Washington Crown Center Mall reopens after water main break causes temporary closure

Wednesday marked day three of the Washington Crown Center Mall’s locked doors, forcing some local small businesses to turn customers away. The mall reopened Thursday at 11 a.m. after being closed due to a water main break.

“They can’t open if they ain’t got no water,” said Bill Miller of Washington.

Coffee lovers like Miller and mall walkers left the area empty-handed on Wednesday morning, as crews worked to repair a ruptured line that was gushing water Monday morning.

“I walked around the building, and there was some on the side of Rural King. It looked like it was wet down in the loading ramp,” said Alan Ralston of Washington.

Rural King and Ollie’s were two of the few businesses to remain open since they have private entrances. Channel 11 saw porta potties lined up outside of those businesses since water was shut off in the area.

A Facebook post from the mall’s account shows several new businesses that appeared to have just opened in the last few weeks but are now closed, which several residents said they hated to see.

“I came out here to meet my buddies, we meet out here every morning…it hurts. Yeah, it hurts,” Miller said.

“It’s not good for the businesses. You always hate it when somebody leaves, but there have been a few new ones coming in,” Ralston said.

Channel 11 spoke with the mall’s property manager, who referred us to the owner. We reached out to see when they plan to reopen but haven’t yet heard back.

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