Mall will remain closed until further notice
By Ty Johnson
Published in News on August 29, 2011 1:46 PM
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Wayne County Sheriff's Office
Damage to the roof of Berkeley Mall can be seen from the Wayne County Sheriff's Office helicopter that took to the air Sunday to assess the effects of Hurricane Irene across the county.
The reopening date for the Berkeley Mall is still unknown after the roof above the Belk atrium collapsed Saturday due to winds from Hurricane Irene.
Chief Building Inspector Ed Cianfarra said the city's engineers looked over the structure Sunday and found that there was more structural damage than first thought, but said he is impressed with the mall owner's persistence in trying to get the shopping mall open for business.
"We've looked at it, and I have to tell you that the mall owner is doing everything in his power to get that mall back up and running as soon as possible," he said.
Cianfarra said a private engineering firm had been hired and was doing an extensive assessment of the property this morning.
"They're doing a total analysis of the facility," he said.
Jan Luttrell, mall general manager, said it would be closed through today and probably tomorrow, though she said more would be known this afternoon after the structural evaluation is complete.