Black smoke fills the sky as South Jackson store burns
Several media outlets are reporting that there is a fire at Mississippi Tire Recycling.
Hotel O has been declared a public hazard and the hopeful timeline calls for the building to be demolished in October.
The announcement was made by City Attorney Drew Martin at Tuesday’s Jackson City Council meeting. Earlier, City Judge Henry Clay declared the property a public menace and imposed the maximum fine of $1,500 on the owner, Martin said.
The city of Jackson has been trying for years to demolish the long-abandoned, partially burned and trash-filled building because it has become a public health hazard. Hobos and squatters sleep in it – clothes can sometimes be seen hanging from the upstairs railing as if someone had hung them out to dry. Walls are collapsing. The carnage is clearly visible to anyone traveling on I-55.
With Clay’s decision on Tuesday, the city is one step closer to finally getting rid of the “horror,” as Councilwoman and Ward 7 Council President Virgi Lindsay called it at an earlier council meeting. Here are the next steps.
The city must give the owner, Noah Muthana, 14 days notice before proceeding with demolition. Finding Muthana could be difficult, however, as he has been on the run since at least January, when Judge Jeffrey Reynolds ordered his arrest for failure to appear in court.
Reynolds originally ordered the demolition of Hotel O in June, but Muthana’s attorney, E. Carlos Tanner of the Jackson-based law firm Tanner & Associates, appealed the order. Muthana again failed to appear for court on Tuesday, although Martin said the city had sent notices to all addresses it knew of associated with Muthana.
Next, the council will be presented with an overview of the Hotel O case at its Sept. 24 meeting and asked to vote “to agree with Judge Clay that the hotel is a public menace and should be demolished,” Martin said.
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“By that date (Sept. 24) or shortly thereafter, within a week, I expect to have official estimates for demolition,” Martin said, adding that the city is currently working on a demolition contract.
The estimated cost of demolishing the hotel is less than $300,000. At the July 16 council meeting, 1st District Councilman Ashby Foote said he had been approached by private donors willing to help fund the demolition.
“The sooner the better!” Foote said after the meeting. “The demolition will give citizens a much-needed reason for hope.”
