OSAWATOMIE — An Osawatomie couple has reopened the Country Vintage Inn. The Osawatomie Graphic reported that Linda and Dewain Crouch bought the motel at a 2003 county tax sale and cleaned it up, renovated and reopened it. The motel was severely damaged by the flood of 2007 and was closed. Once again, the Crouches cleaned it up and reopened it. Then in early 2008, city manager Bret Glendening told them they had to pave the gravel parking lot because it was a zoning violation. The Crouches argued that because they bought the motel with a gravel parking lot, it should be grandfathered in. The city rejected their argument. They said because it was so expensive to pave the lot, they opted to close it instead. In January, Linda Crouch contacted new city manager Don Cawby. She said to her surprise, Cawby agreed that the motel should have been grandfathered in and said they didn’t have to pave the lot. The Crouches then reopened.
Tuesday, March 27, 4 p.m.
