The next phase of plans to improve flooding in the neighborhood near Legion Field Road in Marshall includes cleaning ditches along the BNSF railroad line. The city of Marshall also hopes to bore a new pipe crossing under the railroad, which will let stormwater drain to a new retention pond.

MARSHALL — Plans to cut down on flooding in the neighborhood around Legion Field Road took another step forward this week. The Marshall City Council approved a proposal from engineering firm Bolton & Menk to design plans for a new stormwater pond, as well as drainage improvements near part of the BNSF Railroad line in Marshall.

The project would be part of drainage improvements the city has been working on since 2019, said Marshall Public Works Director Jason Anderson.

“This is the third and final phase of the stormwater study,” Anderson said. Earlier phases built new stormwater basins near Legion Field Park and in the Parkway subdivision.

The final part of the stormwater project would include cleaning and re-grading railroad drainage ditches east of Legion Field Road, and boring a new drainage pipe crossing under the railroad tracks, Anderson said. The pipe crossing would help stormwater flow to a new retention pond that would be built on land near the intersection of Paris Road and Legion Field Road.

Bolton & Menk was proposing to draft plans for the project for $76,500. The overall project cost, as included in Marshall’s capital improvement plan, is estimated at $1.4 million, Anderson said.

Anderson said the city will be receiving $867,000 in grant funding from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for the project. However, he wasn’t sure if the engineering costs would be eligible for the grant funds.

“This grant that we have will cover more than half of the costs of the project, which is a really big help,” Anderson said.

Once plans were drafted for the drainage project, Anderson said the city would administer the project and permit it through BNSF.

Boring a new drainage line under the railroad “is not a minor operation,” said council member Craig Schafer. BNSF needed to make certain the project would not damage the rail line. “They take that serious,” Schafer said.

“I think that given the expense of this, I’m very thankful for the grant,” said council member Steven Meister. Meister said he would be voting in favor of the proposal. “It’s still going to be tight, but the cost of the flooding outweighs the cost to the city,” he said.

Council member James Lozinski said Marshall had made a lot of progress on controlling flooding in the city.

“From 30 years ago, we have a lot less street flooding,” he said.