Work begins on Kroger gas station
Heavy equipment was moved into position and lines were marked in front of the Greencastle Kroger store Monday afternoon as workers prepared for the construction of a gas station.
Kroger engineer Drew Gillespie told the BannerGraphic Monday that the project could take about eight weeks to complete.
Plans for the Kroger-owned filling station were approved by the Greencastle Board of Zoning Appeals in January of 2006. Since then the project has also been reviewed and approved by the city engineering department and the state.
City building inspector Dave Varvel said Monday that the project has not been changed significantly since it was approved by the BZA last year.
Gillespie said there were a few issues brought up by the city engineering department in its review of the project and that Kroger has addressed them.
Many Kroger stores around central Indiana now have gas stations where patrons can earn points to buy discounted gasoline. Kroger officials told the BZA last year that Greencastle was one of several locations they had targeted to receive a gas station.
A Kroger manager told the BannerGraphic last year that a gas station was one of the top requests of customers at the Greencastle store.
On Monday, a backhoe, large storage container and semi-tractor trailer were moved into position in the southwest corner of the parking lot near the grocery store's main entrance on Indianapolis Road.
An area of the parking lot was also marked off with yellow tape and workers from K&W Fueling Systems of Rushville began the process of determining where the gas station will be built.
According to a design plan presented to the city BZA last year, the gas station will be built in the existing parking lot, immediately to the right of the main entrance off of Indianapolis Road.
Last year, BZA members expressed concerns about building the gas station in that particular area of the parking lot due to traffic flow, but Kroger officials said they felt it was the best choice.
It was suggested that they build the gas station on the east side of the grocery store, but Kroger officials said they wanted to leave that area open for parking or future expansion of the grocery store. Also they said they wanted the exposure that having the gas station next to Indianapolis Road would give.
To appease city officials, the design was changed to include a low curb that will be built to separate the gas station from the main driveway leading to the grocery store. The four-pump station will run parallel to the main north/south driveway, according to the design plans.
A concern was also raised about the potential for fuel spills to reach a small creek that runs near the gas station and winds near an elementary school.
Kroger officials assured the BZA that a filtration system would be installed to ensure safety in the event of a spill.