Mars Council is considering buying the former Dutilh United Methodist Church at the corner of Pittsburgh Street and Lincoln Avenue.

MARS — Council is seeking public input on the possible uses of a former church building if it were to be bought by the borough.

Council is scheduled to hear public comment on the former Dutilh United Methodist Church building during its Jan. 7 meeting. This comes after several months of discussion about the borough taking ownership of the building at the corner of Pittsburgh Street and Lincoln Avenue.

According to Mayor Gregg Hartung, members of the church congregation approached borough officials in June to inform them that the building would soon no longer be used for services. Hartung said that the group believed the church building could serve as a community center, and asked the church to consider giving the property to the borough. The space could be rented out and used to host functions, they suggested.

However, United Methodist bylaws prevented the property from being donated, although church officials said they hoped the property could be used to benefit the community.

The church was put up for sale, and Hartung said members of council began discussing whether a purchase could take place. After months of discussion, a letter of intent was submitted to church officials earlier this month, and was accepted.

However, council members continued to discuss the possible uses for the building, Hartung said, and no final decision has been made. Public comment is currently being accepted via the borough's website and through regular mail, and additional comments can be made during the meeting.

From those comments, Hartung said, council wants to hear both short-term and long-term ideas for the space. He said the property, which consists of five individual parcels, could offer enough space to one day become a new borough building and police headquarters, if council deemed that to be a reasonable idea. He added that there is work that needs to be completed on the building to make it compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

After hearing comments, council is scheduled to vote on whether to officially buy the property. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 7 in council chambers at the borough building.