COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Someone wanted to know what prompted a stop work order notice being posted on the doors outside of a unique business coming to Colorado Springs.
The notice posted by the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (PPRBD) was dated Dec. 16, 2024, and was still on the door of Jungle Reef inside the Chapel Hills Mall in late January. Next to the stop work notice was a fire construction inspection report from the Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) stating the partial inspection was disapproved. Signs for Jungle Reef state the interactive aquarium is scheduled to open sometime this summer.
News5 wanted to know what prompted the stop work order and reached out to the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. We learned permits had been issued for demo work, but not for any other work just yet.
"So typically, the way it would work, and this would be the same with any project, not just this particular case that we're talking with at the mall, but a complaint would come in," Public Information Officer for the PPRBD Greg Dingrando explained. "We have a noncompliance team. They would then go out and investigate said complaint. If we are on-site and we see that there is work that was being done without a permit, then we would then issue a stop work order. So then that stop work order basically gives them 15 days in order to either communicate with us, submit plans, or pull a permit."
Dingrando explained that after 15 days if the issue isn't resolved, a certified letter is issued that starts the non-compliance process that is recorded with the Clerk and Recorder's Office. Those doing the work will then have to get plans approved and pull the proper permits. Dingrando added the contractor pulling the permits after a stop work order notice is posted can expect a fine of three times the permit fee. Dingrando added the process is in place for a good reason.
"Really, what it comes down to is life safety," Dingrando stated. "We're not out there to try to punish people for not doing it the right way. It's really we want to make sure that whatever work is being done is being done to code, and the code is all about life safety."
News5 reached out to the owners of Jungle Reef about the notice and received a response over email.
"Colorado Springs has been a huge welcome and huge shout out Ed Beene the mall manager of Chapel Hills Mall has been such a great support getting us in and helping with anything we have needed as far as construction," part of an email from Cy Hepworth with Jungle Reef reads. "We have completed [the] demo phase now we are starting the build-out phase and [are] excited to open sometime this summer."
The mall also provided a statement about the stop work notice stating that this is typical when transitioning from the "demo" phase to the "buildout" phase.
"All work must cease until a permit for the 'buildout' phase is granted," part of a statement on behalf of Beane reads. "A 'stop work' notice from PPRB should be displayed at the entrance for subcontractors, suppliers, and others to notice. Jungle Reef is currently collaborating with a contractor applying for the 'buildout' permit."
As for the notice from CSFD, News5 learned a contractor doing the demo work was issued a 30-day fire watch level one, meaning someone had to take responsibility for any fire or smoke while demo work was being done because they didn't have an operational fire sprinkler system. They were issued a "work at risk" order for the stand-alone sprinkler system. CSFD explained they learned the company was in some type of dispute with the contractor, and the contractor informed CSFD that they were no longer doing work inside the store but that the company was still performing some actions. That led to the notice that was posted by CSFD.
According to the notice posted by CSFD on Dec. 11, 2024, the stop work order is in place until the fire sprinkler system is back online and functional and interior plans need to be approved.
As of Monday, no new permits had been issued for the Chapel Hills location, according to online records. It isn't clear what the inside of the business will look like, but it may be a similar layout to their El Paso, Texas location.
The PPRBD is used to unique projects they have never seen before as Jungle Reef is considered a "first-of-its-kind" business coming to Colorado Springs.
"New projects come to town, things we've never seen before, and that's where we can really lean on the code book," Dingrando said. "The Code Book is pretty black and white for the most part, but we have our deputy building officials are really, really good at really getting into the code and trying to come up with paths, even if we haven't seen things before, we try to come up with a path that we can get the project to the finish line."
Dingrando added that communication is key when working with PPRBD.
The Chapel Hills Mall has seen drastic changes over recent years, with the closing of Sears, JCPenney, Goodman's and Burlington. The mall has welcomed the opening of 24 indoor pickleball courts through Peak Pickleball, and a 300-unit apartment complex on the old Sears property and now the interactive aquarium which is still scheduled to open this summer according to the owners.
"In fact, we find ourselves more occupied now than in previous years, reflecting the increase in interest and demand for our properties," the message from Beane reads. "That said, we do have a variety of attractive spaces available for lease. We encourage anyone interested to explore these opportunities further!"
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