City gets warrant to enter Fallon Hotel

LOCK HAVEN, PA – A 5-member contingent headed by City of Lock Haven officials obtained a warrant to enter the Fallon Hotel on E. Water Street last week to determine its safety.

The Record learned the warrant, approved by Clinton County District Attorney Dave Strouse and signed by a district magistrate, allowed City Code Officer Cyndi Walker, City Manager Greg Wilson, city fire official Bob Neff and two others on July 15 to gain access to the Fallon, a city landmark fallen into disrepair in recent years.

Approached by The Record on a right-to-know request, city officials offered little comment other than that contained in the warrant. They did acknowledge, “The city’s Building Code Official, the city’s third-party commercial inspector, Code Inspection Inc., as well as the city’s fire official and the chief enforcement officer participated in the inspection of the property for potential violations under the state’s Uniform Construction Code and the city’s Property Maintenance Code.  If any violations were documented during the inspection, the property owner of record, as listed on the deed as Terry and Dolores Mantle, will be served the Notice of Violation which will remain with the property until the deficiencies are corrected.”

 Last week’s entry was the latest development in city efforts, through its redevelopment authority, to purchase the Fallon and determine if it can be restored. The Record has learned there is an out-of-the-area developer with an interest in restoring the pre-Civil War structure if feasible.

While the Mantle’s are listed as the owners, C & Q Investment Properties had agreed to purchase the building two years ago, but development has lagged over that time and the building remains an eyesore, in addition to questions about its safety. The city used last week’s warrant to enter the structure “to conduct an inspection of the exterior and interior; the Code Enforcement Officer has reasonable cause to believe that the premises are unsafe.”

The warrant says the building’s heating system failed in 2017, causing the structure to be vacated and the Fallon has “remained unconditioned since then.” The warrant states that the city has attempted to get permission to conduct an inspection but the owners and the “alleged equitable owner” have not allowed access.

C & Q official Carey Chisolm sat in for a brief portion of city council’s Monday night meeting but did not comment. He last week posted online a video of the serving of the warrant. It showed him accompany the city delegation through the entire building. The dialogue was amicable, although Chisolm claimed he had not denied the city access to the Fallon. He said he hopes to soon have operational a juice bar in the former Christian Science reading room on the building’s east side. It is a small, deteriorated one-story structure undergoing recent renovations..