image description

Downtown Mall re-opening project delayed

May 19th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

CEDC executive director Paul Kelly and Mayor Ray Morriss announced during Tuesdays meeting of the Downtown Development Commission that construction on the long discussed re-opening of the downtown mall will be delayed until spring. Delays in the design process will delay construction according to Kelly. The hope had been that the project could begin in the fall, however with the economy essentially shutdown as a result of the COVID-19, it was determined that holding off on construction would be prudent at this time. With downtown businesses already hit hard by the shutdown, the CEDC and DDC did not want to place additional fiscal burdens by disrupting operations during the holiday season. The goal now is for construction to begin in April or 2021. 

4 Responses to “Downtown Mall re-opening project delayed”

  1. May 19, 2020 at 4:29 pm, mac said:

    How can this be ‘the long discussed re-opening of the downtown mall’. It will actually be the complete destruction of the mall as it turns back into a city street.
    The necessity to replace utilities is not going to go away, assuming that the work needed to be done at all.
    Who knows what’s really going on with this mess?

    Reply

    • May 19, 2020 at 10:53 pm, Jay said:

      As I predicted many times, the project has been delayed. It will not start next spring either. Baltimore Street is already on life support. The pandemic will likely put more businesses under. When the M and T hotel idea falls through It would not surprise me that the whole project will be altered into only a replacement of the underground infrastructure with a retainment of the pedestrian mall. And this statement about delays in the design project is pure BS.

      Reply

  2. May 19, 2020 at 5:32 pm, Ed Dodrill said:

    Can they start without money as well?

    Reply

    • May 19, 2020 at 10:54 pm, Jay said:

      They are several million short at present. That number will increase with the delay.

      Reply

Leave a Reply