State suspends license of motel on Aurora Avenue

Mold, exposed wiring and broken smoke detectors were just a few of the reasons the state Department of Health moved to suspend the license of the Green Lake Motel in Seattle.

"We felt, for the safety of people staying at the motel, that we needed to close them immediately," said Lisa Salmi, who is with the agency's facilities and services licensing program.

The Green Lake Motel, at 8900 Aurora Ave. N., is one of the roadside inns built when state Route 99 was the main north-south thoroughfare through the region.

The suspension of its license means the motel cannot operate and all residents must leave by midnight Sunday. The motel's owners have 28 days to contest the Health Department's decision.

Motel management declined to comment and hung up when contacted Friday by telephone.

The state licenses about 1,700 motels, inns and bed and breakfast facilities around Washington, enforcing health and safety standards through inspections conducted at least once every three years.

In recent years, the Green Lake Motel has had difficulty passing these state inspections.

In 2003, inspectors found that smoke detectors weren't working. Another inspection was done in 2005, and again, inoperable smoke detectors were found.

In the most recent inspection, on April 1, inspectors found a host of other problems, including mold, unsanitary mattresses, exposed wiring and water measured at 163 degrees, 43 degrees higher than the maximum temperature allowed.

Salmi said that the inspection was a follow-up to the 2005 visit and that the state had tried to work with the property owners to resolve some of the earlier problems.

"When it comes to a point where we're not seeing that cooperation, we have to take action," Salmi said.

A state inspector will be visiting the 39-unit motel to ensure that the order to close has been followed.

Salmi said that although the state does occasionally suspend a motel or hotel license, it is rare.

"Usually," she said, "we're able to work with these hotel owners to get these violations corrected."