Williamsport, Pa. — Construction is set to resume soon on the site of the Williamsport Wawa store after it was stopped earlier this year when a cancer-causing chemical was found in the groundwater.
Work on the site at 164 Maynard Street should resume in May when excavation begins for underground storage tanks and store infrastructure, according to Megan Lehman, spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Construction of the new gas station and convenience store should not be delayed. The store is expected to open before the end of this year, according to Alyson Mucha, public relations lead for Wawa.
Initial ground preparation on the site began shortly after City of Williamsport's codes office issued a building permit in January. A short time later, Wawa's consultant, RT Environmental Services, found the chemical TCE or trichloroethylene during a test of the groundwater. The 2.67 acre parcel is on the site of the former Williamsport Foundry.
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The developer, HFL Corporation of State College, notified the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) that they had found the chemical at the site. DEP has been working with the developer, their environmental consultant, and Wawa to address remediation at the site, Lehman said. A release of TCE had not previously been reported at this site.
Lehman said excavation of shallow soil areas where impacted materials are present is anticipated to occur in the next few weeks. The excavation will be followed by confirmation sampling to demonstrate that the impacted materials have been removed, she added. Soil removal will be coordinated with the excavation work, which should begin in May for installation of underground storage tanks and infrastructure of the store. New groundwater monitoring wells will be drilled once construction is substantially complete, and additional groundwater samples will be collected, Lehman added.
The Williamsport store construction is part of the company's plan to expand into central Pennsylvania. Wawa expects to open 40 stores in the central region, with 12 stores opening by 2025 in several counties including Union and Northumberland, according to a press release. The Union County store will potentially be located along Route 15 in Kelly Township at the site of the former Just Lite It fireworks store, which was damaged in July due to a tornado. Although Wawa corporate has not disclosed where the Northumberland County store will be located, many are speculating it will open in Shamokin. Approximately five to seven new stores should open per year for the next five years, according to Wawa officials. Plans also are in the works to open Wawa stores in the State College area in Centre County.
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No Wawa yet in Kelly Township, as site prep moves forward for fast-food restaurants
The expansion has already begun in the Harrisburg area, where ground was broken for construction of a store in Middletown, Dauphin County. The groundbreaking coincided with an event held on April 17 at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in which Wawa marked 60 years in retail and shared its expansion plans.
The Delaware-County based company has a total of 1,040 stores currently operating in six states and Washington D.C. Officials said the new stores will employ an average of 35 associates with Wawa expecting to create 1,400 long-term jobs as a result of its expansion in central Pennsylvania.
The Williamsport store will be located across the street from Penn College, which will bring more than 4,000 students within walking distance. The site also will have a $31 million economic impact to the Williamsport area, and will create close to 100 permanent jobs and 50 temporary construction jobs, according to Famvest Partners, LLC, which is part of the HFL Corporation.
Famvest announced plans last year to develop the 6.5-acre area known as "Maynard Commons" to include Wawa and a fast-food restaurant. Famvest has not yet disclosed which fast-food restaurant would be moving into the space.
The Williamsport Wawa store will be less than half a block away from a Sheetz store, Wawa's main competitor. The Altoona-based Sheetz has more than 600 stores in six states. Close to half of them are in Pennsylvania.
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