The Kwik Fill Red Apple gas station on Albany Street has been closed and under construction for the past two weeks as crews work to revamp the station to make it not just more updated, but also more user friendly.
Officials of United Refining Company, of Warren, Pa., which owns the Kwik Fill gas station chain, began the permit process to undertake a construction program to upgrade its gas pumps, gas tanks and station canopy on Albany Street in October 2013.
“This is definitely a huge step forward,” W. Jason Cook, project manager for United Refining Company, said at the time. “All of our stations are on a profitability list, and [Cazenovia] is one of our more profitable locations. Also, all the other [gas stations in Cazenovia] have been upgraded, so why shouldn’t we?”
Calls last week to United Refining Company and Northeast petroleum, the contractor hired to do the work, were not returned.
The upgrade project, currently ongoing, includes the removal of the underground petroleum steel gas tanks and replacing them with three brand new double-walled fiberglass tanks that are more environmentally friendly, longer lasting and less likely to cause ground contamination.
The gas station islands will also be totally replaced with four brand new pumps that will be spaced twice as far apart as they currently are to allow more access room for cars and trucks, and the company will install a new canopy over the pump islands in an effort to give the station a face-lift.
According to the project plans in the village planning board files, the parking area of the gas station will also be repaved and will include a striped, handicapped parking space on the right side of the building (facing Oweghena Pizza), and a handicapped ramp will connect to the front walk and front door.
The project will also include a revamp of the sidewalk along Albany Street that crosses in front of the station, and there will be gardens created along the east side of the station next to Chittenango Creek.
The project plans do not include a timeframe for completion of the construction.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
