Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to the letter published by the Merritt Herald on Aug. 8 from Mr. Timothy Martindale.

Mr. Martindale did indeed live at the Coldwater Hotel. His tenancy ended very shortly after we took ownership on March 1. Being as he is aware that there has been a change in ownership, as well as the fact that he has not lived here for nearly half a year, I was surprised to read his letter in the newspaper. Why is this letter being published now, and not a year ago when he first got here?

A lot of what is in this letter is highly dramatic and certainly exaggerated. The purchase of the hotel took nearly a full year to complete, during which time we got intimately acquainted with all facets of the business and the building. Although there are many, many things on the to-do list, I have certainly never seen anything as colourful as what Mr. Martindale describes in his letter. With the purchase of a business of this size, we had numerous visits with officials from several governing bodies – health inspectors, city works inspectors, fire chief, RCMP, and several provincial ministry officials. All inspections were passed prior to the sale date.

In our few months as owners of the Coldwater Hotel, we have already spent far more “almighty dollars” in repairs, maintenance, and renovation than we have collected in rent. We are currently operating at close to 50 per cent less occupancy due to the number of evictions issued immediately upon taking over. We are not re-renting these apartments until such time as all necessary repairs and renovations of these suites are completed.

The attacks on the current tenants in this letter are appalling! There are many very hard-working and wonderful people living here; some have called the Coldwater Hotel their home since the 1980s. To have these people publicly ridiculed and referred to as “living like rats” is nothing short of insulting.

As far as Mr. Martindale’s demand for action from welfare, I would like to note that we contacted ASK Wellness (an outreach and advocacy group designed to aid and assist at-risk individuals) and asked for their assistance for some of the tenants who were living here.

After publishing such an inflammatory letter, I would like to invite any investigative journalist from the Merritt Herald to visit us any time.

Marla Reed and John Allison

Proprietors, Coldwater Hotel

Merritt