Island residents who have been grumbling about the only 32963 gasoline station being temporarily closed will have to wait another 10 days before they can fill up their tanks close to home.
The underground tank replacement project at the 7-Eleven convenience store and gasoline dispensary on North A1A in Indian River Shores, which started on April 10, is on schedule to be completed by the end of next week, a little over a month from when it began.
The Shores town clerk, who said she has been getting quite a few calls from local residents about the project, has been providing periodic updates on the 7-Eleven closure in the town’s electronic newsletter, based on information received from the contractor, Wilson’s Petroleum Equipment, Inc.
The convenience store next to the CVS drug store at the south entrance to the town has also been closed during construction, but the business is scheduled to reopen in about 10 days when the Mobil gas pumps are again ready to go.
This week, crews were pouring concrete on both sides of the grounds around the gasoline pumps, and after that, only last-minute details remain, such as mounting the canopy over the island where the pumps are located to protect customers from rain and sun while fueling.
Calvin, the 7-Eleven site supervisor for Wilson’s Petroleum Equipment, said the project came off smoothly without any major glitches. “We had to tear the old tanks out along with the dispensers, and put the new ones in. It all went pretty much on schedule.” He said there was no evidence of any leakage of hazardous materials into the ground from the old tanks.
Calvin said he did not know the exact reason why 7-Eleven decided to undertake the tank replacement project at this time, but he added that it’s common sense to conclude that “if it ain’t broke, you don’t fix it.”
He went on to explain that there are new guidelines from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on underground steel tanks, and that gasoline stations around the country have been gradually bringing their underground tanks up the new standards. “That’s usually what’s happening on these projects,” Calvin said.
Hazardous materials leaks from old tanks are a major environmental problem and companies are anxious to avoid liability for past spills of oil and gasoline on their properties. As a result, Wawa, the Pennsylvania-based chain of convenience stores and gas stations which has been expanding like wildfire throughout Florida, has made a corporate decision to avoid any former gas station sites for its planned new stores.
The 7-Eleven gas station on the island had been selling gasoline at prices usually a little higher than the higher-volume stations on the mainland, but many island residents don’t seem to mind paying somewhat more for the convenience of not having to cross one of the bridges just to get gas.
“I’d probably spend more driving over to the mainland to get gas,” said one resident who was anxious for the island 7-Eleven to reopen.
