Charter schools' cushion: As critics howl, surplus defended

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - After being boarded up and vacant for a year and a half, a Main Street gas station in Florence was decorated with balloons and streamers as it celebrated its re-opening Monday.

The property, at 100 Main St., was recently purchased by Lehigh Gas Co., a gasoline provider based in Bethlehem, Pa., that is affiliated with major gas stations across parts of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Ken Constable, a representative for the company, said the company's new location in Florence will be managed by Five Star Mobil, a recently formed management group.

To celebrate the re-opening, Constable said the station will be offering customers free coffee for the next few weeks.

While the building still has a functional two-bay repair shop, Constable said for the time being the location will only operate as a gas station with a small convenience store.

"As of right now, we aren't opening the garage," said Constable. "We aren't sure if we are going to get a mechanic to come in and work in it, or if we are going to renovate the building to include a larger convenience store."

The re-opening is a welcome bit of news for the local economy and managers of nearby businesses are excited to see activity on the site.

"I hope that the new station brings more people down to this end of town," said Matt Backa, part owner of the nearby Subway restaurant. "Having a dead business boarded up and just sitting right on the corner like that doesn't attract a lot of business."

Also excited about the re-opening is Jeff Gessing, manager of the Florence Pizza Factory.

"It will probably bring a lot of business to the area and we are right around the corner here," Gessing said. "I was really happy to see the lights on over there."

The gas station closed in September 2007 when longtime owner Dale Morrow decided not to continue managing the facility, because he felt the terms included in a contract offered by the Exxon Mobil Co. were too steep.

When the station closed, Morrow said Exxon Mobil was looking for him to commit to a 15-year gasoline supply contract and he warned the company would have a hard time finding new ownership because the location was too small for a major expansion.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com