POULSBO — Hopes for the Marine Science Center floated a little higher Wednesday as the city council’s finance/administration committee signed off on an agreement to support the center until the end of the year.

Under the agreement, and pending full council approval, the city will lease the building to the Poulsbo Marine Science Foundation rent free until the end of the year and also pay for the utilities and exterior maintenance costs.

The limited use of the building doesn’t pose any problems to the city and the foundation needs the flexibility to use the PMSC as it sees fit, up to a point, Councilman Dale Rudolph said.

“If they want to set up a display or store stuff in the back room, it’s no big deal,” Rudolph said. “As long as it doesn’t impact the building, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Other larger issues will be addressed when the committee prioritizes all of the city’s new program requests for the 2007 budget in November, Rudolph said.

Mayor Kathryn Quade said the foundation needs the agreement in place before it can do anything in the building, so time is of the essence.

While supporting the short-term agreement, Rudolph suggested the council hold a workshop to review the long-term Marine Science Center proposal, so the full council can understand all of the issues associated with reopening the building.

At the full council meeting, Wednesday Quade announced the finance/administration committee’s recommendation and asked for council approval to enter into the agreement.

After searching for a copy of the agreement, Councilman Mike Regis said he wasn’t prepared to vote for an agreement, which hasn’t been written.

“We haven’t had the opportunity to produce the documents, but the motion would allow me to move forward,” Quade responded.

The public works committee is having its next meeting Sept. 13, so the agreement could go to the committee at that time, said Regis, who chairs the committee.

Quade said she believes it is possible for the agreement to be written and ready for council approval by then.

Before the vote, Councilman Ed Stern asked if the seven-day delay would have a detrimental impact on the foundation’s ability to begin work in the building.

“It shouldn’t, because they intend to begin in October,” Quade said.