Service Station to close April 15

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Brian Maguire
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The Dover Air Force Base Service Station is scheduled to close April 15 to make way for a brand-new gas station and shoppette on the current site. 

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service plans to build a new gas station that will include a shoppette, Class Six store, stand-alone car wash, and space for coffee and sandwich shops, which are yet to be determined. 

The Class Six store will remain open in its current location until the new building is completed, said Leo Bitner, Fort Meade Consolidated Exchange general manager. The Fort Meade Consolidated Exchange consists of the AAFES facilities located at Fort Meade, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Fort Detrick, and Dover AFB. 

Construction of the new gas station is scheduled to begin in August. The new facility is scheduled to open in the summer of 2009 weather permitting, said Mr. Bitner. 

AAFES worked to reduce the impact this closure will have on the customer. Alternative locations were considered, along with a plan to phase the demolition to maintain service, but those plans increased the time and cost of the project, Mr. Bitner said. 

"The worst thing for our customers is having to shut down for nine months to a year," said Mr. Bitner. 

The gas station will reopen without a car care station. This will not affect customers who purchased the road hazard warranty from AAFES. AAFES has worked with a local tire dealer to cover the warranty with no added cost to the consumer, said Mr. Bitner. For more information on the warranty, please call 678-2515. 

AAFES worked to find locations for the service station employees to work during the construction process. The current employees will fill vacant slots at other AAFES locations on base. "No one lost their job because of this closure," Mr. Bitner said. 

Demolition of the 1956-era building is scheduled to begin once the service station closes. Work will also be done on the parking lot between the existing service station, Base Chapel and Eagle Lanes Bowling Center. The parking lot has abandoned airfield pavement underneath, which needs to be removed before construction on the new gas station can begin, said Lance Wilgus, 436th Civil Engineer Squadron project manager. 

As part of an agreement with AAFES, Dover AFB is providing AAFES with a clean site, which involves demolishing the existing structures and removing the abandoned airfield pavement and storage tanks, Mr. Wilgus said. 

AAFES is managing the construction of the new facility and funding the construction through profits generated by their businesses.