KAREN PRISBREY / MESSENGER PHOTO
Trench work is being done to accommodate the venting pipes from the basement of Lila Lee Apparel. The impact to main street businesses is now shifting from environmental to economics.

Gas leak damage extends from environmental to economics
By Karen Prisbrey
9-19-07

GUNNISON—Business and city leaders in Gunnison are hopeful that last month’s gas leak on Main Street will be an opportunity, rather than a detriment, for the city’s business district.
On Aug. 10, gasoline fumes permeated the sidewalks and buildings along Main Street in Gunnison, forcing the closure of all businesses between Center Street and 100 South.
Sanpete County Hazmat Officer Nathan Miner, along with a team of experts from Wasatch Environmental (a environmental consulting firm in Salt Lake City) determined that more than 20,000 gallons of gas had leaked out of bulk storage tanks at the Top Stop Convenience Store and seeped through the ground into the basements of several local businesses.
The closure of businesses even for one day had a financial impact on Main Street, and the resulting construction, venting, and cleanup process further compromised the economic stability of those businesses.
Lila Lee Apparel seems to have sustained the worst impact due to the leak. The establishment has been getting ventilation since the incident, and a remediation project has been installed; however, the process could take many years to complete.
Other business owners report that while the fumes have been bothersome, they have been able to conduct business as usual.
Carolyn Brock, a Farmers Insurance agent, reports that one of her workers had headaches and a rough throat for several weeks following the spill, but since the venting has been done, she hasn’t been bothered by the fumes.
The people from Wasatch Environmental were accommodating in their efforts to make things easier for them, Brock said.
Business at Jensen Drug was affected only on the day of the closure; otherwise, business has been as usual, said Redge Jensen, owner and pharmacist.
Yvonne Willden of Quilt S’more echoed that sentiment.
Gunnison City Council member Lori Nay, who supervises the city beautification committee, became concerned when she saw businesses emptier than she thought normal in the weeks following the incident.
Nay was particularly worried that the gas-leak scare and subsequent cleanup work kept people away from area businesses such as eating establishments in the area and the Casino-Star Theatre.
She said she hoped that the city, business owners, and Main Street patrons and customers would turn the tables on what could have been an economically hurtful occurrence.
“This has been a crisis for our city, but we now have an opportunity to develop something really good for the future. We want to take the time to develop a plan that will enhance and reinvent our business district, and we want to have input from our citizens in determining the direction we want to go.”