BRATTLEBORO — A local hotel that has received at least $2.3 million in housing money was cited for a number of violations following an unannounced inspection Friday that was a result of numerous complaints received over about a one month period.
"Anything from mold to bed bug infestation to just general lack of hospitality," said Brattleboro Assistant Fire Chief Charles Keir, about the complaints.
Keir was accompanied during the inspection of the Brattleboro Quality Inn by Vermont Public Health Inspector Chris Bishop and Assistant State Fire Marshal Patrick Banks. They spent about three hours inspecting 10 rooms, finding missing smoke detectors, dirty bathrooms, torn and soiled linen, and unswept and unvacuumed floors.
In his report issued Tuesday, Keir noted all rooms inspected had evidence the guests were smoking, with "improper disposal of smoking material [that] must be addressed" in at least one room.
Another room, he wrote, "has a significant buildup of rotting food, waste, and clothing. The room condition prohibits rapid escape from fire and promotes infestation from a variety of pests. ... The room must be cleaned immediately."
"Occupant stated that they have to plunge the shower every two-three days to maintain effective draining," wrote Bishop in his report, also issued Tuesday, about another room.
Violations noted in the report included not posting an evacuation route in each room, and walls, floors, ceilings, doors, and windows not constructed of materials "intended for that purpose, maintained in good repair, or cleaned, painted, and replaced as necessary."
Furnishings were also not kept clean or in good repair, and junctures between floors and walls "are not constructed, covered, or finished with a baseboard and readily cleanable."
Guests are smoking in the building, notes the report, which is expressly prohibited, with people "removing window screens to hang outside of windows to smoke."
There are also problems with electrical wiring in the building, some of which is not installed and maintained "in accordance with all applicable state and local electrical codes."
According to the Vermont Secretary of State's business search website, the Quality Inn is owned by Anil Sachdev, who also co-owns hotels in Montpelier, Rutland, and Berlin.
Sachdev was not available to speak to the Reformer, though his clerk in charge said Sachdev was aware of the report and was preparing a response.
The clerk in charge told the inspectors on Friday that management had conducted a room check on Nov. 21 and that new blankets had been ordered for each room, as had microwaves, refrigerators, TVs, trash bins and landline phones as needed.
"It should be noted that [one] room had six occupants at the time of inspection: two adults and four minors," wrote Bishop. "Occupant stated that they have been occupying the room for at least two years."
Despite the condition of the rooms inspected, a number of people lodging at the Quality Inn said they are grateful to be out of the cold.
Catherine was sitting in a wheelchair of the lobby, waiting for the Moover to arrive. She said she does not qualify for emergency shelter funding because her Social Security benefits are pending.
"I had nowhere to go," she said. "I'm on the mercy of the owners. They agreed to let me stay to help me out and they couldn't see putting me out on the street in a wheelchair."
Timothy has been staying at the Quality Inn for nearly three months and hopes to return to Rutland soon.
"I got jumped on last night by two people," he said, smoking a cigarette in front of the hotel.
Timothy said he didn't file a police report because he didn't know who the assailants were.
"They had hoodies on," he said.
Jenn, her husband, Mark, and their dog, Honey, have been staying at the Quality Inn since the beginning of November, after she moved from the Econo Lodge in Manchester.
"Having a roof over our heads is definitely a lifesaver," she said. "Being here, not so much. Some of the people we have to be around are not the greatest. There's a lot of drug activity here. It's a good program. I just wish they could be more selective about who participates."
She said management does its best to keep the building and its rooms clean.
"There's some people who won't let them in their rooms. There could be a mold problem, because people don't keep their rooms clean. It's more the people here than the management."
Leonard moved to Brattleboro a year ago from Connecticut after his wife died of leukemia.
"I lost everything," he said. "I had to get away from that area. Too many memories."
He said the emergency housing program has been "a lifesaver."
"Some of the cast and characters ... they should maybe filter out a little better. This place is a zoo."
The state's fire report and the town's health report have not yet been issued.
Keir noted the problems at the Quality Inn are not unique to that establishment and that he has received complaints and conducted other inspections at hotels participating in the emergency housing program.
Locally, about 150 families are in "unstable living conditions," which includes unhoused, those in temporary housing, those couch surfing, and those who might be living in their cars, said Keir.
According to data collected by the town, EMS responses in Brattleboro are primarily downtown and to the areas around two hotels in the north and south of Brattleboro that provide transitional housing, responses that are paid for by town taxpayers.
"We respond up here often," said Keir.
From April 1, 2022, to Nov. 20, 2023, the state of Vermont distributed $74 million in emergency housing funds to hotels in Vermont.
That includes more than $4 million each in Brattleboro and Bennington, $1 million in Bellows Falls, $787,000 in Londonderry, $1.7 million in Manchester and Manchester Center, and $800,000 in Pownal. The biggest recipient of funding was Montpelier, at nearly $29 million. Colchester came in second at more than $9 million. Brattleboro was third and Bennington was fourth.
The Reformer has requested data for funding that began as a result of the COVID-19 emergency through April 1, 2022, and has asked for site-specific funding for each of the hotels in the program from the beginning of the pandemic to now, as well as demographic information for those served by the program.
In a letter to the Reformer, the Agency of Human Services stated the newspaper's request for that information will require 23 hours of staff time at a cost to the Reformer of $769.50. The Reformer is contesting the fee on the grounds the information should be readily available to the public and free of cost.
Some of the items found during the Brattleboro Quality Inn inspection must be addressed by Dec. 11 and others by Jan. 5.
The fire safety report was not available at press time.
