ADRIAN — Demolition of the central part of the Adrian Mall has been delayed from the original June deadline, but is on track to happen later this summer, community development director Lisa Hewitt-Cruz told city commissioners on June 16.

City officials had originally given the property’s New York-based owners until June 4 to tear down the central part of the mall, from the old main entrance to the north wall of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.

Hewitt-Cruz told the commission that city staff members have been working with the project managers over the past few week.

“They are asking for an extension of their demolition, but they are actively working inside,” she said.

Hewitt-Cruz added that the city was able to provide the owners with a 1970s blueprint to aid in demolishing the central part of the building safely, which will include building a new wall.

“The inside will be gutted, then in the second week of August they will start that new wall, then shortly thereafter the outside walls will come down,” she said.

“They’re making slower progress than what we wanted,” she said, “but we don’t want to have to slow it down by taking any court action, so we’ve come up with a plan to keep the project moving.”

Hewitt-Cruz also said she expects to have some good news about the property soon.

“Stay tuned for some really exciting news in regard to this mall,” she said. “There’s going to be some projects going on to give it new life and a new name that we’ll announce at a later date.”