MARS — The borough is on the verge of a deal to move out of a cramped office space at the existing city building into a new complex.

Mars Borough is considering an ordinance that allows it to take out a $270,000 mortgage loan from Mars Bank to buy four parcels from Dutilh United Methodist Church.

“This has been in the works probably a year and a half,” Mayor Gregg Hartung said.

According to Hartung, one of the four parcels is the building itself. The borough offices will have an entire floor, with the police department occupying its own space. There will be space for a business or company to rent, although that's in the future.

“(And) possibly eventually ... a community center,” Hartung said.

The borough started to pursue buying the church property after representatives approached the borough with the intention to sell. Hartung said church officials wanted to keep the church's historical value alive in the community. The building's core architectural design will remain the same, but it will need to be made ADA-compliant.

With the borough's current office space being “small and inadequate,” the area will be able to accommodate more municipal activities. There's a large conference room and plenty of parking space.

“That will give (us) more flexibility and more opportunity,” Hartung said.

The move won't be immediate after the purchase is finalized, as the current lease on the property doesn't expire until the end of the year. Moving the borough offices could take a year.

“We have no immediate plans,” Hartung said. “(We're) just going to have to go through some of the big steps (first).”

Mars would take out a 10-year loan with a tax-exempt borrowing status interest rate. Interest rates vary with the closing date and availability of the tax-exempt borrowing status.

The ordinance authorizing the loan will be voted on at the Aug. 5 meeting.