Unpaid Utility Bills May Cause Cash-Strapped Mall to Shut Down Friday

A long-unpaid gas bill may cost Jamestown Mall shops big this holiday season, according to a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

After recieivng complaints that the movie theater in the mall was too cold, county officials found that the theater’s temperature had dropped to below 68 degrees, a St. Louis County Department of Public Works spokesman told the post.

As it turns out, the gas had been turned off. And, according to the Post, it was “unclear how long the mall had been without gas.”

This kind of violation could force the struggling mall to close if not resolved, the spokesman said.

The county gave the mall until last Monday to correct the situation, but that’s when mall manager Mike Kohan said he was working with Laclede and officials to get the situation resolved so that the mall could stay open.

Kohan, who was also the manager of the mall when it went into bankruptcy, said that the mall had been recently acquired by a new owner after having been foreclosed on and put up for sale.

He was given until Thursday to resolve the situation.

An official said that the county does “not want to shut down a mall three weeks before Christmas,” but that inspectors would be there Friday to ensure that the gas is on.

“We’re hopeful that it is,” he said, adding that while the electricity has remained on, there was a concern this week that it would also be turned off due to non-payment.

Kohan said that he paid a $13,000 electric bill on Wednesday, but that the gas bill left unpaid by the previous owners was closer to $20,000.