Days Inn ruled total loss by city
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on August 13, 2007 1:46 PM
There will likely no longer be a Days Inn on Wayne Memorial Drive.
Chief Building Inspector Ed Cianfarra said the building is simply not feasible for repair, that he will recommend condemnation and demolition of the structure to members of the Goldsboro City Council.
After losing its roof in a windstorm that left much of the city without power Friday evening, the hotel is now being called a "total loss."
"My recommendation is for demolition," Cianfarra said, adding he sent an inspector to the site to post "Condemned" signs today. "I'm estimating approximately $1 million worth of repairs, and the way I've calculated it, the cost of repairs exceeds 50 percent of its value."
State building code calls for demolition in such an instance, he added.
The $1.7 million facility caught the brunt of the storm sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 Friday evening.
Brenda Horne, a clerk at the hotel, was helping a guest check in when it happened.
"The only thing I heard is the transformer blew," she said Friday. "The lights went out and the guest that I was checking in said, 'Your roof is in the parking lot.'"
The hours that followed saw first-responders treat four injured in the incident and city crews and contractors working to help tenants recover belongings and clear debris from the site.
Cianfarra called the storm a "weird thing" and said in his 25 years with the city, he had never seen anything like the Days Inn scene.
Official condemnation and demolition orders will likely be a topic at the City Council's Aug. 20 meeting, officials said.
Until then, Cianfarra is urging residents to stay away from the building.
Property owner, Daley Investments Inc., could not be reached by presstime.