Updated: Power turned back on at Towne West Square after payment on past due bill
Power was turned back on Friday afternoon at Towne West Square after a payment was made on a past due electricity bill, Evergy spokesperson Kaley Bohlen said in an email at 3:53 p.m. Friday.
She said the amount was paid in full but did not say how much was owed.
Power had been turned off Friday morning after the mall fell behind on its electricity bill.
“Kohan Retail Investment Group has again fallen delinquent on the electricity bill for Towne West Mall and the electric service is disconnected,” she said in an email Friday morning. “The larger stores at the mall have separate accounts that remain in good standing and their service remains active.”
Evergy had threatened to cut the power to the mall earlier this year before a last-minute payment kept the power on.
Bohlen directed all other questions to the investment group. Managing member Mike Kohan did not immediately respond to a call and text Friday morning.
Tenants inside the mall received a letter Thursday saying that power would be cut off if the bill wasn’t paid. It said Evergy has tried to work with the mall over the “past several months ... to remedy the Mall’s electric bill.”
“We are providing this courtesy notice to you because power to your store will be terminated in the event the Mall’s service is disconnected,” the letter says. “We are providing this courtesy notice to allow you to prepare for the possible disruption.”
Steve’s Jams and Jellies, which is located at the mall, wrote on Facebook Friday: “Ok, so much for being optimistic. Power is off and the mall is closed today.”
Kohan answered a call on Thursday and said “we already done it, so, that’s already done.” He then hung up. Evergy said the bill wasn’t paid, leading to Friday’s cutoff.
Evergy threatened to cut power to the mall in June for a bill past due since November, but some payment was made. Evergy wouldn’t say if they paid the whole bill or partial, or how much was owed.
The New-York based company bought the struggling mall in 2019 along with Florida-based 4th Dimension Properties. In June, The Eagle reported that checks written the mall’s employees were bouncing and that the mall owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in property taxes from 2021 and 2022.
Each month, a 1% penalty is added to the bill. They currently owe more than $376,000.
The investment group has had problems paying its bills at other malls it owns as well.
