GLOVERSVILLE — A Wal-Mart Supercenter proposal for the outskirts of the city took a significant step forward this week when the company’s engineering firm submitted a revised draft environmental impact statement to the Planning Board.

Fulton County Senior Planner Sean Geraghty, adviser to the Planning Board, said the revised statement fully addressed nearly all of the 24 issues identified in January by the board.

With only two relatively minor technical questions yet to be answered, Geraghty said the board may be able to vote June 3 to declare the document is complete.

That declaration will trigger a public comment period expected to last 45 days and include a public hearing in late June, Geraghty said.

Mayor Tim Hughes, who was present when the board met this week, said the apparent completion of a draft environmental statement puts the project on schedule for possible ground breaking in late October or November.

Store officials have said they want to open the store by Christmas 2009.

Hughes said the city is anticipating the store will generate about $1 million a year for Gloversville in property taxes and sales tax revenue.

Hughes said the city and the town of Johnstown are expected to reap additional benefits from related development of the store area, much of it in special commercial zones in which the two municipalities will split all tax revenue.

Geraghty said there are too many variables to make predictions about a groundbreaking date, but he said it may be possible for the Planning Board to approve a final environmental impact statement by late summer and complete the subsequent site plan review by October.

After the final impact statement is approved, the other agencies and local governments involved in their own reviews of the project may begin their work.

The state Department of Transportation must approve alterations to its Route 30A intersection, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be asked to issue a permit to alter wetlands.

The town of Johnstown will rule on changes to town roads.

The pace of the reviews will be determined by how quickly Wal-Mart engineers respond to issues raised in the public comment period and file a proposed final statement, Geraghty said.

Since the Common Council chamber at City Hall is not large enough to accommodate a public hearing, Hughes said he contacted Gloversville school officials about use of an auditorium.

Officials are currently considering a June 24 date for the hearing, but the council also meets that night.