Red Rock Inn faces another $1,000 fine as demolition clock keeps ticking

The Red Rock Inn property is once again in the crosshairs of the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety, as the city issued yet another $1,000 fine against the property — the latest consequence of a demolition order that has remained unfulfilled.

Plymouth Building Commissioner Dennis Manuwal brought the matter before the Board during Monday evening's meeting, informing members that another 90 days had passed without the required demolition of the structures on the property being completed and the bond obtained. Under city procedures, the Board of Public Works and Safety may, at the Building Commissioner's request, approve a new $1,000 fine every 90 days the demolition order goes unmet — and on Monday, they did exactly that.

The delay has been rooted largely in an ongoing legal dispute between the property owner and the restaurant's lessor. Councilman Duane Culp pressed for an update on the litigation during Tuesday's meeting, and City Attorney Jeff Houin provided some encouraging news.

Houin told the Board that a hearing was held in June on the property owner's complaint for immediate possession — in effect, an eviction. The court ruled in the owner's favor, giving the occupant 60 days to vacate the property, placing the deadline at approximately August 16th.

Houin emphasized that the city has no role in the court proceedings — the matter is strictly between the property owner and the lessor. However, resolution of that case is the critical first step before demolition can begin.

Once the eviction is finalized, things could move quickly. Houin told the Board that in a conversation with the demolition contractor last week, he learned the contractor is eager to get started. If the property is vacated as ordered, the contractor plans to begin work at the start of September and have demolition completed by the end of September.

However, Houin said he made sure to flag one important scheduling consideration — the Marshall County Blueberry Festival — and strongly suggested the contractor avoid working that weekend to minimize any disruption to one of the region's biggest annual events.

If the timeline holds, Plymouth could see the long-troublesome Red Rock Inn property finally cleared before fall. For city officials who have watched the drawn-out process unfold over multiple years and a mounting string of fines, that would mark a significant — and welcome — turning point.