Blue Haven shut down

March 9, 2022 by G. Chambers Williams III

A 24-room mostly residential motel in Rocky Top known for drug activity was shut down by the city Codes Enforcement Department last week for numerous health and safety violations, and the residents were forced to move out, said City Manager Michael Foster.

The Blue Haven Motel, at 445 N. Main St., remained closed Tuesday, pending completion of repairs and re-inspection, he said.

About half of the rooms were occupied when the city inspected the motel and ordered it closed on March 1, and the city helped some of the residents with finding other accommodations, Foster said. The last tenant was moved out on March 2.

Blue Haven’s shutdown came after the motel had failed to pay its city water and sewer bill on time for the second month in a row, Foster said.

“We shut off their utilities in late January for nonpayment, but turned them back on when the bill was paid,” he said. “But we warned them that if it happened again, we would have to inspect the property before turning the water back on again.

“That’s what happened,” Foster said.

“We shut off the utilities again on Feb. 28, and made the inspection on March 1. That’s when we posted the property as ‘not fit for human habitation,’ and forced the motel to close.”

The city’s new codes enforcement officer started to work that same day, and had this as his first case, Foster noted.

Problems found during the city’s inspection included no hot water in many of the rooms; non-working sinks and toilets, including blocked drains, in many of the rooms; and “animal feces on the floor in some of the rooms,” Foster said.

The city also called the state Fire Marshal’s Office to come in and make a fire-safety inspection because of inoperative or missing fire alarms and other problems, he said.

“We’re still waiting for the fire marshal’s report,” Foster said Monday afternoon.

Rocky Top police, fire and ambulance services have been called to the motel numerous times for problems related to drug overdoses, and the regional drug task force has targeted drug activity at the motel, particularly since it changed ownership in 2019, Foster said.

According to Anderson County property records, Jai Vipulbhai Patel purchased the motel property on Oct. 1, 2019, for $440,000.

Foster said Jai Patel is listed as the manager of the business, as well.

Besides two strip-style single-story buildings containing the hotel rooms, there also is a white frame house at the front of the property that serves as the office and manager’s residence.

No one from motel ownership or management could be reached for comment.

The motel has had some “extremely high” water bills – up to $7,000 a month – for the past several months, Foster said, indicating that there are some water leaks.

“I assume that they are making some repairs,” Foster said Monday. “We’re trying to work with them and get them back open, but we will make sure they’re operating within code.

“They can reopen if they meet code and get everything back up and running,” he said.