LITTLE ROCK — Residents of the Heritage House Inn huddled around folding tables set up on the grass in front of the motel’s office early Friday morning to meet with Little Rock officials offering to help them relocate after a judge ordered the entire facility at 7500 S. University Ave. vacated.
At the same time, workers shuffled around one of the motel’s three buildings, cutting wallboard, unloading paint and other supplies. Contractors said that by Monday or Tuesday, they plan to address all of the violations outlined during an inspection by city code inspectors and fire marshals.
Many of the extendedstay motel’s more than 40 residents paid their weekly rent on Wednesday or Thursday — before the Pulaski County Circuit Court hearing that resulted in the motel’s owner, Gurmeet “George” Nerhan of Huachuca City, Ariz., being found in violation of a previous court order that required Nerhan to take care of a number of code and health violations found in 2004.
On Friday, many residents said they weren’t sure how they would cope without a refund of their weekly rent, even with an offer from the city to pay for three days’ emergency stay in a different hotel.
“I just paid for a week and that was all the money I had through my next payday on Tuesday,” said Tony Boone. “I’m going to have oral surgery on Monday, but I don’t know where I’m going to go when I leave the doctor’s office. I stayed up until 5:30 a.m. worrying about where I’m going to lay my head tonight.”
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Wendell Griffen ordered the entire motel, consisting of 102 rooms in three buildings, closed until every room meets Little Rock fire, safety and building codes and the owner appears in court with proof. The city requested the shutdown order after a room-byroom inspection of the facility March 1.
On Feb. 28, motel staff members reported to police that a 5-year-old girl had been abandoned in one of the rooms. In a police report and during Thursday’s hearing, police described conditions that included cockroaches scattering from the mattress placed on the floor where the girl was found sleeping, one working light in the bathroom, a door that did not lock, as well as food, alcohol and drug paraphernalia on the floor and furniture.
Those conditions prompted the March 1 inspection, city officials said.
The inspection resulted in about a dozen rooms being immediately boarded up in one building because of what city employees described as serious safety concerns including holes in the wall, missing or nonfunctioning smoke detectors and other issues, such as records of bedbug complaints to the state Health Department.
Nerhan and his attorney, Danny Crabtree, argued in court that the city’s major concerns were all in one building of the motel and closing the entire facility constituted a vendetta against the Nerhan.
On Friday, residents said they were disappointed with the court’s decision to evacuate all the buildings. Many residents said they did not have other places to go even temporarily because of the need for security or utility deposits.
“The owner came in and stood here in the office and said he wasn’t going to give our rent money back to us,” said Tabatha Redmond, who has been living at the motel with her fiance for about five weeks. “We pay Wednesday to Wednesday, and for us that’s $140 we just paid for one or two days. We’re going to have to let the city put us up in a hotel for those three days, but I don’t know what we’re going to do after that.”
Redmond said she and her fiance were staying with a friend before moving to the motel. The couple decided to stay because utilities were included, and despite a steady paycheck, they haven’t been able to save money for a deposit to rent a more permanent residence.
“Our room has been clean and I haven’t seen a single bug,” she said. “It’s putting us in a bad position. This is a place for people who really can’t afford much else. I don’t feel like there’s been any kind of danger.”
Nerhan came to the motel about 9:30 a.m. Friday, and said he did not want to comment.
Redmond, who was collecting names and numbers on a clipboard of people willing to fight to get their rent money returned, confronted Nerhan in front of the motel.
Nerhan told her and a handful of other residents that when the motel reopened he would prorate the first week of rent to reflect the number of days they had paid and were not allowed to stay.
Several tenants who were gathered in small groups waiting to meet with city employees said they want to return to the motel as soon as the city allows it to open.
“I will come back in a heartbeat,” said Greg Engel, who’s been staying at the motel for about three years. “The crimes that are reported are blown way out of proportion, and in general, this is a good place to stay for the money you’re being charged. I feel like it’s safe and I feel comfortable bringing my girlfriend here.”
About 45 tenants remained in the motel Thursday, a drop from the approximately 77 who were there March 1.
On Friday, city employees helped tenants fill out questionnaires and took names to help with placement in hotels and permanent housing.
City employees also arranged for representatives from several apartment complexes that have agreed to reduce or ease their deposit requirement to meet with the tenants, but many of those facilities require background checks and steady employment, which precluded several people from applying.
City Manager Bruce Moore said the city will board up the rooms Monday. Tenants will be given until that time to remove their belongings from the motel. City employees said Friday that their goal was to remove people immediately but still give them time to remove their belongings.
Donald Wilson has been living at the motel with his girlfriend for a few months. He kicked at the gravel and shook his head while waiting to talk to the city representatives.
“Is anybody going to care what happens to us on Monday morning?” he said. “I appreciate the help, but are all these people going to be homeless in three days?”
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 03/31/2012