Palmieri On Manny’s Cleanup: “I’m Not Going To Wait Any Longer”

Utica, NY (WIBX) - Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri thinks it's been long enough. Utica's Corporation Counsel is asking the Supreme Court to allow the city's DPW to do a full remediation of what's left of Manny's Cheesecake, including asbestos removal.

A fire on August 25th, 2011, reduced Manny's to pile of rubble, which Palmieri says is now an eyesore.

"This has been since August and I'm not going to wait any longer," he said.

If DPW is allowed to do the work, it'll likely cost taxpayers tens-of-thousands of dollars, Palmieri said.

"We're looking at estimates, at this point," saying that he believed there was asbestos at the site, meaning the remediation would cost more.

If the court grants the city's request, cleanup could begin sometime next week, Palmieri said.

"I just want to make sure that whatever we're doing is legal and there are no repercussions down the road."