Fox Lake hotel closed for 30 days after inspection

The Marina Motel in Fox Lake will be closed for 30 days after an inspection determined several life-safety code violations were not repaired by the Oct. 1 deadline, village officials said Thursday.

Mayor Ed Bender said he agreed to the business license suspension following an inspection at the troubled motel at 123 S. Route 12. Motel owner Joseph Wulf must address the remaining code violations or face another 30-day suspension.

"Businesses like this cannot operate this way in the village of Fox Lake," Bender said. "This place needs to be cleaned up, and if it isn't, we will shut them down."

Under terms of the suspension, the Marina Motel's remaining three or four tenants must leave by Saturday at noon, and no occupancy will be allowed until noon Nov. 2, Bender said. A building inspection is scheduled for Nov. 1 to determine if requirements have been met to allow it to reopen.

Bender said there are "about a dozen" existing violations in the building, most of which involve plumbing, and another dozen new violations that must be repaired. Most of those are mold-related.

"We discovered mold in many rooms and many service areas," he said. "All of that needs to be cleaned by a certified technician before the suspension will be lifted."

The Marina Motel received more than 60 code violations after a disabled man was discovered living in squalor by police and fire crews in early September.

Officials did a full inspection of the complex, then held a public hearing in late September and told Wulf he had until Thursday to fix the building or face a suspension or revocation of his business license.

The motel has operated in the village for at least 35 years.

Wulf completed about 20 repairs, but not enough to appease Bender, Police Chief Mike Behan, and Building Commissioner Bill Hart.

"It cannot operate in its current condition or the way it has been going," Bender said. "He needs to fix the building correctly before tenants are allowed back in."

Police also say the motel has been the source of numerous complaints, including drugs and domestic disturbances, in recent years. Behan said this week he is working with the Lake County state's attorney's and Illinois attorney general's offices on a nuisance abatement ordinance to allow officials to close the motel if crime problems persist.