Old Chenoa elevator demolished

Lee Farms Excavating clear debris from the old downtown Chenoa grain elevator site / CIFN photo.

CHENOA – It’s not every day you witness old grain bins being demolished.

Residents in Chenoa were able to see this on Monday as crews tore down the concrete and steel bins at the Prairie Central Cooperative site downtown along Veto Street. The co-op’s board of directors recently made the decision to tear down the structures.

“We had some wind damage this past summer that destroyed the receiving elevator legs at that location,” explained Matt Hinshaw, Prairie Central Cooperative risk management and capital projects manager.

That wind damage made the facility difficult to use without a sizeable investment, according to Hinshaw. Prairie Central quit using the bins for harvest storage and customer deliveries a few years ago. In fact, the life expectancy of the Chenoa elevator was nearing an end.

The facility was most recently used for only certain types of crops.

“We used it for specialty grain so it kind of became a niche location anyway,” added Hinshaw.

It has been several years since regular commodities were stored in the bins. Although Prairie Central Cooperative still owns the property, there are no short-term plans for its future.

Lee Farms Excavating of Paxton did the demolition work. The same company tore down the concrete bins at the old McDowell grain elevator in Livingston County, which also experienced wind damage this year.