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Hotel Ithaca appeals $400 penalty after emergency-light violations; board upholds enforcement, moves to executive session
Summary
Hotel Ithaca’s general manager told the Tompkins County Board of Health that supply delays and a later sprinkler-pipe failure limited the hotel’s ability to replace nonworking emergency lights, but the board voted to approve the county’s enforcement order.
Hotel Ithaca’s general manager told the Tompkins County Board of Health that supply delays and a later sprinkler-pipe failure limited the hotel’s ability to replace nonworking emergency lights, but the board voted to approve the county’s enforcement order.
Greg Conrad, general manager of Hotel Ithaca, told the board the sequence began with an inspection on Dec. 19 that found several emergency lights not functioning. The hotel placed an order for replacement fixtures on Dec. 23 but learned on Jan. 3 that parts were on back order; by the next inspection the hotel had installed roughly half the required units. On Jan. 23 the hotel experienced a major sprinkler-pipe burst in its south tower that shifted staff attention to mitigation and repairs, Conrad said. He told the board the facility is now “up to code currently.”
The county’s environmental health staff noted the hotel met a March 6 deadline in the enforcement order but that some emergency-light violations also appeared in 2023. Liz (Environmental Health staff) said, “some of the emergency flight violations were also cited in 2023. That’s in the case summary, so I wanted to point that out.” Board members expressed concern about the safety implications of nonworking evacuation lighting and questioned whether the hotel kept spare parts on site.
Board member Shawna said she was sympathetic to supply-chain delays and moved to reduce the posted penalty from $400 to $200; procedural questions about competing motions led the board to complete the original vote first. The board then voted to approve the enforcement action as written. After the vote, a member moved and the board approved a motion to enter executive session to discuss potential litigation related to the item.
The board record shows the hotel asked the board to reconsider or reduce the penalty, citing the equipment back‑order and the staff time diverted to flood mitigation. Environmental Health staff told the board the March 6 compliance deadline in the enforcement order was met and pointed to prior violations as context for enforcement. No change to the enforcement order was adopted on the floor.
Board action on the enforcement order will be reflected in the department’s formal minutes and any further legal steps will be handled in executive session.
