KITTERY, Maine -- Irving Oil said that it will become the new owner of Howell's Truck Stop on the Route 1 Bypass in Kittery, Maine, effective January 15. The site will be renovated this spring and operate under Irving's Bluecanoe banner.
The fully renovated Bluecanoe is scheduled to open by summer 2008. In the meantime, the convenience store will be open for business and the location will continue to offer customers Irving's fuels during the construction phase.
"For years, Howell's has been the preferred destination for local residents and long-distance drivers alike, and we at Irving [image-nocss] will continue that tradition with our new Bluecanoe store," said Harry Hadiaris, director of tetail operations for Portsmouth, N.H.-based Irving Oil. "We hope new and returning customers will visit the site and experience the fresh, clean atmosphere that our Bluecanoe stores are so well-known for."
The renovated truckstop will have six automated fueling lanes, 84 parking spaces for tractor trailers, complimentary Wi-Fi, an Amato's Italian Restaurant franchise, a convenience store offering fresh baked goods and gourmet coffee, and a lounge and showers for truck drivers. In addition, there will be 29 parking spots for cars, and four spots set aside for RV parking.
"Given Irving's commitment to clean, attractive service stations, I'm confident they will continue my family's tradition of great service at a great location," said owner Jim Howell. The Howell family has owned and operated the site since the early 1950s.
All employees currently working at Howell's will have the option to continue working for Irving once ownership changes.
Meanwhile, a new Bluecanoe c-store, truckstop and restaurant is to be constructed this summer at the site of the former Irving Big Stop on U.S. Route 201 in Fairfield, Maine, company officials told The Kennebec Journal. The location was destroyed by fire on Feb. 7, 2007, the report said; the cause of the blaze was never determined. A makeshift store in a mobile trailer opened a few weeks later, as did the gasoline pumps and diesel station for tractor trailers, but the restaurant and store have not yet been replaced, it added.
The former store and restaurant measured 9,523 square feet and had parking for 59 cars and 28 tractor trailers.
"It has always been our intent to rebuild at this location," Hadiaris told the paper. "We are in the permitting process now, and as soon as that process is complete we will begin construction. Our goal is to re-open by the summer of 2008. The new location will be a full-service Bluecanoe with an eating area and showers for drivers."
Cynthia Tuttle, assessor for the town of Fairfield, told the Journal that Irving officials inquired about a building permit last summer, but have not pursued the process since. "They will be needing a building permit—that's all they need, but no plans have been submitted yet," Tuttle said. "It's kind of odd, they were inquiring this summer, but they have not said what they decided to build or what they're going to do."
The building had been remodeled more than once since Irving took over the property from Bill's Oil Co. in 1986, the report said. Its open truss system across the roof allowed the fire to spread rapidly, fire officials said at the time. Renovations through the years made it difficult to fight the fire, the Journal said.
There are more than 130 Irving-operated retail sites in the United States.
Irving Oil is a regional refining and marketing company serving customers in New England and eastern Canada (out of Canadian haradquarters in Saint John, N.B.) with gasoline, diesel, home heating fuel, lubricants, jet fuel and complementary products and services. The company's network of Bluecanoe and Mainway c-stores offers customers a wide variety of products and services, including grocery and snack items, bakeries and convenience items in addition to fuel.
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