April 9, 2018
This is “Our Past Is Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.
Today’s
story comes from an article published July 11, 2003 by Mike Heronemus who worked
at the Daily Union newspaper. The title of the article was the “Station at
Sixth and Webster May Close.” This is what he wrote in the article: “One of Junction City’s last full-service gas
stations may close this month if a new operator cannot be found (that was in
July of 2003).
George
Leiszler of Leiszler Oil Company in Clay Center leases the station. Leiszler has been in the oil business for
about 30 years and has leased the station from Griffith Oil Co. in Manhattan
for 10 years. The decision was an
economic one. Leiszler’s customer base
has decreased and profit margins are slim.
Young
customers are buying gas at convenience stores, Leiszler said, and his older
customers, who were traveling 30,000 to 40,000 miles-a-year when they were
younger are traveling 10,000 miles a year now.
Leiszler
went on to state that there were two potential operators trying to obtain
financing to sublease the station. If a
subleaser can be found, the station will stay open as a Phillips 66 or another
franchise. However, if no operator can be found, the station will close and no
other location for his Philips 66 franchise will be sought. If the station closes, Jim’s 66 on North
Washington Street will be the only station in town offering full service at the
pump.
Calvin
Gauntt, who managed the station, said the station was
built in the early 1960’s as Cummins Conoco.
That station sold to Griffith Oil Co. in early 1985 and Gauntt moved in
to manage it as a Phillips 66. Then in
2000 Calvin Gauntt decided to reduce his work hours and passed management of
the station to Leonard “Jake” Jacobs.”
The station
was eventually closed and torn down and replaced by The Kansas State Bank. And… that is today’s story on “Our Past Is
Present” from the Geary County Historical Society.
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