Will it be a long or short stay for the Long Stay Motel in Olde Towne Slidell?

The answer may be decided at next Tuesday’s City Council meeting when the council will vote on whether or not to allow Mayor Ben Morris to negotiate a deal to buy the motel for the city. The mayor is asking the council to let him spend $1.35 million for the motel, which has been appraised at $1.4 million

The Olde Towne Task Force will be at the meeting pleading the case along with Morris to buy the hotel. On the other side are council members, who believe buying the Long Stay Motel is financially foolish Despite the debate, both sides do agree on one thing — the motel is an eyesore and it should not be in Olde Towne.

Members of the Olde Towne Task Force, whose main task is to revitalize Olde Towne, claim that the motel doesn’t belong on Second Street. Not only does it not fit into the architecture and ambiance of Olde Towne, but the motel poses a safety threat to the area, because of crime.

The task force also believe the motel is a hindrance to the economic growth of Olde Towne, which is the biggest reason they would like to see the motel bought and razed.

Most on the council just think the price is way too high.

“The price is a major sticking point,” said Council President Richard Hursey. “With all we have to do, $1.35 million is hard to swallow.”

However, Morris and the Olde Towne Task Force point to the $6 million surplus in the budget, and say there is more than enough money.

The council say the surplus is needed elsewhere such as road and drainage repairs, plus some of the surplus should be kept in reserve in case of emergencies.

“If we spend the money on the motel, we may not have enough to spend on other more important things,” said Councilman at large Landon Cusimano.

For example there is the construction of the new City Hall complex on Second Street. Morris announced the first municipal building will start construction at the end of the month. The building is partially financed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and they city is putting up $2.9 million to construct the $4.25 million structure.

There is a second municipal building in the works, and Council Administrator Tom Reeves said that FEMA will not put any money up for the construction, and the city might need the $1.3 million to pay for the construction.

“Buying the Olde Towne motel at an inflated price driven somewhat by FEMA subsidies would leave us way short of completing the rebuilding to properly house all of our employees,” Councilman Ray Canada said.

But Brenda Case, chair of the Economic Development Committee for the Olde Towne Task Force said the two municipal buildings are exactly why the city should buy the motel,

“Once the buildings are there, we are going to have a severe parking problem,” Case said.

She and others have suggested that if the city buys the motel, it be demolished for a parking lot. “It will be a problem that has to be solved,” Case said.

But Canada sees other projects like the Slidell Senior Center that take precedence. “I firmly believe that rebuilding and restoring services to the seniors is a higher priority than a parking lot costing over $1.5 million,” he said.

Two council members who are leaning toward the purchase think the best time to buy is now.

“I don’t feel it [the motel] is worth $1.35 million, but I don’t think it will get any cheaper in the future,” Councilman Bill Borchert said. “The best opportunity is to buy now.”

Council member Kim Harbison agreed saying it is the best thing to do to revitalize Olde Towne.

Case said she does not want to be an adversary on the issue, and wants a peaceful resolution, but she sees the purchase as good for the city in the long run.

“They look at it as a strictly financial issue,” Case said. “We’re trying to boost economic development and the motel is a hindrance to that.”

There is another aspect of the deal that doesn’t sit right with some council members. They agree the motel is a thorn in their side, but does this mean the government should get involved?

“Do we go and buy up property just because we don’t like the business? That is not a good policy,” Hursey said.