Southern Park Mall's "Operational Safety Concerns"? More Like "Operational Clusterf*ck"
So, the Southern Park Mall in Boardman, Ohio, had a little…hiccup. "Operational safety concerns," they're calling it. Give me a break. What, did a rogue Roomba go on a rampage?
Employees at stores like Bath and Body Works and Hollister were told to stay home. A Boardman Fire Department truck showed up – offcourse, because that's totally normal. Meanwhile, the mall owner, Mike Kohan, is apparently playing dodgeball with his tax payments. This is just getting better and better.
The mall manager, Vince Tyler, sent out a text saying the mall would open late, but tenants didn't have to open. Real reassuring, Vince. Real reassuring.
Kohan's Kingdom of Chaos
This Kohan guy… where do these dudes even come from? He bought the mall last December and has been radio silent ever since. Local trustees and residents are, understandably, pissed. They're watching their community asset slowly rot while this dude apparently couldn't care less.
One trustee candidate, Cody McCormick, said the mall is on "life support." Accurate. He wants Kohan to "step up" or "see his way out." I second that. Get out, dude.
County Commissioner Geno DiFabio put it even more bluntly: "This guy's not a good player." Ain't that the truth. The residents, the township, the schools – they're all getting screwed because some out-of-touch investor is too busy counting his money to, you know, actually manage the property.
The Reopening and the Radio Silence
Then, magically, the mall reopened around 12:30 PM. Southern Park Mall reopens Monday afternoon after unexpected closure Signs were removed, doors unlocked, and it was "business as usual." Except, nobody knows why it was closed in the first place.
WKBN reached out to the manager and Kohan's media relations team, but got nothing. Crickets. Total silence.
“It is another concern,” said Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Trafacanti, which is politician-speak for, "we're screwed". “It’s another item on the list that seems to go against the mall, and I am hoping that isn’t the case and it isn’t worse things that are going to be coming from the process.”
Normal people showed up to shop, pay bills, and generally exist, only to find locked doors. Chad Collins, of Wellsville, was trying to get some Christmas shopping done. Leroy Graham came to pay a bill. Both were met with disappointment and confusion.
I mean, how hard is it to communicate with the public? Is it really that difficult to say, "Hey, sorry for the inconvenience, we had a minor plumbing issue" or "Aliens landed, we had to negotiate a peace treaty"? Anything would be better than this cone of silence.
Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe there was a legitimate safety concern. Maybe the fire department did find something serious. Then again, maybe this is just another symptom of a larger problem: absentee ownership, neglect, and a complete disregard for the community.
The Bigger Picture
Here's what really grinds my gears: this isn't just about one mall in Ohio. This is happening all over the country. Malls are dying, retailers are struggling, and communities are left holding the bag. We're told to be optimistic, to "remain hopeful." But honestly? It's hard to see a bright future when the present is such a mess.
So, What's the Real Story?
This whole situation stinks of incompetence and neglect. Kohan needs to get his act together, or step aside and let someone else try. The residents of Boardman deserve better than this.
