Ferguson discusses worries with Fredonia hotel
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While the former Econo Lodge on Route 60 has reopened, Fredonia Mayor Michael Ferguson still has concerns about the facility, especially with its ability to serve the homeless population properly.
In part because of these concerns, the county has no plans to utilize it for emergency housing, although that doesn't guarantee it won't be used in some other form for public housing.
Recently 10455 Bennett Road, Fredonia reopened as America's Best Value Inn by Sonesta. They were able to reopen to travelers after repairs were made to the building and passed the necessary building inspections.
Along with renting to travelers, in the past the former Econo Lodge had a contract with Chautauqua County to house homeless people.
But during that time, the condition of the building became dilapidated and crime spiked.
In fact, before it closed, Ferguson said it had become the top location of police calls in the village, with more than 530 calls there over an 18-month period. While many of the calls were for stolen merchandise, drug use or noise violations, there were also reports of rapes, stabbings and shootings.
In addition, there were more than 100 Emergency Medical Technician dispatch calls there, many of which were for drug overdoses, when residents were administered Narcan.
The overlap of homeless people and the traveling public made things complicated.
During an interview with the OBSERVER, Ferguson shared a story about a visitor from Germany. The person was staying in the hotel visiting the area during the total eclipse in March 2024. He went to leave their hotel but was ordered to go back inside because police were in the middle of doing a drug raid.
There was another visitor from Cleveland who told police that he was pushed into buying drugs from someone else staying there.
Eventually Ferguson got the hotel to stop renting to the general public, saying he didn't want other visitors to go through similar experiences.
But it does appear there were people who were essentially living there, even though the hotel isn't permitted to have long-term residents. According to Ferguson, a truck driver had been living there. There was also a woman with dementia, who was placed there by her family. "The only reason we found that out is when they vacated the building earlier this year, she was left in the building," he said.
Ferguson made other allegations about the facility. He said a barber shop and a tattoo shop were both operating illegally inside, there were rooms that were overpacked with residents, and that some drug dealers were using the site as their operational headquarters.
Following the interview with Ferguson, County Executive PJ Wendel was asked if the county has any plans to utilize it for emergency shelter, now that the hotel has reopened.
"I don't think we want to go there again," he said. "We're not going to offer them a contract."
Carmelo Hernandez, Director of Mental Hygiene & Commissioner of Social Services, added that although the county won't use them for emergency housing, there are other agencies, such as the state Office of Probation, which need places for recently released prisoners. "At any point in time, any hotel owner can apply for an RFP (Request For Proposals) to work with the Department of Corrections or to work with the state to be there for emergency housing for individuals that are coming out from incarceration," he said.
During a Village Board meeting in September, Ferguson expressed concerns about the possibility of homeless people staying there in the future.
After that was reported in the OBSERVER, Ferguson asked for a follow up interview to explain his position.
The mayor noted he understands homelessness is an issue in Fredonia, as well as the county and the United States as a whole, but he was especially concerned people at the former Econo Lodge weren't being properly cared for. "Where's the programming for rehabilitation or services to help people get to where they need to go?" he asked.
He also didn't like the fact that released prisoners were staying there when the county was housing vulnerable citizens. "The county was sending people there from court, the state was sending people there from the court. What's going on in this building? Where is the delineation? You have former pedophiles and rapists in a building with women and children," he said.
Hernandez said the owners could seek licensing through the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. In that situation, the facility would no longer house renters but instead be a full-time shelter.
Hernandez said that license would require inspections from the state as well as local officials. "If they can't meet the standard, it would never be licensed," he said
Hernandez also noted how the Fredonia motel is quite large and has different sections. He said they could have one section as a shelter and another section could be remodeled and become long term apartments. The two halves would need to be sectioned off completely.
But Ferguson has a lot of mistrust with the current owners to do that kind of work.
He said he has met with them face-to-face, where he was promised certain upgrades but they never did it. "I have no faith in the people who own that building because they've lied to me multiple times. Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me," he said.