Cedar Motel and RV owner responds
COEUR d’ALENE — The owner of the Cedar Motel and RV resort on Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive has responded to a story The Press published about the resort on Thursday.
In the Press story, a tenant of the RV park claimed he was being evicted, in part because he complained to state authorities about his failing septic system and told the RV park owner, Ron Ayers, that he wasn’t going to pay his rent until the system was fixed.
Ayers declined to comment over the phone and opted instead to issue an email explaining his side of the story. The following is his unedited response:
"Entities I control own the Garden Motel property in Coeur d'Alene, and until recently, the Cedar Motel and RV Park.
"Soon, at long last, both the Garden Motel property and the Cedar property will be well on the path to becoming something worthy of the potential held in each unique, highly visible and valuable site. I am very excited to have both properties now being taken through steps to improve them.
"My entity purchased the Cedar property a little over five years ago. The property has nine individual septic systems on the site, serving both the RV's and the rooms. The systems were not managed properly prior to my ownership, and much of the history and problems in the system were passed on to me in the sale, and were not disclosed to me. Three of the septic tanks and systems had not been located for years, let alone serviced. Nevertheless, over the past five+ years we have actively located, mapped, exposed, pumped, repaired and managed the septic systems, and while they are old, are generally working properly. Septic systems are vulnerable to blockage by foreign objects- accidental, incidental, and intentional. Recently, and over the past years I have dealt with all of these, and things were repaired and are as of now, operating just fine. Reports of '50 people using one toilet' are completely untrue, a fabrication by a disgruntled guest under an eviction notice.
"During this time, I have been in touch with Panhandle Health and have worked and consulted with them on strategies to keep the system operational, or close a portion of it when they deemed it necessary. This past summer, while evaluating the different options for the future of the property, a buyer emerged and a sale was negotiated to the one entity I would consider selling it to. While I don't know their plans, I am confident that the future of the Cedar property is in the right hands and its future quite bright.
"Through April 30, 2016, my entity that formerly owned the Cedar will lease, remain in control and operate it until it is demolished by then. All entities and guests of the property will be properly and legally noticed and relocated according to each of their unique and specific requirements, needs and choices.
"The property assemblage known as the Garden Motel property on Northwest Blvd will be redeveloped, with the construction of a new Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott, as well as some further, as yet unannounced but very exciting projects fronting on Northwest Blvd. Timeline for these projects is still being determined, as the many complex pieces to this puzzle are brought together. As in the case of the guests of the Cedar, each guest of the Garden, at the appropriate time, will be properly and legally noticed and relocated according to each of their unique and specific requirements, needs and choices."