Residents of the Minden Motel, including veterans and disabled tenants, have been living without electricity since August 11 after the city removed the meters, leaving them in deteriorating conditions.
The outage has forced some residents to sleep outside to escape the heat. Refrigerators no longer work, leaving food spoiled, and tenants say they cannot cook or store groceries. Eating out for every meal has strained already limited budgets. One woman discovered the outage when her oxygen machine shut off.
Residents said motel owner Reese Davis told them the problem was with the city and that a credit was owed, but no verification of that claim has been made. City officials have not responded to requests for comment.
Community Services confirmed it cannot assist because its programs are designed for individual residences, not motels. Minden has no emergency shelters, leaving residents with few options if they are forced out. “We were told things would get better, but they’ve only gotten worse,” one resident stated.
The motel had been slated for redevelopment into senior apartments under a project announced in spring of 2024 by Davis and partner Anthony Waller. Plans called for converting 40 motel rooms into 20 one-bedroom apartments, with landscaped grounds, a manned security gate, and meal and nursing services for residents. At the time, Davis said he wanted to build a place “that I would have my mom in.”
Tenants say little progress has been made beyond minor demolition. Those still living there are seeking community or legal help to address the outage and their living situation.
Davis has not returned requests for comment.
The sale of the property to DW Investments was expected to be finalized by the end of May 2024, with renovations projected to take about two months. For tenants now left in the dark, both literally and figuratively, those promises remain unfulfilled.