May 19, 2021 (5:53 AM)
Our first week of ownership of the property formerly known as Quality Inn has passed. It's been an eventful and busy week indeed! Thunder Mountain Apartments project is well under way. I would say that I have a brief update. But, once my fingers start tickling the keyboard (I know I robbed that from "tickling the ivories" regarding playing the piano), you never know where it will lead. So, let's get right to it.
We, (Ben, Nate and I), met with our architect, two city officials and the fire marshal to go over our initial plans. Our architect is so proactive it's exciting to experience! The meeting went well, we developed some initial plans and found out what the most urgent matters are. They set expectations, the architect shared reality and we walked away with clarity. Now, I am not promising there won't be hiccups along the way! We all know that can happen when we have entrepreneurs, engineers, city officials and whoever else involved, there is room for surprises. Our hope? This meeting will limit them.
If there are hiccups along the way we will be sure to share them as well as our solution to overcome them. Although, it appears there really isn't a cure for hiccups, is there? Although there are plenty of opinions. If you are bored you can google "cure for hiccups". But, don't be afraid, we will overcome any obstacles thrown our way. We promise.
One huge takeaway from the meeting was our windows. We have to replace the 2nd story windows to make sure they are compliant with ingress and egress capabilities. Currently, they are sealed windows and no way to open without breaking them or removing them. And, this is against current code for apartments. Well, the city told us to send them the "cut sheets" of the windows once they are designed and they will quickly approve them. This is huge as we cannot paint the building until we install the windows. Based on our meeting, we can now likely do both before we get our final construction permits. This is a big win!
After our meeting with the city we ventured to the property. The onsite management had already given notice to all of 30+ occupants regarding the change of ownership. 26 of them completed their motel stay and went on their merry way. 4 of them remained on for a month-to-month agreement until further notice. One of the 4 occupants has lived here for 3 years! Wow. Maybe they like when others do their laundry and housecleaning. Not a bad gig...
One of the requirements to close was the cancellation of the franchise agreement with Choice Hotels, International. This was completed. Next was the removal of ALL Quality Inn signage, paperwork, notebooks, pens, soap, shampoo, conditioner, other motel paraphernalia and the key cards. Much of this was done when we were at the property. As of this morning, we have learned they have removed the huge marquee signage. The good news? The frame for the sign remains and we get to have a HUGE sign for Thunder Mountain Apartments. This will be epic! Will share the pic once it's done.
The fire marshal informed us we should push to move the fire hydrant from the vacant lot next door over to our property. I am sure you are wondering why would we do that? One requirement for occupancy is to install a sprinkler system. One requirement for a sprinkler system is a dedicated line. This fire hydrant is the nearest point of connection for the fire department to access the water to activate the sprinklers. So, they really want access to it simply and quickly; likely in case of an emergency or something. Mike from our staff is on the details and the negotiations are well under way. The good news is the fire marshal is working alongside us to get it done. What a team!
Next thing well under way is the plan with the architect. Following the meeting with the city and many exchanges with Nate from our office, we have a plan in place. Nate has approved the plan and now we wait for the architect to finalize and submit them to the city. Things are getting real!
As I mentioned earlier, this could be getting long and I would have no idea how long it would get. Just a few more items, so hang in there.
As you can see above, we had a sparkling pool. That's right, "had". Yeah, it's not sparkling anymore. Our first order of business to get started right away is to replace/repair the pool fencing. Then, we will drain and replaster the pool and replace the equipment. As this blog is being written the quotes are being requested to update the pool. Once we get those in we will get on their schedule and get the pool sparkling again.
And, that is our project from my corner of the globe. ~Bruce
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