COLUMBUS, Ohio — The old Fort Rapids Indoor WaterPark Resort in Columbus is no stranger to inspections.
It's been the center of controversy, code violations and fines since its closure in 2016.
According to the property appraiser's office, the property was transferred to Juzi Cui in March 2017.
Court documents show that Cui died sometime between 2017 and 2020, leading to questions about the property's ownership.
A man named Jeffrey Kern has been listed as an owner in subsequent court proceedings.
Troubled History Continues
In September 2020, the city's fire chief sent a letter stating that an inspection found that the sprinkler system was broken, combustible material was on the property, fire protections were missing as well as placards to show that the property was “unsafe." The inspection found that trees and bushes were blocking fire department access to “connections” and hazardous materials were on site.
The property received similar warnings in October 2020, November 2020 and January 2021.
By April 2021, the case was bumped over to the city attorney's office.
In July 2021, the property was sent a letter stating that the HVAC system had been out of compliance since June 2017.
In August 2021 after multiple inspections, the city moved to put the property into receivership and bring in contractors to abate the property.
In August 2022, Judge Stephanie Mingo ordered that the property owner be fined $1,000 a day until they fixed the sprinklers, fire alarms and fire suppression system. They were also ordered to board up all the windows and doors and cut the grass and weeds. Finally, the owners were asked to provide contracts for 24/7 onsite security and weekly landscaping.
As of August 2023, a judge said the owner had to pay the city $96,000 and a lien was placed on the property.
'Fire Risk' Concern
In July 2024, an environmental specialist did an inspection of the property. He found that most of the issues from 2020 still remained. In his report, he warned that the property was a "fire risk" due to improper use of extension cords, a number of combustibles and downed fire protection systems.
It's an irony not lost on the city's attorney, Zach Klein.
"We have brought code violations against the property owner Mr. Kern. The contempt fines for failing to bring the property, including making sure all the fire equipment, ironically that was one of the code violations, and I think you having a massive fire of this scale goes to show the importance of why we do have health and safety codes on the books, to make sure that properties are taken care of," he said.
According to Klein in August, a probate court judge cleared the way for the property to be sold to someone who may be able to bring it up to code.
Klein's office confirmed that the prospective buyer is a man named Maxwell Drever. Though he added that after the fire he's not sure if the possible sale will stick.
"The fire and the damage that is still be to be determined with the fire that happened last night complicates things. The buyer is doing his due diligence. Depending on the extensive damage and the amount thereof due to the fire, you know the buyer will have to determine whether to proceed or whether to renegotiate the price or walk away. We don't really know because we don't know what the damage is," he said.
Ownership Questions
Throughout 10TV's investigation, there were questions about who the current owner is. Both the estate of Juzi Cui and Jeffrey Kern are listed on dozens of court documents in connection to the property's ownership.
10TV asked the attorney for Cui's estate, Bryan Pritikin, for clarification via email. He provided the following statement:
“The Estate took all necessary steps to sell the Fort Rapids Property over Jeff Kern’s widespread interference. In August, the Franklin County Probate Court confirmed the property’s sale. The Tenth District dismissed Mr. Kern’s appeal of that Order, and the property’s sale is pending a closing date. It’s too early to know if, or how, this fire will impact the sale but the Estate will continue working to sell the Property.”
When 10TV asked for clarification on what Kern's connection to the property was, Pritikin said he'd been acting as a "beneficial owner."
10TV also contacted the Franklin County Probate Court. They confirmed over the phone that the "sole heir" to Cui's estate "may" have assigned "their interests" to Kern.
10TV called Kern's attorney for comment and didn't hear back.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.