Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
The city of Shawano is seeking an injunction against the Wisconsin House hotel on East Green Bay Street in a bid to force an end to what officials say are public nuisances created by the establishment.
The city filed an affidavit this week in Shawano-Menominee County Circuit Court asking that property owners Keith and Jenifer Block, of Wrightstown, be ordered to “abate the public nuisance.”
A hearing on the city’s motion was scheduled for Nov. 6.
The Blocks could not be reached for comment Friday.
“We want them to eliminate the public nuisance activity,” City Attorney Tim Schmid said.
In the affidavit filed Monday, Police Chief Mark Kohl said a review of department records showed there have been more than 90 law enforcement calls to the establishment, located at 216 E. Green Bay St., since the beginning of the year.
Calls have included medical emergencies, disturbances, theft, warrant enforcement, disorderly conduct and drug activity.
Kohl stated in the affidavit that police have also arrested individuals for criminal violations and trespassing, performed welfare checks and responded to noise complaints at the hotel.
Kohl also stated the number of calls and individuals involved has been “disruptive to the community.”
He also noted that the volume of calls at one location has caused problems for the rest of the city, tying up officers there who could be responding to other incidents.
Schmid said it would be up to the court to determine a time frame for the Wisconsin House to comply with orders to put an end to the nuisance complaints.
He said the city has a number of options if the Wisconsin House does not comply, which include citations and forfeitures.
“The ultimate penalty would be to close them down if they can’t stop the public nuisance,” he said.