By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Another change is on the horizon for Davidson’s skyline, as one of the town’s last remaining grain elevators will fall to the wrecking ball by the month’s end.

The Richardson Pioneer grain elevator, constructed in 1928, is scheduled for demolition within the next couple of weeks, a company representative confirmed on Wednesday.

Neil Banbury, the company’s senior director for Zone 4, said Richardson Pioneer hasn’t shipped grain cars from the elevator for several years, and hasn’t used it at all in the last couple of years.

While the wooden elevator is in good aesthetic condition, he said, it’s no longer up to par when it comes to the needs of today’s farmers.

“A plant like that just can’t provide the level of service that producers require these days,” he said.

Modern grain terminals — like the one operated by Richardson Pioneer at the south end of town — are faster and offer much greater capacity, explained Banbury.

Following a recent expansion, the company’s terminal now handles 30,000 tonnes of grain, while the old elevator has a capacity of around 5,600 tonnes.

Last year, the company constructed three grain bins at the plant, each of which has roughly the same capacity as the wooden elevator.

A new high-speed fertilizer plant was also installed at the terminal last year. The company is currently expanding the terminal’s railcar capacity from 54 cars to 104 cars.

While new technology has made the wooden elevator obsolete, Banbury said the aging facility also poses something of a safety hazard, both for employees and for the general public.

No one has approached the company about purchasing or preserving the elevator, he said, adding that the cost to operate the facility “in a safe manner” would have been high.

Currently, workers are removing equipment from the elevator, and demolition is expected within the next couple of weeks.

For the full story, please see the May 9 edition of The Davidson Leader.