Woodville Mall tenants get clear-out deadline

12/29/2011
BLADE STAFF
Woodville Mall tenants have until 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 to remove belongings, property, and equipment from the building.
Woodville Mall tenants have until 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 to remove belongings, property, and equipment from the building.

BOWLING GREEN — Tenants of the now-closed Woodville Mall have until 5:30 p.m. Jan. 6 to remove property and equipment from the mall.

Wood County Common Pleas Judge Reeve Kelsey granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday prohibiting public access to the inside of the mall in Northwood but at the request of Juanita Jones, mall manager, gave tenants additional time to remove property.

Judge Kelsey had issued a temporary restraining order Dec. 16 closing the mall after city and county inspectors deemed it a safety hazard. Inspectors had found problems including large holes and collapsed areas in the roof and water leaking into public and nonpublic areas.

Judge Kelsey said he would schedule a pretrial hearing in the case in January. The prosecutor is seeking a permanent injunction to keep the mall closed. The owner, Mike Kohan, a real estate investor from Little Neck, N.Y., has said he does not have the money to fix the problems.

The Andersons General Store and the Sears store, both of which are attached to the mall, were not included in the court order and remain open.