It’s been a long dry summer in Niverville for Co-op customers. But with the September 17 opening of Co-op’s new gas pumps on Main Street, Niverville is once again a two gas station town.
The property now features six pumps, to serve 12 cars, and a new automotive propane fill station. There is also much more space for vehicles to manoeuvre through the area compared to the old, somewhat cramped setup.
Construction on the project began in May, which led to the business’s pumps being closed for a four-month period. Before the new tanks could be dug and the pumps installed, the old ones had to come out.
During the construction period, the store and restaurant remained open for business as usual.
“This is a very central location,” Pete said back in April. “We have a lot of walk-in traffic… which is huge for our store. The gas is very important to us, but the store and restaurant is also a big part of our profit. That’s why we want to keep growing the restaurant side of it. Of course, the ice cream speaks for itself. We still have a lot of people commenting that it’s very good ice cream.”
Another component of the upgrade, a 14-by 28-foot timber frame covered patio, opened in mid-June and sits on the spot of the original gas island.
At some point down the road, owners Pete and Rose Friesen hope to add an electric vehicle charging station.
“That’s something that we’re looking at doing because we know that that’s coming,” Rose said in the spring.
