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Lakefield council authorizes legal steps to abate Co-op Elevator nuisance property
Summary
After the property owner missed remediation deadlines, the Lakefield City Council authorized city staff and counsel to pursue injunctive relief, prepare an administrative search warrant for abatement work, and pursue hazardous-building inspection if needed to allow repair or demolition of the Co-op Elevator property.
The Lakefield City Council on June 8 directed city staff and the city attorney to pursue legal remedies after the owner of the former Co-op Elevator did not meet corrective deadlines set in a November 2025 nuisance resolution.
Chief Roger Pohlman summarized the outstanding violations and the missed May 1, 2026 remediation deadline. City Attorney associate Morgan K. Azbill outlined the options the city may pursue: seek injunctive relief and assess abatement costs to the property; request an administrative search warrant so city crews can secure and clean up hazards (boarding windows, removing loose tin and open accumulations) — noting the warrant would not authorize construction or repairs; or begin the hazardous-building process, which requires an inspection that finds the building structurally substandard or a public-safety hazard before ordering repairs or demolition.
Council member Brent Pavelko and others expressed concern about public-safety risks and urged firm action. The council voted to authorize the city attorney and staff to take "all appropriate actions and initiate any and all legal proceedings necessary" to abate the nuisance conditions, including seeking injunctive relief and preparing an administrative search warrant; the motion passed unanimously.
