By Gina Long
Michael is on spring break from school, so he is heading to Topeka this week to complete on area politicians in the Statehouse.
That leaves me to hold down the fort. I’ve been planning a vacation this week for a couple of months, so naturally, it will be very windy. The high will be above 80 on Tuesday, followed by plummeting temperatures, much-needed rain, and possible snow on Wednesday.
Besides keeping The Tribune running, I plan to take my high-energy dog for long walks and runs in the dog park and at Dillon Nature Center. I tried that on Friday but decided it wasn’t worth the danger of her blowing to Nebraska in the clutches of the unrelenting gale-force winds.
I plan to do heavy-duty grocery shopping at Aldi’s and Ollie’s during the week, taking advantage of thinner weekday crowds. It’s a rare treat not to have to cart joust through a store.
I enjoy some of the snack items at Ollie’s and try to go by every couple of weeks to see what’s new and if they have brought back some old favorites.
Dodging the increasing number and size of the famous potholes is my least favorite aspect of being anywhere near the mall year-round.
When I see them, it is yet another reminder of a long-neglected building now dependent on the few remaining stores at which customers pay a slightly higher sales tax and, in return, simulate an Olympic-style giant slalom race in their vehicle. Losers get to spend $100 for a tire alignment.
The mall has enjoyed retaining a special taxing district with no conditions. Each sale on the mall’s property has an additional 1% tax added. The mall’s owners retain that extra penny on the dollar, presumably to help with maintenance expenses (the roof still leaks, and half the plumbing doesn’t work) and lot maintenance. There isn’t much green space, so landscaping costs are probably a tiny part of that budget. The parking stalls have not been striped for so long that they resemble dinosaur fossils embedded in the asphalt.
We know that very little of those retained funds go into maintaining the parking lot. After the freezing rain, snow, and cold, potholes appear from the freeze-thaw cycle, popping out small sections of roadways and parking areas.
We see that on city streets. Those street potholes can be there for days and months but are usually fixed quickly when someone reports them on the City of Hutchinson’s SeeClickFix portal, whether the report comes from a city worker, official, or everyday citizen. The request is easy to fill out, as I found when I reported a rapidly changing stop light along Poplar Street last year.
So, what is the best way to keep from sinking your car into a swimming pool-sized mall sinkhole?
I have tried calling the mall office a few times with no answer. I haven’t tried dropping by to see if there is anyone occupying the mall office during the week, but I will have some free time next week, and it sounds like an adventure.
Asking store managers to bring up the poor parking lot conditions with the mall may help, but I feel that the mall stores’ workers are already aware because they encounter the craters frequently.
The next question is whether a poorly-maintained and dangerous parking lot falls under the city’s commercial property codes.
Regardless, when I head off to shop at the mall next week, I will indeed have the Indiana Jones theme song blaring as I jostle along, zig-zagging like I am driving through a minefield.
