I realized the other day that even though I see it all the time, those of you who left the valley for the winter don't know that the gas station in Phoenicia is closed and under construction. The original plan was to shut the station for 2 weeks to replace the gas tanks. But while inspecting the property, the DEC found out that the owners put in the new tanks before taking the old ones out. The agency also found contamination that was never reported. So now they have to take out both the old tanks and clean up the contamination before the new ones can be installed. The DEC is doing a full assessment and the lawyers for both sides are involved so basically no one knows how long it will take before the mess is cleared and the station opens again. My neighbor Ernie Persons suggested that he should ride into town on his backhoe and push the hotel remains into the open hole at the gas station. I think that would be a brilliant idea!
