MARSHALL — The proposal to move the Marshall Aquatic Center to a site closer to downtown is a step closer to becoming a reality. On Tuesday, Marshall City Council members voted to move ahead with process of buying property for a new aquatic center from Schwan’s Shared Services.

Marshall City Administrator Sharon Hanson said city staff including attorney Dennis Simpson have been working with Schwan’s representatives on a purchase agreement for about five acres of green space near the corner of Saratoga Street and West College Drive.

“The proposal would be to purchase that property for the price of $468,000. But it is contingent upon legislative approval granting the city the right to seek a vote to approve or continue the existing local sales tax, and then that would have to be approved by the citizens of Marshall,” Simpson said.

“It is my understanding that if we do get approval, in early November would be the vote,” Simpson said. Then, if Marshall voters approve the extension of the city’s local option sales tax in November, that would put the actual closing on the property on or before Dec. 15.

In the meantime, the city would have the ability to do exploratory work on the property, like soil testing, Simpson said.

Another contingency in the purchase agreement would have to do with parking. The property the city would purchase is neighbored by a privately-owned parking lot for Schwan’s Shared Services.

“We would work out an agreement wherein the city would have the right to have patrons attending the aquatic center park there,” Simpson said.

The city did have money in the budget for acquisition of the property, Simpson said. But if the city doesn’t get state permission to take the sales tax question to a vote, they would not have to make the purchase.

Council members voted to approve a proposed purchase agreement for the Schwan’s property.

The city will need to get approval from the Minnesota state Legislature to bring the sales tax extension to Marshall voters, Mayor Bob Byrnes said.

“So the status of this legislatively — the council does know there’s been several hearings in front of the Senate Tax Committee that we’ve been involved in. The Senate Tax Committee has included our project, as well as others, in the bill that is laid over for inclusion in the tax bill,” Byrnes said.

“The House’s tax committee chair has chosen not to hold any hearings, so the result is that it will end up getting resolved in the conference committee,” Byrnes said. That resolution would likely be one of the last things decided before the end of the session on May 20, he said.

“So we’re in in the Senate. We’re not in (in the House) because no proposal is in in the House at this point,” Byrnes said. “Of course, that could change, but at least that’s where we’re at right now.”