Elkins residents will pay a temporary sales tax to help build softball and baseball fields after voters overwhelmingly approved the measures in a special election Tuesday.

The election asked voters two questions: whether to issue up to $2.35 million in city bonds for the fields' construction and whether to have a 0.75 percent sales and use tax to pay for them.

Out of 221 voters who turned out, 174, or 79 percent, voted in favor of the tax, while 46, or 21 percent, voted against. Support for the bonds was similar, with 174 against and 47 opposed. One person under-voted, meaning he or she checked one box but not the other.

"It is a relief," Jason Justus, who helped lead the charge for the fields, said with a laugh Tuesday evening. "There's a lot of people that put a lot of hard work into it, and I'm just glad it got passed. You never know which way a vote's going to go."

The tax adds 15 cents to a $20 purchase, for example, and will end when bonds are paid.

The project's supporters said it's intended to address a side effect of an earlier city vote: Voters in 2011 approved a property tax hike to build a high school. The construction plowed over several fields for younger kids and summer sports programs.

Elkins, a town of about 2,800 people, has a history of raising state champion softball and baseball teams. Lacking a home field costs families time and money and is undermining participation in those sports, said David Harrelson, an assistant coach whose son is playing baseball over the summer.

Hundreds of team members, coaches and family members have had to drive up to an hour to practices and games that often begin right after work, Harrelson said.

The approved money will go to four or so fields, Justus said. Now the city will hone in on locations. Having the fields ready for next year would be ideal, Justus said, but unlikely.

"We'll try for that, but just with the way everything goes and the time it takes to do something, I don't think it'll be ready this next season," he said. "It may be the 2016 season we'll get to start."

The City Council voted to send the questions to voters earlier this year. Josh Bowen, councilman, said he was surprised by the 14 percent turnout but happy with the results.

"I didn't expect a whole lot, but I figured it'd be around the 400 or 500 range," he said.

The town's population has grown quickly, and people thinking about moving will be happy the city has its own fields, Bowen added.

"They look at what kind of things there are for their kids to be doing," he said. "I think it's good for our kids and it's going to help our community grow."