ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- According to City of Elmira officials, the plans for the demolition of Brand Park Memorial Pool have hit a snag. In March, the city received approval from New York State to tear down the pool, but now, Mayor Dan Mandell said the state is requiring another step in the process before demolition can begin.
"We were hoping to take [Brand Park Memorial Pool] down this spring, and that's still hopefully the plan. We have been notified by the state that we do not have the go-ahead to quite as of yet," said City of Elmira Mayor Dan Mandell.
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Mayor Mandell said the city was told that a study by an engineering firm needs to be completed before New York State would approve demolition plans. The engineering firm will determine if Brand Park Memorial Pool is salvageable, and move forward from there. Mandell said the engineering firm is in the process of completing the study now.
"Once we get that up, we'll have to wait for the state to get back to us. I'm hoping they do it quickly and give us the green light to go ahead and get the pool down. We'd like to have it done by late spring. We'd like to get working on the splash pad that's over there. We're also looking at putting some community development money into the park, to do some other things...so, the quicker we get the answer from the state, the quicker we can move forward," said Mandell.
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Mandell said once the study is finished, a letter with the results will be sent to New York State. The state will make a decision about the demolition based on the results.
The engineering firm is being paid by the city, from the general fund.