Progress continues at the future site of Sheetz in North Warren.
"If weather cooperates, they will go ahead and start construction by the end of the year," Sheetz Media Representative Monica Jones said on Friday.
Jones said there is still environmental work to be done, including the removal of "any underground tank systems or piping that would have been previously been there."
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Times Observer photo by Ben Klein
Sheetz progress
A worker from Kingsview Paving of Lakewood, N.Y., clears the future site of Sheetz in North Warren on Friday.
G & R Excavating Demolition from Tyrone started removing abandoned mobile homes and a building at the site in September. Glenn Ray, owner of G & R, said crews finished up work last week and that a different company will continue preparing the site.
"They will be starting to do the site work probably between 30 and 60 days and that will be clearing and filling of this site," Ray said. "When Sheetz buys a piece of ground they will clean that site up. It will be very environmentally friendly before they put their name on it."
A worker from Kingsview Paving of Lakewood, N.Y., was on site Friday with an excavator clearing the site.
John Rauh, Kingsview Paving manager, said the last of the trees will be removed and the company will continue to work on the parking lot, stormwater, sewer and water preparation.
According to PennDOT District Press Officer Jim Carroll, a highway occupancy permit was issued to Sheetz on Aug. 6 for the driveways it plans to install on state roads.
"As far as we're concerned they're good to go," Carroll said. "Highway Occupancy Permits (HOPs) are required for any encroachment on interstate highways, U.S. highways or state highways. Typically, HOPs are issued to utility companies, municipal authorities, developers and private citizens."
When construction is complete, plans indicate a 6,489-square-foot area with a drive-through, a fueling island with seven "multi-pump dispensers", two driveways on Vine Street, a "right-in, right-out" lane from the southbound lane of Market Street Extension, and a driveway across from the Warren Commons entrance on Jackson Run Road.