GIRARD - A local businessman has expressed an interest in converting the former Kay Lanes property on South State Street into a hotel, according to Mayor James Melfi.
The mayor said at a council meeting Monday that there have been inquiries about the property and of a possible establishment of a Red Roof Inn. The hotel would be located a short distance south of Interstate 80 and off U.S. Route 422.
Melfi said the city would be excited about any development on the property that for many years was the location for the popular Kay Lanes Bowling Alley. The bowling alley closed in 2011.
The mayor did not name the local businessman.
Earlier this year, Trumbull County Commissioner Frank Fuda said a representative from Columbus-based Red Roof Inn was "pretty interested'' in locating three or four hotels in the county.
At the time, Chris Cua, development director for Red Roof Inn, confirmed he had spoken with some officials, including Melfi, about building in the area.
Founded in Columbus in 1973, Red Roof has 345 inns in 36 states.
The interest at the time stemmed from the need to house workers in the oil and natural gas industry when drilling begins in Trumbull County. Workers doing land title searches for the drilling companies have been staying in area hotels and apartments.
Cua said the hotel chain was looking for local investment or investment by the oil and gas companies to build the permanent structures. He said the formation of "man camps" near gas and oil fields have been taking place in Canada and the western United States.