Tuesday night's council meeting ran until after 9 PM, with the mall front and center. The outcome: May 28th is the deadline. No plan submitted means closure. Council was firm, and honestly, given the liability exposure they're carrying on a building deemed unsafe, it's hard to argue with their position.
The encouraging part? Mall tenants showed up and pleaded for more time on ownership's behalf. That's a sign people still believe in a path forward here.
We reached out to Bill Johnson this morning with a casual update about the meeting. We kept it simple — the goalposts have moved, and at this point something on paper is worth more than a perfect plan that doesn't exist yet. We hope he takes it in the spirit it was intended.
Public Records Update
We also received a response to our public records request regarding the specific violations cited by the city. For those who've wondered exactly what we're dealing with inside that building, here's what the records show:
- The exterior violations include the sidewalks, driveways, potholes, and trip hazards — the issues this community knows well and has been documenting for months.
- Inside, it gets significantly worse. Roofing components have multiple defects with leaks throughout the building, described as particularly severe in the rear section. There are active leaks in spaces with current tenants, and perhaps most alarmingly, a leak directly onto switchgear in an area with public restroom access — that's an electrical hazard in a public space.
- Flooring throughout the building is described as rising or dropping in several areas, with the assessment that the entire floor needs replacement.
- Finally, the building's heating supply was found to be below the required minimum of 65 degrees.
That is a serious list. It also makes clear why the city isn't budging on the deadline.
Finally, a big thank you to River News for picking up our last update and covering this story. Good local journalism matters and they've been paying attention. Give them a follow if you haven't already.
— Fix Fort Steuben Mall Community Action
FixFortSteubenMall@proton.me