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By LIZZIE BOWEN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – A City Council hearing was held Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. to determine the future of the Travelodge located at 410 Oak Mountain Circle.

The Council made a unanimous vote to revoke the business license of the hotel.

Mike Reid spoke on behalf of the Fire Marshal in regards to the fire, life and safety issues located on the premise, which he referred to these as “egregious violations.”

Reid informed the Council that an email was received regarding room 107 of the Travelodge having “spongy floors,” and an investigation was conducted. Reid said the fire department was only able to inspect rooms of the Travelodge that were unoccupied or had received a formal complaint.

Of the rooms that were checked, Reid said that 19 rooms had no smoke detectors, 18 rooms where the smoke detector had been clearly removed and 17 rooms where the sprinkler heads were not functioning properly.

Reid said other violations included exit signs not working, electrical outlets with no covers and areas where the floor was spongy or visible rotting was evident.

Reid said that the owners signed papers claiming that monthly checks had been done in the rooms to ensure all smoke detectors and fire alarms were working.

“They provided documentation saying all the rooms had passed the inspection, and that is completely inaccurate of what we saw,” Reid said.

Pelham City Building Official Levis Peters spoke on behalf of the structural damages located in the hotel.

Peters said there was a number of structural issues on the premise and also that air quality was very poor due to mold.

The hearing ended in a unanimous vote to revoke the business license of the Travelodge.

More information on City Council meetings can be found at Pelhamalabama.gov.