The new Tops gas station, which will offer discounted fuel prices to Tops customers, is set to open in the Cazenovia Town and Country Plaza on Wednesday, Oct. 9. In addition to discounted gas, the convenience store on site will also offer lunch and breakfast food and deals, lottery tickets, alcohol and tobacco products, as well as the typical convenience store items.
“We’re very excited,” said Cazenovia Tops Store Manager Joe Rizzo. “We offer a great fuel rewards program and the people in Cazenovia are anxious to be able to redeem their gas rewards points in town.”
Tops applied for permission to install a gas station with two islands with gas pumps in Cazenovia at the former Kimberly’s location in Feb. 2012. About one year later, the chain built a gas station on East Genesee Street in DeWitt that allows customers to use points acquired through grocery shopping to receive fuel at discounted prices.
Town and Country Plaza owner Dave Muraco started in April of this year to remake the plaza with increased and better-designed parking, a new lot entrance off Route 20, perpendicular to the clock tower and the new Tops gas station that will include another plaza entrance and exit.
Construction started on the new gas station and convenience store in mid-summer, with crews dissembling the old Kimberly’s building and remaking it into the convenience store. The station’s lot and parking area was completed in September and the two pump stations were finished the week of Sept. 23.
By Friday, Oct. 4, the only preparation left to complete was the final stocking of the convenience store, Rizzo said.
He said the store will be a great one-stop-shop for local residents, and will not only have daily breakfast and lunch specialties, but “the best pizza in town at the best price.” The store will have a state-of-the-art pizza oven that can cook a pizza in three minutes or less, he said.
“We know people are in a hurry, and we’re offering a good, quality product,” Rizzo said. “Tops’ primary business is to sell groceries, and the gas is more of a reward. It’s really an added convenience to our customers. People are really excited to see it open.”
Rizzo said that the plaza parking lot will stay configured basically as it is throughout the winter, with milling and repaving to start again next spring.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
