Nearly two weeks after Surry County officials confronted the owner of Mayberry Mall during a conference call regarding mandated repairs to the deteriorating facility in Mount Airy, no clear-cut plan has emerged.
Although a sense of urgency was evident during that session in Dobson on Aug. 21 — attended by county and city elected leaders and others including mall merchants — a final order in the matter has not been completed.
County Attorney Ed Woltz, one of those who sternly questioned mall owner Mike Kohan then regarding Kohan’s plan for repairs, said toward the end of this past week that it was still in the air at that point.
An official resolution to the Mayberry Mall issue rests in the hands of Surry Building Codes Administrator Brandon Hawks. He indicated a willingness on Aug. 21 to issue an order allowing Kohan, who is based in Great Neck, New York, to proceed with repairs rather than exercising authority for sterner action such as closing the mall due to its unsafe conditions.
Complaints from mall tenants sparked an investigation during the spring by county codes personnel, who identified structural issues throughout the building, including a leaky roof that has caused problems in a section formerly housing Kmart.
Rust damage in the upper portion has created a potential for collapses, and there is also a hazard with ceiling tiles deteriorating and falling. Meanwhile, rainwater entering the structure through the faulty roof has been linked to the presence of mold, posing an environmental risk to occupants.
In addition to the need to mitigate hazards to public safety, there is also a sense of urgency regarding the timing of a 120-day schedule that has been mentioned for the repair work. That would push the project into the Christmas shopping season and be a disruption for mall merchants.
At last report, as relayed by the county attorney, Hawks was working with Cox Roofing, a company Kohan has tapped for the work, to identify the exact scope of repairs needed to comply with codes requirements.
“He’s finalizing his order,” Woltz said of the process by Hawks to pinpoint improvements with the contractor and get a firm financial commitment from the mall owner.
Escrow account awaits
At the urging of Woltz and Hawks, Kohan agreed during the Aug. 21 conference call to put money into an escrow account toward the repairs as part of efforts to forestall any harsh action by the county government.
Kohan, however, seemed willing to advance only a certain percentage of the cost.
There could be a complication in this regard due to a disclosure that the roofing contractor might require half of the funds for the work up front.
Woltz said he is aware of estimates of more than $1 million to repair just the former Kmart section, which was condemned in late April, not counting work for the rest of the mall. (The Belk department store there is separately owned).
All this has made the county attorney uncertain about a positive resolution to the repair issue with Kohan, faced with the prospect of a major capital outlay being required for the escrow account.
“Once that is paid I will feel better about a hopeful situation,” Woltz said of a move that would reveal sincerity on the owner’s part to follow through with the repairs.
Yet the uncertainty surrounding the issue has led some officials to speculate about further options that could be taken by the county to keep the mall open if Kohan doesn’t finance the job.
“It’s not really where government wants to be involved,” the county attorney said of such a scenario.
“It’s unfortunate that we’re here,” Larry Phillips, a member of the Surry Board of Commissioners who represents the county’s Mount Airy District, said of the local government’s involvement with the mall repairs.
Phillips added this past week he is hopeful the matter will have a positive outcome that will preserve the mall’s presence as a major business center and an employer, which no one wants to see closed.
“It would be a devastating loss to the city of Mount Airy and Surry County as well.”
