Fate of Marina Motel in Fox Lake to be decided soon
Fox Lake village officials will determine in the next day or two the fate of a troubled motel on Route 12.
Village officials heard testimony during a business license hearing Thursday at village hall about whether the Marina Motel on Route 12 should be allowed to remain open.
Police Chief Mike Behan said numerous police officers testified in front of Mayor Ed Bender about the time they spend policing the drug problems at the motel, and a lack of leadership at the motel has allowed the crimes to continue.
“We worked with them at first, and did what we could to help them remain open,” Behan said. “But, enough is enough. It's time for that business to close.”
Bender could make a final decision on the fate of the motel as early as Friday. He was not available for comment Thursday.
“We presented our case, now it's up to the mayor to decide,” Behan said.
Earlier this week, Behan said his priority was to shutter the motel due to excessive crime and nuisance calls to the police department that often put officers in danger.
The problems for the motel started in October 2009 when police discovered a disabled man living in squalor in the motel.
The motel was closed between October 2009 and March 2010 while owner Joseph Wulf cleaned up the property, Behan said, but the police department has received 169 emergency calls involving the business between July 2010 and July 2011.
He said police have been called to the Marina Motel 292 times since July 2009, far more than any other bar, restaurant, or motel in town.
In July 2011, Behan forced Wulf to sign the village's “Crime Free Act,” which states caretakers of the business must work with police to keep the property crime and nuisance free.
Since owners signed the crime free act, the police department has been there 89 times for crimes ranging from drugs to domestic battery and underage drinking parties, Behan said.
The 89 calls in the last nine months is down from the previous year, but is double the number of complaints the police department receives from the village's two other motels combined, he said.