Stations pumped dry: Struggle grows as oil firms dump pumps

DELRAY BEACH


Chaim Shore, 55, owner of Delray Texaco, doesn’t want his station to join what he calls the sea of “weed gardens,” which is what some deserted gas stations become. His station south of Atlantic Avenue at 445 S.E. Sixth Ave. is not at a major intersection. A mechanic by trade, he does some car repairs, but the economic downturn has hit him hard.

Some days, he said, he feels like his main function is to give out directions and fill tires for free.

In the best of times, selling gas is rarely lucrative. Even with gas topped $4 a gallon last summer, an operator was lucky to realize a profit of pennies on the dollar.

But now there’s another, bigger problem contributing to weed gardens growing along even high traffic strips such as South Dixie Highway: a state mandate to replace underground gas tanks.

Palm Beach Post