City votes to tear down Atlantic Avenue elevator

By Reed Anfinson
Publisher
To give it authority to act quickly to tear down the Atlantic Avenue elevator in downtown Benson, the city council Monday night voted unanimously to extend the emergency powers resolution originally passed after the May 12 severe storm.
The storm caused considerable damage to the metal buildings surrounding the concrete elevator resulting in several being torn down. Now, City Manager Glen Pederson says the remaining structures pose a dangerous hazard. The city owns the elevator.
“I get nervous every time the wind cranks up,” Pederson told the council. He worries that already damaged parts of the remaining metal structures could collapse.
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