BOISE, Idaho — The City of Boise slapped the Airport Inn and Rodeway Inn with eviction notices Thursday, telling management they have three days to voluntarily surrender the properties.
"It was completely unexpected for us," said Si Banga, Rodeway Inn general manager.
Airport spokesperson Shawna Samuelson told KTVB over email that a recent investigation found the two properties associated with numerous calls for emergency services. That includes drug overdoses, suspected drug use and sales, violent crimes, theft and runaways.
All actions Samuelson said, "do not align with the city's commitment to creating a safe community and form the basis of eviction under Idaho State Code." The city owns and leases the ground on which both hotels near the airport sit.
Banga said the Rodeway Inn, which only accepts short-term stays, denies all allegations. He did not know about the investigation.
"In house, we haven't had any incidents, reports filed within the last year and a half related to any drug-related crimes or substance abuse," he said.
Those associated with the Airport Inn paint a very different story. Employee and tenant Rachel Church called the hotel she has lived at with her family for the past two years "unsafe."
"I don't want everybody to have to move out," she said. "But if it's the only way to get this place cleaned up, then that’s how it should be.”
Owner Reinard Pollmann said he is well aware of drug issues at and around the Airport Inn. He also admitted to not paying rent recently — an issue the airport spokesperson brought to KTVB's attention.
"I owe them three months' rent, I believe," he said. “Rent is based on income and the income was negligible, so I didn’t want to send them a small amount.”
Pollmann said he is trying to find a lawyer to help fight the eviction. Rodeway already has a legal team working on the issue.
"We've never had any issues with the airport, never had any inspections past due," Banga said. "We've always been on top of everything ... just doesn't make sense."
If the properties are not vacated by the 19th, Samuelson said the city intends to initiate eviction proceedings through the courts. The city is working with Our Path Home to help people affected.
However, Church said she's unsure where her family will go.
"It’s really emotional," she said. "There's families here, people here. A lot of them have places to go. But there's a few people that don't.”
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