After the grandstand at Tink Larson Field in Waseca burned in the spring of last year, the city began taking steps toward rebuilding it.
Then came the flood.
More than a foot of rain fell on the southern Minnesota town over two September days, with high water flooding three of every four homes and businesses. Suddenly, rebuilding a baseball field — even a historic one that had been part of the city's fabric since 1938 — didn't seem so urgent.
"There were a lot of discussions about price tags," said Mark Christiansen, a Waseca City Council member. "Kind of, 'I have to fix my basement, so why would you spend money on a grandstand?' So we put it on hold."
But not for long.
A group of local residents asked the council to give its blessing for a major fundraising drive, which got underway in January. Now, just seven months later, the group has nearly all of its $1.9 million goal in hand, and a groundbreaking for the new field is set for Wednesday.
"We said, 'We must rebuild,' " said Duane Rathmann, one of the key figures in the fundraising campaign. "This is an iconic structure; it's an amenity that's been well-known for a long time. And people really rallied to that."
The project got some big-league support from the Minnesota Twins, who pledged $100,000. The Pohlad Family Foundation contributed an additional $60,000.