Hotel properties county bought are contaminated with meth

EVERETT — Methamphetamine contamination needs to be cleared out of the former Days Inn hotel on Everett Mall Way which the county is converting into a space to temporarily house people who are homeless.
Leland Dart’s MyEverettNews.com broke the story.
A county spokesperson confirmed the contamination to Dart and said the county is working to hire a remediation contractor to clean it up.
Meth is also in the hotel the county bought in Edmonds.
The hotels will be called New Start Centers to get people experiencing homelessness off the streets and triage their needs. It’s known as “bridge housing” as the hotel stay is not permanent.
The centers would be staffed 24/7 with on-site security, and counselors. The county has the security firm hired and is lining up the social service providers, the county spokesperson told MyEverettNews.
The county’s human services department doesn’t have a clear date for opening them.
The county bought the properties last fall using federal American Rescue Plan Act money received during the coronavirus pandemic. Sustaining operations would cost the county about $2.5 million a year, according to county staff estimates from last year.