MARSHALL — Community Transit is planning to add more shelters at its bus stops in Marshall next year, and the city of Marshall will be assisting the project.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Marshall City Council, council members voted to approve an agreement with United Community Action Partnership on the shelter project.

“They have a 2022 grant project for a total amount of $450,000, and they’d like to put those dollars toward providing more bus shelter access at all their bus stop locations,” said Marshall City Engineer Jason Anderson. “There’s no cost to the city of Marshall directly. This is paid for by UCAP, but they do need the city of Marshall to serve as the engineer and the grant sponsor.”

“This project is also included in our Capital Improvement Plan, and we are prepared to deliver it,” Anderson said.

The agreement with UCAP didn’t include any finalized information on where the new bus shelters will be, or how many will be built. However, Anderson provided the council with a total of 14 locations that could possibly be chosen for a new bus shelter.

Marshall city staff said the bus shelter project will be similar to one UCAP did in 2020. The 2020 project built shelters and sidewalk improvements at the intersection of North Fourth Street and Redwood Street, South Fourth Street and Stephen Avenue, and Birch Street near Village Drive. The city administered that project for UCAP as well.

The agenda packet for Tuesday’s council meeting included 14 preliminary drawings of bus stops where shelters could potentially be built in 2022.

The preliminary drawings included possible bus shelter locations outside Ampride, Birchwood Apartments, Halter Villa, Heritage Pointe, Lyon County Apartments, Pizza Ranch, RC Square, Riverside Apartments and Walmart; as well as on Dogwood Avenue, Birch Street on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University, at Freedom Park, at the intersection of North Fourth Street and Darlene, and at the intersection of Susan Drive and Baseline Road.

“I think this is a good deal for the city of Marshall, and it’s going to enhance our bus traffic,” said council member James Lozinski. However, he did question why there were no bus shelters proposed anywhere west of Fourth Street.

Council member John DeCramer, who is a member of the UCAP board of directors, said he would bring Lozinski’s question back to UCAP.

Council members voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with UCAP for the bus shelter project. DeCramer abstained from the vote.