Wednesday, October 13, 1999
Report adds to repairs for hotel
$2M estimate could block private buyer
BY MARK CURNUTTE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Fort Washington Hotel needs $2 million to improve its electrical, plumbing and heating systems for “long-term viability,” according to a report Tuesday from City Manager John Shirey's office.
The Fort Washington is the same downtown boarding house that the city's building and inspections department in February said needed paint, plaster and window repairs.
The city manager's report was made available during council's Neighborhood, Small Business Development & Environment Committee meeting. The committee is considering the request of the nonprofit Save the Fort Washington Inc. to secure a $2 million city subsidy as part of a $5.4 million plan to buy and renovate the Main Street home of 100 low-income residents.
Since Mr. Shirey recommended the subsidy two weeks ago, a potential private buyer has emerged and gained the support of Councilman Jim Tarbell, also a member of the neighborhood committee.
Mark Murray, owner for three years of another downtown boarding house, the Decker Hotel, is prepared to offer Fort Washington owner Frank Fieler his asking price of $625,000 without help from the city.
Mr. Murray said earlier Tuesday that he could make between $70,000 and $80,000 on the Fort Washington, based on Mr. Fieler's records that show he had a $300,000 gross income on the six-floor, 75-room building in 1998.
“That includes taxes, the mortgage, utilities, everything,” Mr. Murray said. He also said he would spend an initial $25,000 to paint, plaster and treat the building for bugs and would maintain it as a home for low-income people.
Winburn doubtful
But Councilman Charles Winburn, committee chairman, said Tuesday that Mr. Murray is not capable of operating the Fort Washington, given its poor condition spelled out in the city manager's report, and he anticipated that Mr. Murray would ask the city for a “bailout” if he were to acquire the Fort Washington.
“There is no other offer on the table,” Mr. Winburn said in committee. “The city manager feels comfortable that this group (Save the Fort Washington) can rehabilitate the Fort Washington.”
During the heated discus sion, Mr. Tarbell said that before Mr. Murray surfaced as a potential buyer, “there were no building orders on the Fort Washington. Now there are $2 million in orders on the building.”
Mr. Tarbell called the report “corruption.” The inspection was conducted Monday by members of the city's inspections, engineering and architecture departments.
Report a surprise
William Langevin, director of the city's building and inspections department, said in committee that there are “no structural problems with the building. The only way the Fort Washington is going to move is if we tear it down.
“I never saw this report,” Mr. Langevin said. “I question some of the estimates. These are all the items that the building will need eventually.”
Fort Washington residents are not in danger, Mr. Langevin said. “If they were, we'd be moving them out.”
Mr. Langevin also said Mr. Murray has done an “excellent job with repairing and maintaining” the Decker Hotel.
David Little, spokesman for Save the Fort Washington, organized a show of support for the nonprofit at Tuesday's meeting that included five current residents, Mr. Fieler, a former resident and others.
$2M "bare minimum'
The items on the $2 million list of improvements are “grandfathered” for boarding houses, Mr. Little said, and would not be listed as code violations during an annual inspection. “The city has come in and said that the $2 million is the "bare minimum' that must be done to maintain it for the poorest people in town,” he said after the meeting.
The nonprofit's $5.4 million plan addresses all items on the report, which includes $150,000 for a new boiler, $150,000 for plumbing and $525,000 to relocate the elevator and stairwell to bring the building into compliance with the American with Disabilities Act.
“A minimum of $2 million is necessary to keep the Fort Washington Hotel in operation as a decent, safe, and sanitary SRO (single-room occupancy) facility,” the report read.
Said Mr. Fieler, the Fort Washington's 14-year owner: “Nothing on the list surprises me.”
Mr. Fieler has an exclusive purchase agreement with the nonprofit that expires Nov. 11. He said he would sign an extension with the group Nov. 12 and will not sell the building to Mr. Murray.
Mr. Little said the nonprofit would not be able to buy the building unless it receives city money. The city endorsement of the project would help to raise the remaining $3.4 million from religious organizations and foundations.
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