West Kittanning Council wants a local business to clean up a former service station site on Butler Road because of a hazardous situation.
The building that housed the former Butler Petroleum Service Station at 357 Butler Road, next to Mel's Pizzeria, is gone.
Portions of the cement floor remain covered with white ceramic tile, while another section has collapsed, exposing a drainage system about 8 feet underground.
The collapsed area is surrounded by jersey barriers and orange safety fencing, but as the station's floor continues to erode, the barriers are inching closer to falling into the hole.
Council has been trying to get something done about the former service station for the last year to no avail, said Councilman Ken Trudgen.
“The jersey barriers are ready to fall into the hole, and there's a school bus stop near that site,” Trudgen said. “If kids come barreling down that hill and aren't paying attention, they could go right into that hole. “We've got to watch out for our kids, and the only way to do that in this area is to see this thing fixed.”
The site also poses a flooding risk, said Council President Bob Venesky.
Located at the base of a steep hill, the site contains two culverts exposed by the collapsed area that are aging and beginning to collapse, Venesky said.
“If it plugs, Mel's (Pizzeria), Ford's Flowers and other businesses down there are going to be flooded or just washed away,” Venesky said.
Venesky said he has been trying contact the state Department of Environmental Protection to see what can be done about the site for several months, but he hasn't gotten any answers.
Butler Petroleum has owned the property since 2004, according to county tax records.
Company officials did not return calls seeking comments.
Mel's Pizzeria owner Chris Dias said the hole opened about two years ago, after the culvert beneath the building failed.
Dias said he and several business owners upgraded the storm drains along Butler Road in 2006 to improve their flow.
The widened storm lines couldn't handle the weight from trucks hauling fuel onto the property, which caused the hole to eventually open up, he said.
Despite the hole and exposed storm lines, Dias said he isn't worried about flooding.
“Even during the worst storms, we haven't had flooding since that part of the culvert collapsed,” Dias said. “It seems to be handling it, but still, it needs fixed.”
Despite not getting any answers, Trudgen said council plans to continue calling and sending letters to Butler Petroleum.
“We just have to keep exhausting every avenue and keep having our solicitor continue calling and sending letters to Butler Petroleum,” Trudgen said. “We have to keep letting them know this is a dangerous situation.”
Brad Pedersen is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-543-1303, ext. 1337, or bpedersen@tribweb.com.
