WILLMAR — The time has come to say goodbye to the Willmar Power Plant. Crews from Rachel Construction began the process of knocking the structure down last week, a fate that was sealed back in 2021.
Kevin Marti, Willmar Municipal Utilities facilities and maintenance supervisor, said it will take about 10 weeks to complete the demolition.
"There is a lot of concrete to bust out of there," Marti said.
The power plant has a long history in Willmar, with the oldest section having been built in 1925. While it provided power to the city for several decades, it last created electricity in 2018. It continued producing steam for the city's district heat system for another two years, but both the plant and heating system were decommissioned July 1, 2020 .
The Willmar Municipal Utilities Commission and the Willmar City Council in February 2021 officially approved tearing the power plant down . Crews have been working at the plant since last fall, going through the asbestos abatement process and making sure all dangerous material has been removed from the structure prior to pulling it down.
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Once the building is down, there will be site restoration work done to make it ready for any future use. This will include the construction of a large stormwater pond, Marti said.
While it will be nice to have the site cleaned up, Marti said it is bittersweet to see a facility with so much history and memory come to its final days. Many Willmar Municipal Utilities employees have memories of working in the plant.
"It is sad, in a way, to see it come down," Marti said.
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