Roers Development is getting closer to tearing down a first section of the Center Mall.

According to marketing vice president Heidi Knutson, crews are currently at work stripping the interior of the former Herberger’s Department Store on the west end of the mall. “They have been clearing the utilities and other structures inside,” she told the FM Extra Tuesday.
Demolition equipment will tentatively begin to move onto the site later this week, she said. The actual take-down of the two-story structure may begin next week or shortly after, depending on progress in stripping the interior.
She said that although the store is being demolished, the interior wall at the mall’s west end will continue to enclose the hallway. The parking ramp, too, will remain untouched. “It belongs to the city,” she pointed out. “We’re assuming it will be fenced off for safety.”
City council member Matt Gilbertson mentioned Roers’ plan at Monday’s city council meeting. He said that four businesses will continue to operate after the first of the year, along with the Clay County Department of Motor Vehicles.