Marthasville landmark bites the dust

Posted 11/7/19

Cindy Gladden Record Staff Writer As people drive through Marthasville or use the Katy Trail, one building has stood above the rest. The Marthasville MFA grain silo, with its green color, was …

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Marthasville landmark bites the dust

Posted Thursday, November 7, 2019 2:29 pm

Cindy GladdenRecord Staff WriterAs people drive through Marthasville or use the Katy Trail, one building has stood above the rest. The Marthasville MFA grain silo, with its green color, was demolished beginning Tuesday, May 12.Paul Brune, Marthasville MFA general manager, said the silo has been leaning for a while. Officials monitored the building, keeping track of the structure’s stability.“We had it lasered between Dec. 1 and Jan. 15 and it had moved 1 3/8 inches in just over a month,” said Brune. “Some of the bins were leaking. It’s taking up space we can’t use.”Brune said he was not sure of the silo’s age, but said MFA board members felt there was no hope of fixing it. One possible cause of the leaning was extensive termite damage higher on the building.Because Marthasville is a huge farming community, Brune said the silos MFA provides are important.“Last year we had the biggest harvest this area has seen,” he said. “Between Marthasville, Washington and New Haven we brought in 1.2 million bushels of beans, corn and milo.”Ahrens Demolition and Contracting, of St. Louis, was hired to bring the building down. They began tearing down a smaller structure to the north, one piece of equipment ripping it apart while another sunk a huge claw in the side, stabilizing it from falling into the MFA store.A camera placed on a nearby silo will record the entire demolition process. Brune said it will be available for viewing on Facebook.People walking or riding on the Katy Trail are being diverted to Depot Street until the project is complete. Brune expects the trail to be fully open by Friday, May 15.Brune said a lot of paperwork preceded the demolition, including asbestos testing and DNR permits. A small amount of asbestos was found on a small lower roof. It was removed before demolition began.Future plans are uncertain at this time. It is possible a new silo will be erected. Another need is a warehouse for the MFA store.

Demolition equipment from Ahrens Contracting, St. Louis, chewed through the Marthasville MFA’s grain bin Tuesday, May 12. The grain bin, a Marthasville landmark, towers over Depot Street and the Katy Trail. Traffic on the Katy will be diverted around the demolition project for the week until cleanup has been completed. Cindy Gladden Photo.

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Marthasville landmark bites the dust

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Marthasville landmark bites the dust