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Building near airport coming down

Last remaining structure in runway protection zone

Photo by Deb Gau Equipment operators were at work tearing down a building near Minnesota Highway 19 in Marshall on Thursday.

MARSHALL — People traveling on Minnesota Highway 19 in Marshall on Thursday could see excavators and other equipment at work tearing down a vacant building not far from the highway.

Demolition for the structure, which stood on property owned by Helena Agri-Enterprises, started Thursday morning.

Marshall City Attorney Dennis Simpson said the city and Helena are sharing in the cost of demolishing and removing the building.

The building is the last remaining structure standing in the runway protection zone for the Marshall airport, said Marshall Public Works Director Jason Anderson.

The city of Marshall is working with Helena to buy the company’s property along Highway 19, but it’s been a long process, Simpson said.

Adam Kasel, branch manager at the Canby and Clear Lake locations of Helena Agri-Enterprises, said Helena planned to sell the property along Highway 19 to the city of Marshall.Helena couldn’t expand on the property, due to factors like being in the Marshall airport’s runway protection zone, and having a railroad line and a Magellan Midstream Partners facility nearby, he said.

Helena currently has a location on North Seventh Street in Marshall.

Simpson said the city is interested in buying the Helena property near Highway 19 because it is within the runway protection zone. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a runway protection zone is an area off the end of an airport runway that helps protect people and property on the ground if a plane crashes or lands past the end of the runway.

A runway protection zone should not have buildings in it, Anderson said.

Anderson said there are still some propane tanks in the runway protection zone, north of Highway 19.

Kasel said testing required by the state is being done on the Highway 19 property before a sale can be finalized.

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