It is slated for demolition next summer in a move made by the Benson City Council.

The council's action reflects concern about future liability concerning the building and its vision for the future, said Benson city manager Rob Wolfington.

Former elevator owner Dan Johnson understands the city's concerns.

"It's a business decision," he said. "I can remove any emotion from building demolition. I understand what they are trying to do."

The elevator has been an important part in Johnson's family history. He's the fourth generation to operate it. Johnson worked at the elevator for more than 20 years. He closed the elevator five years ago to pursue a different career path. Three years ago he sold it to the city for $75,000.

City officials own the building, but they didn't own the land it stands on. The land belonged to Burlington Northern Railroad, which leased it to the elevator. The council eventually purchased it for $30,000.

The city is now conducting phase 1, 2 and 3 of its environmental work at the site. The first phase involves a study of the site history. For the second phase, soils samples will be taken and analyzed for possible contamination. The third phase will be a mitigation plan for contaminants.

Wolfington says the city wasn't surprised to find some pesticides in the soil borings. The find wasn't major and the site will be cleaned.

Demolishing the elevator will be tricky, Wolfington said. The rail line, which runs north and south through the heart of Benson along State Highway 12, is busy. The demolition and clean up will need to take place in a short amount of time. Once the building is removed, the land will become green space.

What's happening in Benson is another chapter in the history book of country elevators.

"The countryside is changing," said Minnesota Grain and Feed Association executive director Bob Zelenka. "Farmers are storing more of their own grain and, when many of them do haul it, are taking it themselves rather than going to the local elevator. Many of the elevators have a glorious history. They were an economic driving force in the community and many still are today."

The Johnson family has a long history with elevators. Johnson's great-grandfather Carl and grandfather Floyd rode the train from community to community to buy grain. When Johnson's father, Dan, got involved, he became an certified public accounting and handled the accounts for small country grain elevators plus his own operation.

When Johnson started with Benson Market, the elevator used 4-inch augers. It changed to 12 -, 14-, and 16-inch widths when he ended operations.

Minnesota has around 600 grain elevator sites, said Zelenka. About 40 percent of the elevators still lease land from the railroads. The leased land is a "sore spot" for the elevator industry, Zelenka said. The rail companies have an asking price of $10,000 per acre.

"Oftentimes the elevator sales don't occur because of the outrageous cost," he said. "You end up negotiating the lease and extending it."

There were 275 local cooperative elevators in 1980, Zelenka said. Those elevators had 38 branch locations and there were 447 privately owned elevators. Today there are 98 locally owned cooperative elevators that have 139 branch locations. There are 211 privately owned elevators with 50 branch locations.

Source: Agri News