A six-foot-tall chain-link fence will soon surround the 5.6-acre perimeter of the former Ramada Inn in Waukegan in an effort to reduce squatters who continually try to make the fully furnished abandoned motel home.
Judge Daniel I. Jasica issued a temporary restraining order Wednesday in Lake County Court in Waukegan in response to a lawsuit filed last week by the city of Waukegan seeking demolition of the building and heightened security while it remains standing.
Jasica also ordered owner M.A.S.S. Holdings must secure all windows and doors with plywood fastened in place with 18-inch screws, and replace any bearing graffiti. He said more stringent requirements could be required if these are not sufficient.
Although near the start of the hearing, the judge said he intended to make his decision based on the information contained in the city’s court documents and not witness testimony, six Waukegan police officers were in the courtroom ready to tell their story.
Abandoned by the hotel operator in 2018 with all furnishings left behind — including beds — the empty building became a refuge for squatters and drug deals, with people easily able to break into the former motel, according to former and current city officials.
Between July 8 and Oct. 28, Waukegan police removed 30 people from the building, including eight with active arrest warrants, as well as finding two men who had been shot to death, according to the complaint filed by the city.
Before Waukegan police found the two dead bodies on Oct. 28, the city grew weary of what it considered M.A.S.S.’s inability to secure the premises, and sent the company legal notice on Oct. 10 to secure the property under state and local law or face a lawsuit seeking demolition.
Marcus Martinez, an attorney with Waukegan corporation counsel Elrod Friedman, said the building still has electricity and running water, making it attractive for the homeless as the weather becomes colder. Parts of the building are connected by a series of walkways.
“The city must be able to secure the buildings,” Martinez said. “What the defendant has done has not been effective. At a bare minimum, we need fencing and security 24/7 to make sure no one gets in. People can climb a fence.”
Anthony Ochs, one of the attorneys for M.A.S.S. appearing in court remotely, said the company acquired the property in July and thought it had a buyer, but the deal was not consummated.
Ochs said M.A.S.S. was in the process of boarding the windows and doors with plywood fastened by 18-inch screws, which will keep people out. He insisted the long fasteners were sufficient, and nothing else was necessary.
“They won’t be able to break in without very heavy duty power tools,” he said.
Since the problems predated the company’s tenure by more than four years, Ochs said M.A.S.S. needed time to remediate the security issues, and wanted to work with the city to do so. Jasica wanted tighter control.
“Two dead bodies is not what we want to see,” the judge said. “Right now, the burden is on the city’s police.”
As the city’s requested hearing for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction proceeded, Jasica took the unusual step of trying to get city and M.A.S.S. officials to come to an agreement in public. He utilized remote and live access to try to achieve that.
Though the city was willing to have the building secured with a fence as long as there was sufficient security in addition, M.A.S.S. believed the long screws were sufficient. Jasica said there was, “no meeting of the minds.”
Ultimately, the city wants to take control of the building and demolish it. Mayor Ann Taylor said Friday a developer will be in a better position starting with a vacant lot than the troubled building.