Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The Mobil station on North Main Street, owned and operated by RH Foster, will be open by the end of the month, according to company officials.
“A rough estimate for opening is around mid-October,” said Robert Tracy, executive vice president of RH Foster Energy LLC.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
GROUND-BREAKING activities literally took place recently in front of RH Foster’s new facility on Main Street. In addition to gasoline products, the Mobil station will feature a selection of food and drink items and other convenience store merchandise, as well as serving as the local stop for Cyr’s bus service. The facility is expected to be open by mid- to late October.
A few construction delays, including delivery of the canopy that will cover the gas pumps, meant postponing the opening date from late September to mid- to late October.
“Soderberg Construction, of Caribou, has done all the ground work, some of the demolition, the foundation, excavation. EW Littlefield, of central Maine, was responsible for the 4,400 square foot building. Several subcontractors have also been on site, including: Spinney’s, of Presque Isle, for the sheetrock; our electricians are local; Gastek is the company doing the petroleum work, they pulled the tanks, put in new piping, did all the setup. Gastek is from the Bucksport area; they’re great professionals to do business with,” said Tracy.
The 4,400 square foot structure will feature four dispensers with eight fuel positions, offering: on-road diesel, off-road diesel, as well as gasoline.
“We took out the in-ground tanks, even though they had about 15 years of life left. They were in beautiful condition when removed. Gastek handled the disposal of the old tanks. The advantage is we don’t have to replace the tanks in 15 years. It would have been nice to use the old ones, but they’ll (the tanks) will have a longer lifespan now,” said Tracy.
The tanks that were removed were double-walled steel. Tracy said the new tanks are double-walled fiberglass and are more durable than the prior tanks.
With regard to food options, Tracy said the store will carry three primary brands.
“We’ll have Freshies, our proprietary food offering. This will be our 10th offering in the state of Maine with our retail umbrella. We’re excited to have Freshies in Presque Isle and enjoy presenting that offering,” said Tracy.
The store will also carry Bengal Traders coffee.
“It’s a Green Mountain blend branded as Bengal Traders. It’s a phenomenal blend. We’ll have a 12-foot coffee bar, with 12 two-gallon dispensing pots. Customers won’t have to wait in line. They can park, come in and it’s ready,” said Tracy. “On the Run is a convenient baked-goods offering. We’re proud to offer three very distinctive brands.”
In addition, the store will also stock a variety of Mobil brand automotive products.
“We’ll have four particular brands coming in, three in the back court and one in the forecourt,” said Tracy.
The store will be accepting all major forms of payment.
“We’ll accept all standard forms of payment, all regular payment forms. We’re still honoring checks. We have a great check process that allows it to be fast and hassle-free. We want people to feel free to use a variety of payment forms. Debit cards work well too,” said Tracy, noting that while many establishments no longer honor checks, RH Foster facilities will continue to do so.
The station will continue to serve as the Cyr Bus terminal.
“We’re very pleased with the partnership. When we designed (the store), we knew where the bus would come in. We established the Davis Street side for picking up and dropping off passengers. If it snows or rains, there’ll be shelter for passengers,” Tracy said.
The store will be managed by Donny Kirkbride.
“Donny has been with us a few years, has run the Fort Fairfield location; he lives in the Presque Isle area. He’s working on building a team now. He handled the Fort Fairfield store well; we’re pleased to have him at the Presque Isle property,” said Tracy.
The store will initially be open 24 hours a day and staffed according to the store’s needs.
“We’ll open as a 24-hour facility at first, gauging relative to customer needs from there, with 15-18 staff members,” said Tracy.
Tracy hoped to use the station’s old number for the new store.
“If anyone wants to contact the store, they can call the current number for information at this point,” said Tracy. The Presque Isle Mobil number is 769-0871.
While the old facility served the company well, Tracy said it’s good to make improvements to better serve the community and customers.
“We’ve been running out of the old building for many years. We’re pleased to have the new building. We have a number of new brands to offer and will continue to accommodate the bus line. We’re not just getting rid of older kiosk and canopy, the new building helps beautify the city. We love the community and are looking forward to getting open with new offerings. It’s a nice facility to work out of. We’re looking forward to it,” said Tracy. “We’re very excited.”
