Kanawha County Commission ready to file claim on Crossings Mall bankruptcy

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Kanawha County Commission said Monday it will file a claim against the owner of Crossings Mall in Elkview, after he declared bankruptcy on the property minutes before it was supposed to be auctioned.

Owner Bill Abruzzino of Tara Retail Group declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 24, 15 minutes before a public auction of the mall property was supposed to begin at the Kanawha County Courthouse.

The mall was to be sold prior to the construction of a new bridge leading to the mall plaza. The previous bridge was destroyed in last June’s flood.

More than 500 retail employees lost their jobs as a result of the flood.

The commission will file the claim in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.

“There have been far too many delays in the process to rebuild the bridge at the Crossings Mall,” Commission President Kent Carper said in a statement. “The lack of safe access to the mall creates a public nuisance that must be rectified as soon as possible. The bridge must be rebuilt, and we pray the Bankruptcy Court moves expeditiously and clears the way for the construction on the new bridge to continue.”

The commission has estimated a new bridge will cost $1 million.