The property management company that owns the building that exploded in downtown Youngstown on May 28 issued a statement to its displaced tenants on Tuesday.

The statement followed a Tuesday afternoon press conference where Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown gave the owners until July 5 to begin demolition of the building or face a potential legal battle with the city.

Live Youngstown Property Management or LY Property Management, as filed with the state auditor's website, shows the registering agent in 2021 as Sarah Marchionda; however, on June 14, the agent is now listed as Jacqueline Marchionda, wife of downtown developer Dominic Marchionda. Yo Properties 47, LLC, also listed as an owner of the property, is owned by Brian Angelilli, one of the owners of Greenheart Companies.

According to the building's owner, the statement sent to tenants states they exhausted all possibilities to stabilize the building.

The plan to demolish the building was first announced on June 17, nearly three weeks after the blast caused by third-party workers Greenheart Companies that cut into an abandoned pressurized natural gas line, according to an NTSB preliminary report.

The statement also says it hopes to retrieve personal belongings from the tenants' apartments before the demolition.

The statement reads:

Dear Realty Tower Tenants,
To begin, we are deeply grateful for your patience as we systematically navigate the next steps in the wake of the tragic explosion on May 28. We acknowledge this has been a time filled with traumatic uncertainty that has left many experiencing a multitude of emotions, including despair and frustration; we share in those emotions and stand with you in your sorrow.

We are working with several entities to ensure the best path forward for the safety and economy of the residents and downtown at large. The City of Youngstown has returned control of the site to Yo Properties 47; therefore, we are now able to provide some updates on behalf of LY Property Management, LLC and the building ownership.

1. Until recently, The city and/or NTSB have been in control of the building security. We are now facilitating building security for the foreseeable future. As such. we will have security controlling access to the building and will not be granting entry to unauthorized personnel.

2. Per several media reports, we can confirm that after consultation with city officials and engineering firms, we have regrettably determined that demolition is the safest long-term solution. We apologize for any mixed messages in the media or elsewhere as we worked diligently to exhaust all possibilities of building stabilization. As an organization, we have spent personal resources and dedicated years to the responsible revitalization of historic buildings in downtown Youngstown. We did not arrive at this decision without careful and thorough counsel. There is no specific date for demolition, but we will keep you updated as this plan is put into action.

3. We are currently working on a plan to retrieve personal items prior to any demolition. The potential for this retrieval will require a highly orchestrated event involving several parties and technologies. Because of this, we are unable to provide a timeline, but we will keep you informed of our progress as we explore all possibilities.

4. As previously noted, all Realty Tower tenants are released from any lease obligations. We expect to return all security deposits to tenants in the very near future. We will update you soon regarding the timing so you know when to expect the deposit refund.

Thank you again for your continued patience.

The letter was signed by Live Youngstown Properterty Management, LLC and Yo Properties 47, LLC.