A court order states that if LaSalle City building inspector Andy Bacidore cannot enter the former Kaskaskia Hotel by asking, he can break and enter. But the plan is for the developer to be there with a key at 9 a.m. Thursday. The city requested a search warrant to enter, saying the landlord and developer did not authorize an interior inspection.

Court documents say Bacidore inspected the exterior of the building on March 22. He found a fallen porch overhang, gaps in the walls where bricks should be, and open and broken windows that can let water in. He wants to inspect the interior to see what condition it is in and make sure the public is safe.

Judge Joe Hettel agreed on Monday that there was probable and reasonable cause for a search warrant. His order says the inspection could take place on Wednesday or Thursday this week. The sheriff’s department must be with the building inspector and they can use “reasonable and necessary force to effect an entry.” Owner Kaskaskia Development LLC and project manager CL Enterprises LLC were to be given at least 40 hours notice.

We reached out to CL Enterprises to find out the owner and manager side of the story. We have not received a response.

Some LaSalle city officials have been frustrated in recent years with the length of time it’s taking to redevelop the hotel. The city and the developer entered into a redevelopment agreement and the city launched its downtown tax increase funding district primarily to create incentives for this project. This was to be done by the end of 2020.

Last summer, Mayor Jeff Grove was optimistic that CL Enterprises would resume work. The company’s president, Nathan Watson, communicated via email that its contractors were having staffing issues and supply issues during the pandemic. Grove said the company had new employees and he thought everyone would be pleasantly surprised with the results.

This story has been updated to show that the developer has agreed to let the inspector in.