MARSHALL — Marshall city parks and recreation programs get a lot of use from the public. In 2024, people were giving back to the parks department in a big way.

This week, the Marshall City Council formally accepted roughly $250,000 in donations for Marshall Parks and recreation. In a separate action, they also accepted $143,000 for a project to be specified by the Marshall Sunrise Rotary.

“I wanted to highlight another successful year for Parks and Recreation, thanks to the people, associations, and the businesses in Marshall,” said Parks and Recreation Superintendent Preston Stensrud. “It really allows us to take our facilities and parks to the next level, in my opinion. And a lot of these things wouldn’t be able to get completed without the support of the community.”

Stensrud said the list of parks donations for 2024 was a long one, with donations going to a variety of different purposes.

“Overall, we received nearly $250,000 in donations for those various items,” he said.

Agenda materials for the city council meeting broke down the list into individual donations and projects. Funds were donated for everything from inclusive playground equipment, to a memorial bench at Independence Park, and new trees to mitigate damage from emerald ash borer at Marshall parks. In addition to donations for facilities and parks, the city received a total of $7,300 for recreational program equipment.

Many of the 2024 donations were substantial. Donations from area sports associations for improvements at Legion Field totaled $81,000. A total of $100,000 in donations were made to support amenities at the new Aquatic Center planned in Marshall.

This fall, the city also received a $143,000 donation from the Sunrise Rotary and the Ted Rowe Legacy Fund, said Marshall Director of Administrative Service E.J. Moberg. Moberg said the city was waiting to hear from the Rotary how they wanted to use the funding.

“We will put those (funds) to use as designated, at a later date,” he said.

In two separate votes, council members formally accepted the parks and Rotary donations. Council members said they wanted to share their appreciation for area community members.

“We should be thankful for the donations we get. There are some very large donations in there,” said council member James Lozinski.

“The support is phenomenal,” Stensrud said.