By ROD ZOOK
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — It is still wait-and-see for the city of Hutchinson when it comes to the purchase of the Atrium Hotel property.
This comes after asbestos was discovered, pumping the cost for the property up another $500,000 — something the city will now have to address.
“It takes the price point of the acquisition to a point that is concerning,” City Manager Jeff Cantrell said. “And in discussion with the governing body, we felt it was appropriate to seek price concessions from the owner.”
So far, the city has not heard from Joshua Joseph, who closed the hotel two years ago.
“To date, we have not heard back with regard to those requests,” Cantrell said. “We’ll probably wait a little bit longer and see if we hear something, but it may be time to consider plan B.”
According to Cantrell, that could be just about anything, although he could not go into specifics.
“There have been multiple options discussed in the past and I’m sure those would come up again,” Cantrell said. “Maybe some new locations would be discussed as well, but that would involve multiple stakeholders.”
The city has been trying to purchase the Atrium from Joseph since it closed. Former City Manager John Deardoff had entered into an agreement with a development company before the pandemic derailed any real plans to deal with the hotel and convention center.
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