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City officials shut down a Mt. Juliet hotel Wednesday after inspectors found major renovations underway with multiple code violations.
BY SARA MCMANAMY-JOHNSON SJOHNSON@LEBANONDEMOCRAT.COM
MT. JULIET
DEC 5, 2014
http://www.lebanondemocrat.com/article/528601
City officials shut down a Mt. Juliet hotel Wednesday after inspectors found major renovations underway with multiple code violations.
According to Dwayne Hicks, chief building official for Mt. Juliet, a building inspector drove by the Quality Inn & Suites on Herschel Drive on Wednesday morning and saw a construction dumpster and construction materials being thrown out a window.
Upon further investigation, he discovered the hotel was in the midst of a major renovation.
“They had a gentleman who told me he was a painter,” said Hicks. “I asked him about his contractor’s license, and he don’t have one. He just does painting. However he has moved several electrical fixtures, and smoke detectors are bagged up, sprinklers systems are not function properly.
“They’ve got a whole renovation project going on inside with no permit, no plans and no licensed contractor,” said Hicks.
Inspectors gave hotel management one hour to empty the hotel.
“I have been with the city of Mt. Juliet for four years, and we’ve never had to shut a business down because of the extent of what’s going on at this one,” said Hicks.
He said 24 rooms were rented at the time. Management told Hicks several of those occupants were contractors in town working and would not be back for several hours, but she would have them relocated to other hotels once they returned.
He said hotel management has already begun the process to eventually reopen, but it would not be immediate.
“As of now, they have hired an architect to draw up plans to do the remodel project that they’re trying to accomplish,” said Hicks on Thursday. “I have met with him twice in the past 24 hours and [spoken] on the phone, and he is in the process of drawing up those plans.”
He said hotel management has already hired a licensed Tennessee general contractor and electrical contractor, who will pull the permit after the city has had the chance to review and approve the plans. After all that’s done, the hotel can continue with its renovations.
“However, the hotel will not be able to reopen at that point until all the inspections are signed off on to make sure it’s safe to occupy,” said Hicks.
He said the hotel will have to pay double the standard cost for the building permit fees because they began the work without the permits.
“In the long run, they’re going to have to do exactly what they would have done had they done it right, and it’s going to cost them twice as much now, as well as time without clients, and that’s a shame,” said Hicks.
“We try to make everything safe for people,” said Hicks. “We’re not trying to shut businesses down or hurt anybody, however, we also don’t want to go to bed tonight and the fire department get a call that a building’s caught fire because illegal work or unsafe work has taken place and we knew about it.”
BY SARA MCMANAMY-JOHNSON SJOHNSON@LEBANONDEMOCRAT.COM
MT. JULIET
DEC 5, 2014
http://www.lebanondemocrat.com/article/528601
City officials shut down a Mt. Juliet hotel Wednesday after inspectors found major renovations underway with multiple code violations.
According to Dwayne Hicks, chief building official for Mt. Juliet, a building inspector drove by the Quality Inn & Suites on Herschel Drive on Wednesday morning and saw a construction dumpster and construction materials being thrown out a window.
Upon further investigation, he discovered the hotel was in the midst of a major renovation.
“They had a gentleman who told me he was a painter,” said Hicks. “I asked him about his contractor’s license, and he don’t have one. He just does painting. However he has moved several electrical fixtures, and smoke detectors are bagged up, sprinklers systems are not function properly.
“They’ve got a whole renovation project going on inside with no permit, no plans and no licensed contractor,” said Hicks.
Inspectors gave hotel management one hour to empty the hotel.
“I have been with the city of Mt. Juliet for four years, and we’ve never had to shut a business down because of the extent of what’s going on at this one,” said Hicks.
He said 24 rooms were rented at the time. Management told Hicks several of those occupants were contractors in town working and would not be back for several hours, but she would have them relocated to other hotels once they returned.
He said hotel management has already begun the process to eventually reopen, but it would not be immediate.
“As of now, they have hired an architect to draw up plans to do the remodel project that they’re trying to accomplish,” said Hicks on Thursday. “I have met with him twice in the past 24 hours and [spoken] on the phone, and he is in the process of drawing up those plans.”
He said hotel management has already hired a licensed Tennessee general contractor and electrical contractor, who will pull the permit after the city has had the chance to review and approve the plans. After all that’s done, the hotel can continue with its renovations.
“However, the hotel will not be able to reopen at that point until all the inspections are signed off on to make sure it’s safe to occupy,” said Hicks.
He said the hotel will have to pay double the standard cost for the building permit fees because they began the work without the permits.
“In the long run, they’re going to have to do exactly what they would have done had they done it right, and it’s going to cost them twice as much now, as well as time without clients, and that’s a shame,” said Hicks.
“We try to make everything safe for people,” said Hicks. “We’re not trying to shut businesses down or hurt anybody, however, we also don’t want to go to bed tonight and the fire department get a call that a building’s caught fire because illegal work or unsafe work has taken place and we knew about it.”