Time ran out for the tenants of the Bergmann Hotel Friday afternoon, as Juneau police officers escorted them out of the building, which had been classified as unsafe for human occupancy.<\/p>\n
Many tenants, even those who were aware that the city had posted a 24-hour notice the day before, were in disbelief as they hauled their belongings down the stairs or \u2014 in one case \u2014 tossed them from the third-story fire exit into the bed of a pickup truck below.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s cold as hell out there,\u201d said James Cole, who had just paid his rent the day before. \u201cIt\u2019s a bad time to be kicking people out. \u2026 The Bergmann is all we\u2019ve got. Now we\u2019ve got nowhere to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris Clark said he couldn\u2019t go to The Glory Hole because of his drinking.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you ask me to surrender my bottle, then good luck,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a drunk. \u2026 I don\u2019t have anyplace to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
By 5 p.m., Clark had collapsed just inside the lobby and police arranged for him to be picked by Rainforest Recovery.<\/p>\n
Manager Charles Cotten was led away in handcuffs for failing to abide by the notice, which mandated that the violations be corrected or the building vacated by 4 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was his responsibility,\u201d said Juneau Police Department Chief Bryce Johnson. \u201cHe was supposed to have the place safe, or everyone out.\u201d<\/p>\n
[This gritty ex-con rebuilt his life. Now, he\u2019s trying to rebuild the Bergmann<\/a>.]<\/p>\n The more than century-old historic hotel was condemned after the building owners, Kathleen and James Barrett, failed to address outstanding fire and building code violations, putting tenants in imminent danger, city spokeswoman Lisa Phu said in a press release.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is so much damage and neglect. It\u2019s a huge risk for the tenants in terms of fire and life safety issues; not just for them but for anyone who goes inside,\u201d Sven Pearson, Capital City Fire\/Rescue Deputy Fire Marshal, said. \u201cPeople shouldn\u2019t have to live this way. It\u2019s unsanitary. It\u2019s dangerous. People deserve to live better.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the city, health and safety hazards within the public areas and basement include an inoperable sprinkler system, a gaping hole in the roof, lack of heat and hot water, inadequate restrooms, exposed wiring, broken windows and unsuitable emergency exit doors.<\/p>\n In October 2016, the City and Borough of Juneau and CCFR issued letters to Bergmann Hotel owner Kathleen Barrett and building staff citing multiple code violations and details on how to make corrections, Phu said in the press release. Building management originally had until Nov. 18, 2016, to become compliant. At Barrett\u2019s request, the deadline was extended to the end of February 2017. Inspections in March revealed few corrections and several new violations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been generous with giving an extension and keeping an eye on the place. This was not an overnight decision; we\u2019ve been trying to work with them for a long time,\u201d CBJ Building Codes Official Charlie Ford said.<\/p>\n