Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 30/03) - Parkade users and mall merchants have had it with the minimal amount of security in Centre Square Mall.

Holly Sansom shows the damage vandals caused to her window. - Cheryl Robinson/NNSL photo

Holly Sansom parked her car in the Centre Square Mall parkade last Friday and returned from work to find a window smashed and a set of keys stolen.

She then decided the constant vandalization, drinking and pot smoking that plagues both the parkade and the mall finally need to stop.

"I've had it with this type of thing," said Sansom.

The estimated cost to repair the broken car window is quoted at just under $200.

But Sansom said she is more concerned about security than her car.

There is currently only one security guard keeping an eye on Centre Square mall and the parkade.

As a retirement job, the guard only works part-time from noon to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

"I've actually had to inform the mall managers that it is not my job to help him, because he has asked me to call the police for him so many times," said Jay Set manager Valerie Anderson.

When the security guard is not on duty the maintenance workers keep tabs on the mall and security cameras are used 24 hours a day.

Sansom said she contacted the Centre Square mall offices and was told they were working on the security problem.

"All we keep hearing is 'we're looking at adding security,'" Sansom said, wondering what that meant.

"I have seen the general public use the metered parking, including a woman with small children.

"I worry for their safety," said Sansom.

While the entrance to the Northern Heights apartment parkade has a key card access, the doors to the Centre Square Mall parkade will open for any vehicle, in order for the public to access parking meters on the fourth floor.

"One suggestion has been to do away with the public parking and have the parkade accessible by key card only," said Sansom.

Sansom isn't the only person who uses the parkade and has experienced vandalization, and she's not the only person disappointed in the lack of Centre Square security.

"I sometimes worry about going out there alone," said Maureen Miller manager and owner of Jan's Card and Gift in the mall.

"I don't know what the answer is, but I can tell you there is definitely no one up there watching things," she added.

Valerie Anderson said in the two years she's been working in the mall, either managing Jay Set or the former San Francisco's store, security has always been a problem.

"It is common practice here in Centre Square Mall to call security and not get an answer," she said.

"It's gone to the point where there is no other recourse than to get a higher form of management in here."

And that's just what the Centre Square management are doing.

Ken Lucianovich, vice president of Humford management, who ultimately manages the mall, is flying in from Calgary next week to hold a meeting with the mall merchants on June 5.

Although Centre Square Mall manager Jennifer Marchant was unavailable for comment, Sherrey Solmonson, office administrator, said she knows Marchant is concerned about the security issues in the mall and that it has been a hot topic during mall-merchant meetings.