Opinion: Sayonara, Atrium!

By Michael Glenn

This past Tuesday, the Hutchinson City Council approved the condemnation of the Atrium Hotel and Conference Center.

Thank God.

The owner of the property now has 30 days to fix all the problems with the hotel or demolish the building, as well as provide a cash bond and removal of construction debris.

As you may have previously read, I am not the biggest fan of the now-official “blight” in our city. I drive by the Atrium every day on my way to school, and to see the sadness of the asbestos and black mold-filled mess we call the Atrium get held accountable is like music to my ears.

One of the residents who live near the property brought up a good point when discussing the Atrium at the council meeting which I hadn’t thought of yet, but is very interesting.

The Atrium is right off K-61 and is a stain on our part of the highway. Is that building what we want people from McPherson, Wichita or Salina to think of when they enter our town?

I don’t think so.

Rather, they should think of another hotel-turning-housing development which is undergoing major construction and renovation: The Landmark Project.

The owner of the Atrium attempted to play off the victim card and say the city is only willing to fund people and other hotels to chase him out of business.

Nonsense!

I’m not sure if he was specifically mentioning the Landmark or the other hotel being built off Waldron and 17th, but I’ll answer the question as if he was.

It’s because they actually care.

Laura Meyer Dick and others have invested millions and are actively working on the building. As someone who personally went into the building, there is work being done.

You want to know what work is being done on the Atrium?

Unless boarding up windows and criminals stealing furniture count as “remodeling,” nothing.

Getting rid of this damned property is a great step for the city to take, and I’m thankful the city council and administration have done their due diligence on the issue.

Hopefully, we can continue beautifying and improving our city and ensuring local developers and businesses can thrive.

Sayonara, Atrium!