A sign along West College Drive marks the site where Marshall’s new aquatic center is planned to be built. A groundbreaking for the project is planned to be part of this year’s Sounds of Summer festival.

MARSHALL — This year, the start of construction for the new Marshall Aquatic Center will be part of the Sounds of Summer festival.

“We’re doing the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday (Aug. 23) for the new aquatic center, so we’re excited for that,” said Marc Klaith, of the Sounds of Summer committee. “We’re working out the details right now.”

Klaith gave updates on plans for the 16th annual Sounds of Summer during a public hearing at the Marshall city council meeting Tuesday. “We have events planned for Friday night also. We’ve got more events coming in, more food trucks. It’s going to be another good year,” he said.

The planned site of the new aquatic center, near the intersection of Saratoga Street and West College Drive, has also been the site for Sounds of Summer over the past couple of years. Construction in the area might mean some changes to Sounds of Summer in the future.

“Looking forward into 2025, there might be some adjustments made, because of the construction of the new aquatic center and construction on Highway 19. So we’ll work diligently after the event to make sure that we get that taken care of,” Klaith said.

The new aquatic center is planned to open in 2026.

The main reason for Tuesday’s hearing was requests to close parts of Saratoga Street and West College Drive for the festival, as well as a street closure request for the Sounds of Summer parade route on Aug. 24.

There were no objections to the street closures made at the council meeting. However, because of the size of the event, city staff had recommended that a hearing be held before granting approval.

“This request looks a lot like last year’s event, with the closure of Saratoga Street between Greeley and College Drive, as well as closure of College Drive between Greeley and Saratoga Street,” said Marshall public works director Jason Anderson. “The first closure is on Thursday, Aug. 22, and the closures go through Saturday, Aug. 24.”

The Sounds of Summer parade route on Aug. 24 would also follow East Lyon Street and Main Street, as in past years, Anderson said.

Council members approved the street closure requests for both the festival and the parade.

Klaith thanked the council and city staff for helping to make the festival possible.

This year, planned events for Sounds of Summer include a June 20 steak fry dinner, with proceeds to support Sounds of Summer. In August, festival events include a family night with music by The White Keys; the Sounds of Summer parade; and an Aug. 24 concert featuring headliners PopROCKS and special guest Whiskey Rich.