesday’s city council meeting in which The Atrium’s owner showed up and twisted facts, blamed everyone but himself, and flat-out lied about the property’s condition, even claiming that only a small part of the hotel was affected by black mold. Apparently, 81 percent is a “small number” to Mr. Joseph. He also claimed to have invested millions after purchasing the property in 2013, conveniently leaving out that the city gave him financial help to renovate the convention space and the HVAC system.
Mr. Joseph owns dilapidated properties in Hays and Salina, and both communities are wrestling with his neglect. Salina has given him more time to clean up or demolish The Ambassador. He claims poverty and mortgage debt, but he has plenty of funds and credit to build several new hotels in Oklahoma and Texas.
I want to thank the City of Hutchinson for tackling the problem of unsafe property. Mr. Joseph was given multiple opportunities to work things out but acted in bad faith and misrepresented himself and the facts. He was given 30 days to repair or demolish the hotel. It was time for action and the council took it decisively.
By October 1, I expect to drive along Waldron and see more progress on the new hotel building. On Lorraine, I hope to see an empty lot where the boarded-up, dangerous eyesore now sits.
