MARSHALL - A two-piece bus garage isn't exactly what was wanted but Jeanette Porter of Western Community Action is grateful to have it.

The Marshall City Council this week approved advertising for bids to build a four-stall bus garage on the other side of the street from a garage that was recently built. WCA operates the Marshall Area Transit system and a public transit system in Lyon County as well as seven other counties in southwest Minnesota.

Western Community Action, in cooperation with the city of Marshall and Lyon County, built a garage to hold 14 buses near Justice Park, but Porter knew then it wasn't going to be large enough. Still, the garage was all that Minnesota Department of Transportation grant money and other sources would allow.

"We knew that in the future or near future we would need more...and here we are today," Porter said Friday. "By the time we finished our project, MnDOT said there as another $200,000 that could be available to us."

The potential $200,000 was left after other projects did not use all the available grant money, Porter said.

Federal stimulus money also meant WCA would get two new buses sooner than expected, Porter said.

WCA didn't want to lose a chance at $200,000 or two buses, Porter said.

But, no one wanted to rip up the new asphalt and build an addition to the new garage, Porter said.

A site across the street was selected and now, bids will be taken to build a four-stall garage. Porter said much of the cost to build bus garage is in soils corrections, the need to use the prevailing wage law and other factors.

"This is bare minimum, nothing fancy," Porter said of the garage.

In other actions Tuesday night.

The council approved the request from Ron Schilling and Alluvus Inc. to move a dwelling to 601 Heritage Circle. Councilman Charlie Sanow was the only member to vote against the request. Jennie Hulsizer was not at Tuesday's meeting but council members Dan Ritter, Mike Boedigheimer, John DeCramer, Larry Doom and mayor Bob Byrnes voted in favor of the request. Sanow said he's received complaints about Schilling and his properties, including property in Sanow's neighborhood. Sanow said he believes Schilling does not properly respond to complaints and knows that neighbors have had difficulties with Schilling's properties and tenants. Schilling said he responds to complaints and concerns and will tell some complainants to call the police if they have concerns about the actions of his tenants so that he has the police report recorded and ability to take his own action against the tenant.

The council approved an updated personnel policy.

The council heard a presentation from the Southwest Marketing Advisory Center from Southwest Minnesota State University and a presentation from a summer intern with the cable studio on ways to improve the viewership and programming of local public access TV.