Marshall Public Schools is moving forward with design work to convert one of the last buildings standing from the former Marshall Habilitation Center into a maintenance facility.

The board of education voted Tuesday, Feb. 11 to go forward with the project that could total $2.8 million. Supt. Caleb Petet says he’s confident the district will have enough leftover after construction of the new Intermediate School to fund this nearby facility.

Petet says the maintenance facility would also handle the district’s shipping and receiving, as well as house the district’s bus fleet that’s currently at the north edge of town.

Incite Design Studio will handle the design of the maintenance facility. The new facility will not include a gym for district staff. A staff survey presented to the board by Petet showed that while a majority of staff would be willing to use such a facility, more staff expressed a preference for discounted membership at a local gym rather than the district maintaining their own facility.

Approval of the maintenance facility was part of a packed agenda for Marshall’s school board, who also agreed to list the Benton and Northwest School buildings for sale, as well as the house next to the Tom Butterfield Early Childhood Center. The board approved a realtor service contract with Michelle Pointer of Knobby Oaks Real Estate.