Climb Worthington? Proposal to turn elevator into climbing center to go before city council

• Climb

Brian Korthals/Daily Globe The concrete elevator on 10th Avenue has been dormant for a number of years, but would be the site of much activity if plans to turn it into a climbing center move forward.

Talk about it

WORTHINGTON — The land that Worthington inhabits is about as flat as flat can be — nary a significant hill, let alone a mountain, to be found.

Despite the horizontal terrain, some enterprising individuals hope Worthington could become a mecca for climbers, utilizing the long-defunct grain elevator located on 10th Avenue near the junction with Diagonal Road.

The imposing concrete structure — long considered a sore spot on Worthington’s skyline — would become the Worthington Adventure Center, drawing climbing enthusiasts to scale its concrete walls.

Center of controversy

Based on old photographs of the city, the concrete elevator was constructed after World War II. It was an imposing monument to the city’s agricultural economic base and utilized the adjacent railroad tracks for shipping grain in and out of the city. Eventually, the rail line was discontinued and the use of the elevator diminished until it was essentially abandoned by owner New Vision Co-Op.

Thus, it became a nuisance, attracting the attention of city officials, who tried to force New Vision to abate the property, taking legal action to that end. But the grain elevator was deemed a public nuisance in September 2007, two months after New Vision transferred ownership of the property to Ruby Development.

Records indicate New Vision paid Ruby — which was filed as a limited liability company just days before taking possession of the property — $50,000 to take possession of the grain elevator property.

The city took New Vision to court over the matter, but lost its case and subsequent appeal because only the current owner was found to be liable for abatement.

“The courts are looking at a document that says the owner (of the elevator) is Ruby,” stated Mayor Alan Oberloh in the Jan. 4, 2010, Daily Globe. “They are not addressing the fact that we’re claiming a corporation was set up as a way of getting around the nuisance situation.”

After taking possession of the property, Stuart Carleton, owner of Ruby Development, filed a document for the “development” of the elevator property that included the option of an extreme sports facility for climbing, but no plan for demolition. No action was ever taken to put the plan into action.

In June 2010, the city council approved an agreement with Ruby Development that set a one-year timeline for removal of the 10th Avenue grain elevator. That deadline is just two months away.

A new vision

Jay Milbrandt had no idea a climbing facility had already been broached when he was struck by a new vision for the former elevator during a visit to Worthington. Milbrandt grew up in Brandon, S.D., but spent a lot of time in Worthington visiting his grandparents. He is engaged to marry Lisa Kremer (daughter of Glenn and Barb Kremer of Worthington), who became the local community’s most prominent windsurfer with her quest to compete in the Olympic Games.

“I’m a rock climber and got my start at nearby Blue Mounds (State Park in Luverne),” explained Milbrandt, an attorney who is currently director of the Global Justice Program and interim associate director of the Nootbaar Institute for Law, Religion and Ethics at Pepperdine University School of Law as well as general counsel to Bedford Industries Inc. in Worthington. “I was driving into Worthington one day and thought about the elevator at the end of Diagonal Road. I knew it was not in use and wondered who owned it. When I arrived at the Kremers’, I asked Glenn about it and explained that I knew of a few grain elevators converted into climbing gyms. He started making calls, and I started putting together a proposal.”

As a certified climbing instructor, Milbrandt’s knowledge of the sport helped him to quickly develop a vision and proposal for the elevator property. The possibilities became more concrete during a recent opportunity to go inside the elevator.

“Stuart Carleton, the current owner, came over to remove some hardware from the structure and prepare the wood portion for demolition. He gave us a tour,” explained Milbrandt. “The facility was remarkable in many ways. It reminded me of a ghost town — as if the elevator ceased operation one day and everyone simply walked away. We entered the wood portion and our first objective involved climbing a 70-foot iron rod ladder in the dark. I’ve climbed all over the world, and this was one of the scariest things I’ve climbed … and I couldn’t see where to put my feet.

“This original wood portion does need to be demolished,” Milbrandt noted. “It poses a fire hazard, and its condition has deteriorated. I believe that removing this portion will significantly abate the nuisance.”

The tour continued through the cement structure and into the room above the silos, which provided a panoramic view of Worthington and the surrounding area.

“We got up there and just went ‘Wow.’ You can’t appreciate it until you’re up there,” said Glenn Kremer, who also made the climb to the top along with his future son-in-law and two daughters. “If you just let your imagination go, you can picture that in a future time it could be an observatory. … It could turn into a place to observe (the climbing) or someday have an eating place so you could have lunch up there.”

“The tour magnified my vision for the facility’s potential,” said Milbrandt. “The structure is in near perfect condition. The upper room truly makes it unique. We would like to build a staircase to the upper room, which would become an observation deck and maybe a café. It’s a facility that could be enjoyed by anyone — climber and non-climber.”

Scaling obstacles

Glenn Kremer has never done any mountain or rock climbing — but he can see the potential of turning a structure that has been considered a blight on the landscape into a positive project for the community. Not too long ago, nobody would have considered local Lake Okabena as a destination for sailing sports, he noted, and now it’s become a prime spot for windsurfers and has played host twice to the Windsurfing National Championships.

“I think it could be a win-win situation for everyone,” Kremer said. “The taxpayers are going to have to front the bill to tear it down if they don’t come to some sort of resolution. … Maybe it’s like ‘Field of Dreams’ — if you build it, they will come. I really think it could put Worthington on the map.”

Bob Miller of Worthington has been an avid climber for more than 15 years and has visited facilities similar to what’s being proposed for the Worthington elevator. He’s noted an increase in interest in climbing as a sport and recreational activity throughout the Upper Midwest and foresees the need for more such facilities.

“A lot of communities across the country have converted silos, and it would have some advantages in the long run, especially from the vantage point of living in Minnesota, where we could add ice climbing to the whole thing,” Miller said , referring to the option of spraying water on the outside of the structure for winter recreation. “Around here, you can climb at the Palisades (in Garretson, S.D.) or Blue Mounds starting in late April or May and you can climb into September or October, but then you’re stuck. This would be an avenue for avid climbers to do something indoors.

“I look at it as a wonderful way to deal with an eyesore in Worthington,” Miller added. “If something like this doesn’t happen, I don’t know what will happen. I don’t think the demolition company will ever take it down as long as it costs them money. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to dollars and cents.”

The proposal

Financing, of course, is at the crux of whether a climbing facility would be feasible. Ultimately, the vision for the Worthington Adventure Center is for it to be a community project, and public support will be sought Monday when Milbrandt makes a presentation to the Worthington City Council.

Milbrandt’s detailed plan outlines four objectives: expand community outreach and activity; offer programs that reach out to regional organizations and businesses; attract regional tourism; and develop a landmark and image for Worthington. He has mapped out three phases of development, a tentative budget, implementation strategy and timeline.

At Monday’s meeting, Milbrandt will ask the city to: give Worthington Adventure Center three years to establish operations and demonstrate the success of the plan; consider a grant of $400,000 as seed money that will fund the creation of up to 12 new full- and part-time jobs and allow the center to begin operating, while $200,000 will be raised independently to fund the facility’s renovation; acquire the grain elevator property and provide a no-cost lease to Worthington Adventure Center. In return, Worthington Adventure Center will redevelop the property and use its profits to generate a pooling “demolition fund” should the cement structure one day need to be razed.

The full plan is available at the website: www.climbworthington.com.

“I believe we present the city with this choice,” summarized Milbrandt. “The city can continue as planned and demolish the elevator. I won’t blame them — the property has been embattled, and the city wants it resolved. But they will always remember the frustration the corner caused for a decade. Or, we can redevelop the property into something useful, something we can all be proud of as a city. We might realize, years later, that there was a reason that property did not come down — it helped us build a better Worthington.”

Tags: city council, news, proposal, climbing, center