The Kanawha County Commission filed a motion Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Clarksburg asking for a status hearing on construction of the Crossings Mall bridge in Elkview.
In a release from the Kanawha County Commission on Monday, Commission President Kent Carper said the motion asks the court to provide Kanawha County citizens a control date so they can “obtain a clear status [on] the progress of the bridge construction and the restoration of the shopping center.”
In the filing, the commission refers to the property as a public safety hazard and a public nuisance.
The bridge was destroyed during last June's floods. Since then the mall has been closed.
The mall was supposed to be sold in January, but the last-minute bankruptcy filing by the mall owner, Tara Retail Group, delayed the sale.
A 10-hour hearing about plans for the new bridge made no progress earlier this month. A motion being considered during that hearing would have allowed Tara Retail to receive post-petition financing that would allow a Bridgeport-based contracting firm, Applied Construction Solutions, to build a new bridge to the mall for $1 million.
Carper said in the release the county understands and appreciates the protections Tara Retail Group has during bankruptcy court proceedings, but it felt “it was necessary to reiterate to the honorable court the devastating impact the loss of the bridge has had on the Elk community.”
Carper said people in the community are seeking answers on when the shopping center will reopen. More than 500 people are unemployed because of the closure, according to the motion.
Carper said the community has suffered from the nine-month-long closure of the mall.
“I am hopeful a final resolution is near, and I am requesting that the court and the parties involved provide clarity to the citizens of Kanawha County on this very significant issue,” he said in the release.
Reach Ali Schmitz at ali.schmitz@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @SchmitzMedia on Twitter.