Motel Kimball, under new management, going through big changes of late

Motel Kimball, which sits at 1017 East 3rd Street, has gone through some big changes since being taken over by the new management of local residents Amie Rutledge and Chris McNail.

“We put in new televisions. We've upgraded. We've remodeled. We've cleaned up. We've put in new bedding, new linens, and we have a new clientele. We've done quite a bit," Rutledge said.

Rutledge and McNail have been aided in renovating and maintaining the 16 room motel since they took over as owners on June 5 by Deb Barnes, who they describe as their ‘go-to girl’, and Gloria Rutledge-Arrington, who serves as the manager for the motel.

“She's here 24/7. She's the one that keeps this all going," Rutledge said.

However, this isn’t the first time that Arrington has been associated with the motel as her involvement in the businesses stretches back decades.

“45 years ago, I was the manager of the motel back when they had switch boards, and I answered all the calls. It's like a full circle for me. When the girls had offered me the position, I was like 'Are you kidding me? That's awesome.' It's wonderful,” Arrington said.

Though it is only a small locally owned business, the motel has already attracted guests in the past two months from all different parts of the nation, according to Arrington.

“We're just 'Ma and Pop'. We're not corporate. We're not a chain. And by that, people love it. We've had a lady who is writing books stay with us. We've met a lot of cool people from all different areas of the world. In our short time being open, we've even had people from Canada," Arrington said.

The motel also had the privilege of taking in the AmeriCorps Cedar One troop that stopped in Kimball to help clean up the Welcome Center and help paint the Old High School fence.

“They are just awesome kids. It's just a wonderful organization and wonderful people. They were well-mannered, well-behaved, and they were always willing to help," Arrington said.

However, the motel not only serves as a place for weary travelers to hang their hats at the end of the day, but it also serves as a gateway to the Kimball community.

"The young couple that is with us right now would love to move to our community, because it's so great. They're in the Denver area, but they want to buy a home here. Because they've been with us, and they just love the area," Arrington said.

The motel also offers discounts on rates for elderly persons and tries to adjust rates in order to accommodate the needs of travelers.

“We do have nightly rates, and we do offer weekly rates. We do have families that come for family reunions that get a discount. We did have one family come in for a funeral so we did offer a grievance package for them and took care of them," Arrington said.

This striving to help out others also shows in how they interact with the different lodging establishments in the Kimball area.

"Among the people that have lodging here, there is a camaraderie. It's wonderful. We make sure everyone's full before we send travelers on down to Sidney. We help each other out. It's really neat how it works," said Arrington.

At the end of the day, for Arrington, the motel is there to serve the community.

“We do share a lot with the community, and we like to give back as much as we can,” Arrington said.

The hotel is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and any interested parties in renting a room can call the motel for rates.