The Progress-Index
PETERSBURG – Wheels have been set into motion that could signal the end of the old Ramada Inn on Washington Street. The derelict hotel has drawn criticism for the better part of a decade because of its unsightly welcome to the city, and the number of perceived broken development promises along the way.
Petersburg has attempted to keep the building in compliance with code violations, but is now threatening to tear the building down itself if the owner does not take actions.
A unanimous vote from City Council Tuesday will compel hotel owner Chris Harrison to demolish or fix the the building. If he fails to do so, Petersburg can do it for him and recoup the cost in court or by placing a lien on the property. That action also labeled the building’s condition a hazard to the health and safety of the public.
The Progress-Index
PETERSBURG – For decades the residents on Pocahontas Island have been dealing with a daily menace. The narrow residential passage on Rolfe Street is the only access route for trucks going to the wastewater treatment plant on the island’s northeast corner.
Six-wheeled tanker trucks have hauled biomaterials to and from the plant since it was built in 1955. Sometime over the decades, those trucks have become full on Tractor Trailers.
These 18-wheeled trucks take up nearly the entire width of Rolfe Street, Pocahontas’ most populated road. An island resident counted 38 trucks in one day, or nearly four trucks an hour. Their sheer size has the force to rattle houses and has tormented the area’s mostly elderly residents.