UPDATE: The Alpine Lodge owners Matt and Karla Sagorac have responded to NBC 26's request for comment with a joint statement:
"We are very pleased with the courts decision [Thursday], and Judge Weber did a very thorough explanatory analysis of both issues at hand.
This is not the position that we ever wanted to be put in, and it has been extremely challenging for our Family with all the social media platforms and the hurtful and hateful content posted by individuals who are misinformed on the entire situation. Not to mention the challenges our local restaurants have faced “With the Save Alpine Group” calling for Boycotts which has only hurt our local Employees and their Families as “we” do not pull a salary from these businesses as we are both retired.
Most importantly we will not turn a blind eye to the Village of Egg Harbor’s Fire Inspector/Fire Chief issuing an immediate closure of the lodge, a 24/7 fire watch as it was deemed a danger to life environment last May 2025.
The Village off Egg Harbor’s Fire Inspector’s conclusion was the “building should be razed as soon as safely possible”.
The Lodge has been boarded up, locked down, and no one is allowed entry except for the Village of Egg Harbor’s Fire Department as of May 2025. We did not want nor create this situation, and it is apparent there was an unwillingness of previous owners to invest the required capital for improvements to keep this a top tier resort.
Additionally, we had Door County’s most respected Structural Engineer do a full investigation and inspection of the Lodge and other buildings in disrepair. His report was detailed and non-biased and concluded “the Lodge is in a condemn-able state and should be razed at the earliest available time.”
This is a liability at the highest level, and we will not put our Family at risk for anyone to be harmed, injured, incapacitated, or worse a life ending injury.
These are all glaring items we believe the plaintiff’s and their supporters do not take seriously, or fully want to understand as their emotional attachment to this resort has caused a clouded judgment on their behalf.
In closing we look forward to the courts continued review in order to make a decision based on merits and facts.
We thank all our Family, Friends, Local Business Owners, Colleagues, and Loyal Customers who have supported us through this difficult process."
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ORIGINAL REPORTING:
The future of the Alpine Lodge in Egg Harbor was back in court Thursday, as a legal battle continues over whether owners Matt and Karla Sagorac can demolish the building.
The Sagorac's purchased the Alpine Lodge in January 2025 and have been seeking to demolish it since March.
Watch below to learn more about the legal battle:
They received a demolition permit from the Village of Egg Harbor Zoning Board of Appeals in October, but a group of local residents filed a petition to block the move.
Residents are calling for preservation, but the Sagoracs say the building cannot be saved.
On Thursday, NBC26 discovered nearly 100 photos in city records that appear to show significant disrepair inside the lodge.
Documents from the Village of Egg Harbor, including a fire inspection conducted in May 2025, indicate the building violated multiple fire and safety codes.
The fire chief and inspector stated the lodge posed an immediate risk to life safety and recommended demolition.
On Thursday, a Door County judge told the residents who filed the petition that they must post a $250,000 bond, or he would lift the temporary restraining order blocking the demolition.
The bond is intended to cover any damages and reimburse the Sagorac's for lost time if the court later rules that the demolition should not have been stopped.
When contacted by NBC26, the Save the Alpine group that filed the petition said in part, "The group is not going to fund the bond at that amount."
NBC26 also reached out to the Sagoracs but have not received a response. Their attorney told the court that they plan to file a motion to dismiss the case at a later date.
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