Southwyck mall to remain open after inspections

5/12/2008

South Toledo s Southwyck Shopping Center will remain open after its management addressed the city s demands to contain asbestos contamination and respond to other problems by Monday.

City of Toledo inspectors on Thursday discovered black mold and said airborne asbestos could escape from the shuttered Montgomery Ward store into the public areas.

The city threatened to shut down the mall at 2040 South Reynolds Rd. in 72 hours unless the mold was cleaned and the asbestos was sealed off.

The mall s management answered the city Friday with a third-party inspector, who they said found no visible evidence of mold growth or airborne asbestos.

Kenneth C. Baker, an attorney with Eastman & Smith Ltd., which represents the mall, in a statement Monday said the mall was safe.

"Work to address the alleged violations over the weekend consisted of routine cleaning and maintenance, replacement of some ceiling tiles, completion of some plumbing repairs in the women s restroom and a further strengthening of the barricade between the shopping center and the Montgomery Ward store," the statement said.

The mayor said owners of the mall still must address inadequate fire suppression systems by June 2 in some "unused corridors of the mall."

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