Boardman declares Wagon Wheel a nuisance

By JESSICA HARDIN

jhardin@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Township trustees voted Monday to declare the embattled Wagon Wheel Motel a nuisance after multiple inspections found the 7015 Market St. building unsafe.

The Boardman Fire Department, inspecting the building with the state fire marshal code enforcement bureau, discovered structural concerns that pose risks to inhabitants and firefighters in the event of an emergency.

The owners “have not done anything with the structure. It appears to have fallen into worse condition” since the March 28 inspection, said fire Chief Mark Pitzer.

Findings were sent to the Mahoning County Building Inspection Department which also found safety issues at the motel. The department sent an adjudication order and gave Akm and Nasrin Rahman until May 3 to correct the issues found.

Specifically, the inspection found “rotted and deteriorated soffit [fascia] board near motel office areas with evidence of water leakage.”

The department could revoke the property’s occupancy permit.

The owners have 30 days to correct issues found by the fire department, at which point, trustees can move forward with demolition.

The next step in the process of condemning the building is an appeal hearing which has been tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. May 28.

“The people in there need to be safe. That’s the most important thing,” said township Administrator Jason Loree.

In addition to the motel’s structural risks, the property has been the site of criminal activity. In 2018, police made 121 calls to the Wagon Wheel.

Complaints of bed bug infestations and reports of overdose deaths at the Wagon Wheel have roused the ire of the community.

In its 1950s prime, well-known guests visited the Plaza when they came to town. Duncan Renaldo, who played “The Cisco Kid” on television in the 1950s, stayed there on a trip to Youngstown.

But the construction of I-680 between 1960 and 1976 provided travelers with an alternate route to downtown Youngstown, allowing drivers to bypass Market Street.

At the same time, chains such as Best Western and Holiday Inn grew in popularity, squeezing out their independent counterparts.

According to the Mahoning County Auditor’s website, Akm and Nasrin Rahman acquired the Wagon Wheel Motel in 2003.

In January the family that runs the motel said Chirag Patel purchased the Wagon Wheel in 2014. Ken Patel, Chirag’s father, said then that he and his son do their best to dispel criminal activity.