T-R FILE PHOTO Some Marshalltown Mall businesses were closed due to a broken water main from extreme cold temperatures on Monday night. Then water pipes in the facility froze and broke because heat was not turned on in one area of the building. Plaza 9 Theater was able to reopen on Thursday. Hobby Lobby was not affected by the broken pipes.

Some Marshalltown Mall businesses were closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and part of Thursday after a burst water main Monday evening.

Reserve Development Managing Partner Jeff Strong said they discovered the leak was due to a bad connection, and managed to get the water main fixed in the parking lot on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the water pipe troubles did not end there. According to Strong, areas of the building did not have heat.

“Part of the pipe without heat froze and burst,” he said. “We had to get a specialized plumber to fix it.”

As a result of the broken pipe, Plaza 9 Fridley Theater, Mama DiGrado’s and the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) Driver’s License Station were closed for business.

Strong said getting water to Mama’s was the first priority yesterday morning.

“They’re a restaurant with flammable equipment,” he said. “We had them taken care of around 1 p.m. Then we moved on to the Iowa [DOT] and Planet Fitness because they have showers.”

Plaza 9 Theater Karen Albert said they were closed Tuesday and Wednesday, but managed to reopen Thursday.

“The interior mall had some water pipes break,” she said. “The valves were shut off to stop the water, but it did not affect us.”

Rolly Danner, owner of Mama DiGrado’s Pasta & Pizza, said the restaurant was going to reopen at 4 p.m. Thursday, and posted on the Facebook page to let customers know.

Even though Reserve does not officially own the mall yet, Strong said they wanted to get the water problems resolved as soon as possible. The cause of the delay in the closing, which he hopes will occur this week, is the absence of necessary documents.

Reserve Development of Dallas, which is planning to invest $10 million in renovations, has been in the process of purchasing the mall from Marshalltown Development Group, a holding company of Kohan Retail Investment Group in New York, which is owned by Mike Kohan.

Water service has not been the only utility with problems at the mall. In November 2023, power was shut off in the common areas of the building after Kohan neglected to pay the large Alliant electricity bill. Power has still not turned back on.

Strong said once the sale closes, there will not be an issue with restoring electricity to the facility. Electricity bills follow the owner, not the property, he said.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.