Nugget Mall to remain closed while safety inspector brought in from out of town, management says
- Mark Sabbatini
- Jan 13
- 2 min read
‘Local structural engineers are booked out several weeks due to the widespread impacts across town‚’ update states; tenant estimates process may take up to two weeks
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
Nugget Mall, which has been closed since Jan. 2 due to concerns about roof stability following record snowstorms, will remain shut until a structural engineer can be brought in from out of town to inspect the building, the mall’s management announced Tuesday.
"At this time, local structural engineers are booked out several weeks due to the widespread impacts across town," a post at the mall’s Facebook page at about 4 p.m. states. To move things along as quickly as possible, we are actively working to bring in a licensed engineer from Anchorage or Washington to complete the evaluation sooner."
"We understand the eagerness to reopen — trust us, we’re just as antsy as everyone else. Unfortunately, this is one of those situations where timelines are dictated by safety requirements that are completely outside of our control."
Emil Mackey, in a post on his page for Country Financial Insurance, stated the mall "is expected to remain closed for up to 2 more weeks" until the mandatory safety inspection occurs. In an interview with the Juneau Independent on Tuesday, he said that estimate is based on his personal professional experience as an insurance adjuster, not information from mall management.
"It might take a week to get the person up here," he said. "It’ll take him a couple of days or a week to finish the inspection. It'll take at least a day, and probably a couple of days, to write up a report. So that's the reason I'm saying I'm expecting it to be at least two weeks."
In the Facebook post for his business he noted "for the safety of our customers, we understand and support the decision to keep the mall closed until a licensed engineer has assessed the safety."
Elizabeth Clayton, the mall’s property manager, stated in a text message Tuesday an official timeline for reopening the mall is unknown and "we are working very hard to make it happen ASAP."
All businesses at the mall, including retailers in separate locations outside the main mall space, such as OfficeMax and Petco, are closed pending the inspection.
Record snowfall at the end of December, along with more heavy snow in January, resulted in more than seven feet of accumulation in some locations. Government and business facilities throughout town have been closed for extended periods, and damage from the storms has included numerous collapsed roofs and sunken boats.
Some impacts of the snowfall remain due to heavy rainfall in recent days that has created hazards such as heavier snowloads on roofs, flooding of streets and homes from meltwater, and avalanche evacuation advisories due to unstable slopes. Heavy rain and wind forecast Tuesday night and Wednesday resulted in the overnight closure of Thane Road, plus an alert from the city urging people in the Behrends slide path beneath Mount Juneau to evacuate the area.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
