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Do you remember Kent's COVID Motel?

By: Kjell7 News Team

Published: July 15, 2020

Kent’s COVID Motel Was A Prolific Source of News in March of 2020. Do You Remember Why?

Why?

Why indeed.

... the list goes on.

In early March of 2020, during the early phases of the COVID pandemic, certain actions by King County were, well, accepted at the time, but now, are kind of strange when the gift of hindsight is given.

My friends, while we were all worrying about our friends and families in panic stricken modern day King County, Washington, Seattle, USA, North America, Formerly Pangea, World, Universe…. King County (the government agency) was too.

However, they, unlike John Q public, had some real instinctive reactions in this short timeframe. While understandable in the moment, it seems like the King County Health Department and Executive woke up one day and thought to themselves (thoughts: ‘oh, we need to buy the old run down hotel in Kent that was notorious for prostitution and drugs and turn it into a COVID quarantine facility’.), In the linked article immediately preceding this sentence, chief Padilla of Kent PD is reported as describing the motel “so rundown and unsanitary that his police officers did not run operations or prostitution stings there when it was still in business, even though it was a known site of criminal activity.”

This kind of makes you wonder why they chose this site. Is this not a valid question? Some would say: “Hey Kjell, what a great use and story for a motel that changed it's purpose from bad to good”.

To that I say: “Hey you, if health is the concern for those planned for the use of this hotel, why did the County buy one that was used for horrendously unsanitary actions? It’s pretty much irresponsible. They could have at lease bought a Best Western.”

The headlines about this motel being used for COVID after its purchase by King County drop off in April 2020. So, now, one may surmise that King County owns a hotel that really isn’t being used for COVID, as the hospitals are not full anymore.

What’s the plan? What’s going on with it? I guess I am not supposed to care or think about it. But I wonder. I do wonder.

The City of Kent was trying to revive Central Avenue (where the motel is located) and now they’ve got a County run motel that no one will likely want to buy.

They’ve been unhappy about it since the beginning.

Can you blame them? I mean, in White Center and other areas they simply put up modular units. However in Kent, they straight up BOUGHT a motel. Smart move? No. Lease a hotel under the state of emergency? Yeah.

This isn’t Monopoly and you are playing with real money.

I have no choice but to go investigate. Stay tuned.