NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WBEN)....When a ceremonial ground breaking takes place Friday afternoon on a new municipal pool complex in North Tonawanda, it will mark a new chapter for the Lumber City.
When Mayor Austin Tylec took office slightly more than four years ago, one of the first items on his bucket list was replacing the aging Payne Park Memorial Pool - a complex that dated back to the immediate, post-World War II days.
"It was at the point where we either had to invest a lot of money for repairs, or start thinking about something new," Tylec said.
But, the catch was -- there was no money in North Tonawanda's budget to either repair or replace the pool.
To Tylec, he wanted a new pool and he wanted at the Payne Avenue public park.
Tylec was able to secure federal and state dollars including $4 million allocated by Assemblyman Bill Conrad and $1.1 million from Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"We were off and running," Tylec said.
Pushing the matter forward, the Payne memorial pool was deemed structurally unsound and has been closed since 2023.
The new complex, which should be swimmer-ready by next summer, will feature two pools, water slides, splash pads, new locker rooms and concession stands.
Lakeside Contracting of Buffalo was the lowest of three bids submitted to North Tonawanda and has started some preliminary work.
As for the old pool, the jury is out on its future.
Tylec said it will cost at least $1 million to have it totally demolished.
"We have a lot of different ideas," Tylec said. "But, right now we are focusing on the new pool."
Construction to start on $9.9 million complex
Construction to start on $9.9 million complex
