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New Vision to replace Beaver Creek elevator with new office, scale; Hills bins coming down

Lead Summary
,
By
Lori Sorenson

New Vision will demolish the iconic wooden grain elevator in Beaver Creek this spring and replace it with a new office and scale in time for harvest this fall.
“It’s not safe for our customers, employees and the community,” said New Vision CEO Matt Ashton. “It’s long past its prime and needs to be removed.”
Pieces of tin and debris have been falling off in the wind, and the Beaver Creek City Council approved a permit at their Jan. 12 meeting for demolition and new construction.
The project is estimated to cost roughly $400,000, including demolition costs.
“We want to reinvest in Beaver Creek to serve our customers long-term,” Ashton said. “It’s important to upgrade that facility to help our membership there.”
The 16-by-24 office structure will house an office, bathroom and utility room, plus a break room for customers and employees.
The new 11-by-75-foot in-ground truck scale will be positioned to make it easier for customers to get in and out with grain.
The new construction will be located on the same site as the existing woodhouse once it’s torn down.
The 125-foot-tall wooden elevator hasn’t stored grain for over a decade; it was being used only for its office and scale.
New Vision put up the three new bins — with a total grain storage capacity of 1.1 million bushels — 15 to 20 years ago.
Ashton said the office facility will offer technology at the bins not previously available in Beaver Creek.
“Automation in the new office will allow one person to run the three bins – the pits, legs and conveyer,” he said.
“Also, there’s a grain probe at the scale, which will make the process faster for customers.”
The current grain sampling process involves a coffee can scoop from the pit that’s tested for weight, moisture and quality.
If there’s spoiled grain, it’s discovered as the grain goes into the bin, too late to isolate it.
Ashton said New Vision in Beaver Creek typically accommodates 50,000 to 70,000 bushels of grain per day during harvest.
“We hope with the new scale we’ll be able to see more traffic,” Ashton said. “We want to be able to better serve our customers.”
A crane and wrecking ball will move on site in Beaver Creek this spring for demolition crews to begin work in March or April
 
New Vision to remove 1980s grain bins in Hills
Meanwhile, New Vision is planning to tear down four steel grain bins in Hills.
Ashton said the bins, built in 1984 and 1989, were last used for the 2020 harvest.
“It was labor intensive – took a lot of people to unload and clean the bins each year,” he said.
“They needed repairs, and the recommendation was to close that part of our business in Hills.
The four steel bins had a combined grain storage capacity of 600,000 bushels.
All grain now runs through the New Vision terminal north of Hills. It has a 5-million-bushel capacity and accepts grain year-round.
The bin site property in Hills will be planted to grass and eventually offered for sale.

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