It’s been nearly two months since building officials and police officers evicted residents from the century-old Bergmann Hotel, which had been classified as unsafe for human occupancy.
But despite pledges from the building owners to repair the long list of deficiencies and reopen the doors to its tenants by the beginning of May, it appears little has been done.
There was some activity at the Bergmann Friday, however, with a new estimated completion date of late May. One snag already seems likely, with the owners claiming they do not need permits mandated by the city.
A long list of violations of the building and fire codes was given to the hotel’s owners on March 9, said Community Development Department Director Rob Steedle.
Some of the repairs, such as the skylight, window and door replacement and repair of the fire sprinkler system, require permits, Steedle said. One will be also required if the boiler is replaced rather than repaired.
“None have been applied for and there is no obvious sign that work is taking place in the building,” Steedle said. “We go by a couple of times a week, at least, and there’s been no sign of activity.”
City and Borough of Juneau Building Official Charlie Ford sent a letter to Kathleen Barrett and her son, James, on April 20, telling them which repairs will require a permit and directing them to contact the permit center with a detailed repair schedule.
James Barrett acknowledged that he had not called the city, saying he does not see why he needs permits for any of the work he needs to do.
“There’s nothing that needs permitting,” he said. “We’re not changing anything.”
On Wednesday, Ford said he was heading over to check out the situation because he had been informed that some of the doors, which had been secured with nailed-down plywood, had been opened.
He also said that he had spotted some signs that work was being done on the missing skylight. But that construction, along with other major repairs, requires a permit and none have been pulled, he said.
“The doors need to be put into working order so they close automatically, the broken windows need to be replaced, the heating system needs to be repaired, and the sprinkler system,” Steedle said. “It’s all doable — they just need to do it.”
Barrett’s goal is to reopen in May
According to James Barrett, part of the reason repairs were not being made in the first place, and why fixing the problems has been taking so long, is that Charles Cotten, who was manging the hotel, diverted a lot of labor and resources to a new business.
“We’re plugging along,” he said.
Cotten pointed the finger at the Barretts during his battle with the court system, which eventually ended when he agreed to pay his fines and pleaded guilty to the non-criminal minor offense infraction of unlawful continuance of a fire hazard.
“My mother feels like he sold her out and made misrepresentations to get himself out of trouble,” Barrett said.
Cotten is no longer associated with the hotel, said James Barrett. Now Cotten’s son, Rick, will be responsible for the day-to-day management.
According to Barrett, he has had people working at the hotel every day for at least a few hours a day, even though he has been hampered by a labor crunch.
He still plans for a quick turnaround; Rick said his goal is to be done by May 20.
During a quick tour of the building, Rick, along with workers Dave Lane and Zach Bowhay, pointed to plumbing work that has been done in some of the bathrooms, and said they are just waiting for some flashing to finish closing in the skylight.
“We’ve got people painting rooms,” he said. “We’re pulling out old sinks that leak or that don’t work. We’re also replacing the fire exit doors so they shut on their own, and there is a guy coming in to install alarms on them.”
According to Rick, the sprinkler system was inspected in March and will be inspected again before they reopen. As far as the boiler, a pressure valve on a tank still needs to be adjusted, he said.
“Then we’ve got to get a crew in here to clean,” he said.
“Honestly, by next week, you’ll see a lot of improvement,” said Lane.
Bowhay agreed, saying a lot of work that has been done so far relates to safety and not aesthetics, adding that it just needs a spit shine.
“I do think we’re fairly close,” Barrett said. “We’ll call the city and have them check it out. … I’m not trying to be nonchalant about it, but there isn’t that much to do.”
Barrett says he has people clamoring to get in, including former tenants who had been evicted.
“I don’t really want to sell the Bergmann,” he said. “I want to see it fixed. It’s rough some days, but it’s a place for people to go.”
• Contact reporter Liz Kellar at 523-2246 or liz.kellar@juneauempire.com.
Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file The Bergmann Hotel on March 10. The Bergmann was shut down for health and safety concerns but its owners want to reopen by the end of May.
