[2/6/04]The bank holding the note on the former Battlefield Village Mall property has started foreclosure procedures that could speed up the building’s demolition.

BancorpSouth filed a substituted trustee’s notice of sale this week against property owner J&V Properties of Jackson. The sale, which is the first step in the legal process to gain legal title, is set for March 3.

J&V had filed for bankruptcy protection in July, but the stay on the foreclosure was lifted Jan. 15, giving the go-ahead to BancorpSouth. Vicksburg officials have been pushing J&V for years to clean up or tear down the vacant building and are saying they believe BancorpSouth will demolish the former mall.

“It’s very encouraging to see a new owner, the bank, taking control of the property because I know they’ll do the right thing,” said Mayor Laurence Leyens.

City Attorney Nancy Thomas said the city will continue seeking Warren County Circuit Court’s approval to tear down the dilapidated building. Thomas filed a motion Wednesday seeking to enforce the court’s previous order upholding the city board’s decision to tear down the building.

That order had also been on hold by the automatic stay entered with the bankruptcy motion.

Thomas added that if the bank does move forward with tearing down the building, the city can stop its action. The city’s hearing is set for March 29.

The property, visible from Interstate 20, has been a target of two city administrations since the last major tenants, the Corps of Engineers, moved out six years ago.

Battlefield was among the first and one of the largest malls in Mississippi when built in 1967. Its major stores such as McRae’s, Sears, Kroger and Walgreen’s were joined by smaller specialty shops and a restaurant. It emptied quickly after Pemberton Square mall opened in 1985.

A twin-cinema complex on the site has been removed and a former Sears auto center has become a motorcycle and four-wheeler dealership. RiverHills Bank has a branch office on part of the former mall parking lot. Trustmark National Bank operates a branch on an adjacent tract.