WARREN Imperial Motel owners to have building razed

The owners will have to pay about $40,000 to raze the building, officials said.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- There will soon be no more rooms at the inn.
The Imperial Motel, which has been vacant for years and has sat at 415 E. Market St. for decades, will be demolished soon.
City officials said the motel's owners confirmed that they hired a contractor to raze the two-story building. Mayor Hank Angelo did not know what company was hired to do the job.
"The owners of the motel are the ones that will hire the company and pay the company," Angelo said Monday. "I'm just glad it is finally coming down."
The owners
Atty. Donald L. Guarnieri, his brother, Albert Guarnieri, and his sister, Lucille McGuire, own the building. The owners did not attend the meeting and could not be reached to comment.
The owners, however, told Chris Taneyhill, the city's building official, that they are starting demolition proceedings. They will remove all solid waste before the building is torn down, Taneyhill said.
Taneyhill declared the building a safety hazard in December.
"I'm not sure when the building will actually come down because it depends when the contractors are available but it will be soon," Taneyhill said.
The owners will have to pay about $40,000 to raze the building, city officials said.
"When you drive down East Market Street, you can't miss it, and it is a real eyesore that deters from the downtown," Angelo said. "But first and foremost it is a safety issue. The building is not safe."
Among the motel's shortcomings are a disconnected fire-alarm system and entryways and staircases that aren't structurally sound. City officials also asked that security remain around the building to ensure that vagrants and children don't get inside.
The mayor added that officials are still trying to work something out about the Parkman Road Shopping Center, which also is owned by Atty. Guarnieri.
Taneyhill said that building, which also is vacant, has a roof which is falling in and a disconnected sprinkler system.
"There are also about four other commercial buildings that are eyesores in this city that I would like to have demolished by the end of the year," the mayor said. "We are working on the issues and are trying to make sure the owners of these buildings are the ones that have to pay to have them torn down."
sinkovich@vindy.com