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NEWS & EVENTS
Taken from The Sentinel - September 27, 2005
Going, going, gone
Minit Mart torn down to make way for bigger, better store
By Suzie Kozar, Sentinel reporter
LEWISTOWN - Out with the old and in with the new.
That was the motto of officials from Nittany Oil Co. Monday as they watched the Minit Mart store and oil company office on Walnut Street in Lewistown reduced to rubble. The demolition of the buildings took place to make room for a new state-of-the-art store and office, which are schedule to open by the end of the year.
A group of employees, construction workers and local residents watched intently as Nittany Oil Co. President James Martin manned the controls of a hydraulic excavator and took the ceremonial first swipe through the building's roof with the machine's large “claw.” After relinquishing the controls to the crew from Glenn O. Hawbaker Construction, it took less than 30 minutes before the building, built in the 1920's, was nothing but a memory.
 Once completed, Martin said the new Minit Mart will be the largest operation of the 14 stores owned by Nittany Oil.
“This will be our flagship store,” Martin said. "It will still be called Minit Mart."
Plans for the new facility began more than two years ago when Nittany Oil purchased 2 1/2 acres of land adjacent to the current site, said Sam Sleek, who oversees new projects and environmental compliance for Nittany Oil.
The new Minit Mart will total 5,000 square feet, Martin said, compared to the old store, which had 1,500 square feet. With the additional space will come more ready-to-eat foods, such as pizza, fish, hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries. Food ordering will be done on touch-screen computers.
Enhanced fuel service also will be offered at the new Minit Mart. Martin said there will be 30 gasoline hoses under a 130-foot canopy, as well as a diesel island with 18 hoses. Nittany Oil will install new underground gasoline storage tanks with state-of-the-art monitoring systems.
Martin admitted the store and oil office were in need of a remodel.
"We want to give the Lewistown area an upgrade that was badly needed. There have been no upgrades since the mid-1980's (when the Minit Mart opened)," Martin said. "We let it deteriorate since we knew a new one was coming. It has been a long time coming."
A new office will be constructed behind the convenience store. Martin said the building will feature modern, computerized oil office and four garage bays. It will be three times larger than the previous office.
The oil tanks located at the rear of the property also will be upgraded.
The old Minit Mart store closed Thursday night. The new and improved store is scheduled to open around Thanksgiving, with the oil office open by New Year's Day. Martin said the oil service will not suffer because of the closure.
"We will not interrupt service to any customers. Call the Lewistown number and the same people will answer the phones. The same service people and the same drivers will be there," Martin said.
For the next few months, the Nittany Oil office in Belleville will handle the Lewistown store's calls.
None of the 10 company employees will be laid off because of the construction. Martin said they will be working at the Belleville and Mifflintown stores.
The new store will mean additional jobs. Martin said the Minit Mart will be open 24 hours a day and employ 32 people when it opens. One or two more oil truck drivers also will be hired. Penny Metz, store manager, said she has accepted applications for the positions in the past few months and will interview potential employees during the next two months.
Front Mountain Builders are the contractors for the building shell. Hawbaker is in charge of site development and Nittany Oil will do its own heating and air conditioning in the new buildings.
New paving, and improved traffic flow, yard lighting, a retaining wall and landscaping will complete the site.
Update:
The clock is ticking while the community awaits the completion of the new Minit Mart store that will feature a new brand identity of getting "In and Out in a Minit."
The Nittany Oil crew and their subcontractors have been working continuously to meet their opening date of December 9th. With the building shell and interior framing already in place, the next few weeks will be busy dry-walling to prepare for colorful red and white tiling, modern flooring and custom cabinetry.
Once the building interior is complete, it will be time to start training employees for the new food service station. Complete with state-of-the-art touch screens, customers will be able to order items never before offered, such as Nittany Dogs and Buffalo Bleu Chicken Wraps.
With a little more than a month until opening, Nittany Minit Mart is sure to show Lewistown and its loyal customers what a state-of-the-art convenience can really offer - great food and great service!
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