MARSHALL — Improvements planned for the dugout and backstop at Legion Field will be able to move forward, after getting authorization from the Marshall City Council this week. Council members approved a quote that would come to a total cost of about $254,000.

“We’re here to hopefully get some progress going on some improvements at Legion Field,” Marshall Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud said at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Stensrud said the community took “great pride” in the baseball facilities at Legion Field, but it was starting to fall behind in some areas.

“Over the last couple of years a couple of associations, city staff and the university have put together a plan of improvements, in a phased approach. At Legion Field, the last significant improvement there was over 35 years ago,” he said.

Stensrud said he sought quotes for the work from local contractors, but only one submitted a quote.

“We only received one quote from a local contractor. Two other locals didn’t have time to do it, so they didn’t submit any pricing, due to time constraints,” Stensrud said.

The one quote the city received was initially for $281,300, which would have included heating to speed up the brick work, Stensrud said. After he met with the contractor for further breakdown of the project, they got a price quote of $158,589 for the dugout construction, and $95,490 for the backstop construction, for a total cost of $254,079.

Marshall City Attorney Pam Whitmore said Stensrud’s original estimate was that the project would not exceed the cost threshold where it would have to be bid out. That was why the city sought quotes for the work, she said.

Stensrud said there was roughly $584,000 in bonding dollars and donation funding available for the Legion Field project, as well as an additional $30,000 pending in donations. There was also an additional $490,000 budgeted for 2025 in the city’s capital improvement plan.

Council member James Lozinski said he supported the project, and didn’t think it was unusual that the city ended up only receiving one quote There weren’t many local contractors in Marshall any more, he said.

“Unfortunately, in Marshall I think we’re down to about three commercial contractors,” he said.

Council members voted to authorize construction of the Legion Field improvements.