ST. LOUIS COUNTY — A county agency on Thursday picked a contractor to demolish the crumbling Jamestown Mall near Florissant. Demolition is expected to begin this fall.
Awarding a $7.4 million bid to South Carolina-based Target Contractors marks another significant step in the years-long process to raze the the million-square-foot building.
“I am trying to contain my emotions,” said St. Louis County Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, whose district includes the mall. “It has been a long time coming.”
The board for the St. Louis County Port Authority, a county government body that owns the property, approved the contract at its regular meeting Thursday. It will take a few weeks to finalize the contract, and then demolition is expected to begin in under a few months, said Andrew Ruben, the agency’s general counsel. An exact start date hasn’t been set
The agency received a dozen competitive bids from qualified contractors, Ruben said. It is required to choose the lowest responsible bidder, and Target Contractors was the least expensive by $800,000, he said.
The agency worked with St. Louis County and state officials to use $12 million in federal COVID-19 relief money for demolition. The Port Authority didn’t say what the extra money would be used for. Webb said it might be to cover unexpected costs. She hopes it could be used to make improvements on the property after demolition is complete.
In May, the Port Authority amended an existing contract with Stock & Associates Consulting Engineers for an additional $180,320 in grading costs, to ensure the “huge hole” the demolition will create will be filled.