Mall misses deadline as condemnation looms

STEUBENVILLE -- City Manager Mike Johnson said Monday that condemnation proceedings could be initiated as early as today for portions of the Fort Steuben Mall controlled by Mississippi-based Total Finance.

The company was ordered in April to hire professionals to inspect the property and develop a plan to bring the 52-year-old structure into compliance with building and fire safety codes.

City officials gave Total Finance 60 days to bring its portion of the deteriorating structure into compliance, with the final 30 days granted at the owner’s request. That 60-day deadline expired Saturday.

Sources, however, said the owners on Monday hired McKinley Architecture & Engineering to perform the required structural assessments and develop corrective actions. Whether that will affect the city’s decision remains to be seen.

Two months ago, the city informed the owner that major repairs would be required if the portion of the building under its control was to remain open. In the interim, officials required a professionally designed, floor-to-ceiling temporary wall to keep customers and employees out of the central corridor, where most of the code violations were identified, while repairs were completed.

Had the temporary wall been installed, businesses in the central mall area, along with several businesses operating near the main entrance corridor, would have been allowed to remain open.

That wall was never constructed. Instead, building inspectors reported someone attempted to wire benches together as a makeshift barrier.

Free-standing businesses inside the mall building -- including 7 Ranges, Walmart and JCPenney -- have been permitted to continue operating as long as customers enter and exit directly from the parking lot.

Last week’s reinspection report documented continued structural and interior deterioration within the portions of the mall owned by Total Finance, including visible cracking in glass panels at the front of one storefront and widening gaps above emergency corridors, “indicating continued structural movement.”

The follow-up inspection also cited:

-- Active roof leaks in multiple areas of the building, with the most significant deterioration in the JCPenney corridor, where “approximately eight full-size refuse containers had been placed to collect water,” several of which “were observed to be at least half full of rust-colored water.” Multiple fans and blowers also were operating, with extension cords stretched across walking surfaces.

-- A strong musty odor consistent with conditions “commonly associated with prolonged moisture intrusion and possible mold or mildew growth” throughout portions of the building.

-- Additional ceiling tiles that had fallen or been removed in the main restroom/electrical corridor, “exposing a greater portion of the roof structure above.”

-- Exposed metal roof components showing significant corrosion, “including areas where the metal has rusted completely through.”

Adding to those concerns were the results of Monday’s follow-up fire inspection, which found little progress had been made in correcting major safety violations identified during the mall’s biennial inspection, particularly exposed wiring, uncovered electrical panels and the lack of required alarm and sprinkler inspections.

“They still have a good number of violations that need to be addressed,” Fire Chief Joe Ribar said. “They replaced ceiling tiles in one of the hallways and brought two exit signs up to code that were not working during the first inspection, but there were no fixes to the exposed wires or electrical panels, and no alarm or sprinkler inspections. And they still have more ceiling tiles to replace.”