Nugget Mall scheduled to reopen Monday following 17-day closure due to roof concerns after record storms
- Mark Sabbatini
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
‘Each tenant may still open on their own timeline,’ announcement notes as reopening scheduled during Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
The Nugget Mall, closed since Jan. 2 due to roof concerns following record snowstorms, is scheduled to reopen Monday, according to an official announcement posted Sunday.
"The structural engineer has approved a preliminary reopening of Nugget Mall, and we’ll be open starting Monday," a statement on the mall’s Facebook page posted at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday states.
The post also notes "Each tenant may still open on their own timeline, if they are not open tomorrow, they will be when they are ready." Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, an official federal holiday.
Record snowfall in December, followed by more snow in early January and then record rain which caused further snowload and flooding concerns, resulted in the closure of numerous businesses and government facilities. City facilities were closed most days during a two-week period that also included the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, and Fred Meyer was closed for two multi-day periods between Jan. 1 and 11.
Roof collapses occurred at numerous structures including the Bill Ray Center, a karate school, a boat storage facility at Fisherman’s Bend boat storage facility and the gym at Echo Ranch Bible Camp gym.
The closure of the Nugget Mall was the most prolonged among major retailers. The mall’s management, in a Facebook post Jan. 9, acknowledged frustrations expressed by some residents and stated the delay was "a safety issue, not a lack-of-effort issue."
"The Nugget Mall roof is approximately 165,000 square feet," the post noted. "Clearing a roof of this size safely requires a very large crew of qualified, licensed, bonded, and insured contractors, along with proper heavy equipment and engineering oversight. At the moment, that limited manpower across Juneau is being prioritized on CBJ buildings, State buildings, schools, hospital, clinics and other large commercial structures — many of which are publicly owned, mission-critical, and significantly better funded. That is simply the reality of a community-wide emergency."
An out-of-town inspector was brought in and an update Friday noted the inspection was underway.
The post on Sunday notes "Snow loads will continue to be monitored closely, and safety will always drive our decisions. But for now, we’re excited to welcome everyone back."
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
