Hot Springs questions hotel’s stability update

A copy of the report the city provided in response to a public records request didn’t address the towers.

HOT SPRINGS — An update of the structural study that the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa commissioned in 2017 at the city’s request didn’t address the condition of the downtown landmark’s two towers, a primary area of concern for the city.

City officials told hotel representatives earlier this year an updated study was needed to determine if interim steps to stabilize the building’s exterior were necessary while a more permanent plan of action was being considered. The 2017 study identified the potential of stucco and concrete falling from both towers.

Sky Capital Group CEO Al Rajabi, who heads the San Antonio concern buying the hotel in July 2017, said the 2017 report confirmed the integrity of the hotel’s signature architectural features.

“The 2019 report provided by Cromwell refers to the tower conditions in the 2017 report, which affirmed they are sound,” Rajabi said Friday in an email.

A copy of the report the city provided in response to a public records request didn’t address the towers. Deputy City Manager Lance Spicer said Thursday the city requested additional information about the towers’ condition. Rajabi told the city’s chief building official last month a plan for the towers is nearing completion.

“We are getting very close to finalizing our plan of attack on the towers to start renovate/restoring them,” Rajabi said in the Oct. 21 email. “We should be pulling a permit very soon.”

The report from Cromwell Architects Engineers’ 2017 study said dropping tennis balls from the towers showed loose pieces from their exterior would land on the sloped tile roof. Cromwell recommended fastening tires to the roof to cushion it from falling debris. The same was recommended for the roof below the Central Avenue wing’s 11th floor, where the report said loose pieces of roof overhang could fall through the ballroom roof.

The report from the follow-up to the 2017 study noted no significant changes in the building’s exterior. It recommended shoring up loose stucco above the entrance to the exhibit hall on Fountain Street and mending netting hung above the Central Avenue wing’s seventh floor.

“The netting on the north end where the two pieces are spliced together is pulling apart,” the report said. “Recommend adding ties to hold the netting together.”

The report was based on photos a drone took of the hotel Sept. 30 and Cromwell’s Oct. 9 site visit. It was also informed by previous reports and inspections and original drawings of the building from 1923.

The statement Rajabi sent Friday said a large capital investment is in the works.

“As with any historic property, it will take several years to ensure everything is done correctly,” he said. “We are in the second phase of the tax credit process. We have already invested $6 million in renovations. We are waiting on approval from the federal and state government to move forward with an additional $56 million in improvements to fulfill the vision for the Arlington and the future of Hot Springs.”

The city threatened to close the property if repairs to the building’s exterior weren’t completed by November 2017 but backed off after the hotel’s attorney sent a letter in September 2017 urging the preservation of records relevant to a lawsuit the hotel was considering filing against thenCity Manager David Frasher and the city in federal court.