KINSTON, NC (WITN) – An Eastern Carolina town is willing to spend over $100,000 to demolish an old motel that has been abandoned for years.

Broken doors and shattered windows are just some of the reasons why the Super 8 Motel on Highway 70 is a public nuisance, according to the City of Kinston.

The motel was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, but the city says there were never any plans to repair the damage caused. The hotel has sat vacant ever since, and businesses in the area say it has become a breeding ground not only for rats, but also for crime.

“We had criminal elements there. It’s an old hotel. The doors were broken down, windows were smashed and some homeless people were sleeping there,” said Russell Rhodes, owner of the Neuse Sport Shop across the street. “There was an attempted break-in in April and the getaway car was hidden there.”

The Kinston City Council is scheduled to consider a motion to demolish the building on Tuesday. Employees at some of the other hotels near the Super 8 are happy that the building could be torn down, as they have heard from customers that just being close to such an abandoned place can be nerve-racking.

“People are just scared when they walk by there. I walk by there and it scares me too because sometimes you hear glass falling or something,” said Roscoe Arnold Jr., a maintenance worker at the nearby Red Carpet Inn and Suites.

The demolition will cost the city $128,474. Lenoir County has offered to pay half of the cost. This includes demolition, asbestos abatement, trash removal and resurfacing. The city and area businesses hope the demolition will benefit the entire community.

“It’s an area in a relatively vibrant business community that needs to be addressed, and I’m glad the city is doing that,” Rhodes said.

The city says demolishing the building will create a beautiful view of the Neuse River and make plenty of room for future development.

Information about the demolition will be presented to the city council on Monday and it will vote on awarding the contract on Tuesday.

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