Owner of Monterey Hotel makes substantial improvements

monterey-hotel-gazette

The Monterey Hotel is in “substantial compliance” with a list of required repairs, city officials found during an inspection last week.

Property owner Jim Grafft was originally required to repair windows, tuck point exterior brick and fix a leaky roof by May 31st as outlined in a compliance agreement signed late last year. Grafft has completed most of those tasks, and the city was willing to extend deadlines for other tasks because they were happy with the progress.

According to Building Director Tom Clippert most of the remaining jobs must be finished by June 30th.

Grafft and the city in November reached a compliance agreement to fix dilapidated parts of the former hotel. The building has been vacant for about 30 years. Grafft bought it in 1996.

In that time, the building has deteriorated. Janesville issued a raze-or-repair order in September because of lingering safety concerns. Such an order forces property owners to make fixes or risk demolition.

The two sides signed the compliance agreement after several rounds of negotiations.