The pumps have been dry for over a year, but gas will soon be flowing again in Royston.
A new Gas n Go is scheduled to open along the Old Island Highway in Royston in two weeks. Owner Wayne Procter bought the property last December and crews are working to prepare the new store for a May 24 opening.
“[We’re] cleaning up the old store and changing it over to a Gas N Go general store and market,” said Procter. “Renovating it and bringing it up to date.”
Procter, who owns the three other Gas n Go locations in the Comox Valley as well, said the new store will include various cold and hot food options.
“We’re doing cosmetic upgrades and making it more user-friendly, with a better product mix. Trying to give the community the milk, bread, butter, candy and stuff they want,” he said.
The station is located on Highway 19A just south of Royston Road. It will be the only location to fuel up between Buckley Bay and Courtenay.
The property was previously operated by Shell and Esso, and there was recently a stint where it was a U-Haul, but the pumps have been shut off for over a year.
Royston resident Steve Klein lives near the location and said a new gas station will be a welcome addition to the community.
“Hopefully it does well. It’s good to see business around here,” he said. “It’s not an issue with regards to traffic, and it’s not going to increase noise levels.
“There’s a convenience store down the block and I’m sure that will be affected,” Klein added. “There’s not a lot [of business] here. There’s the pub, a coffee shop, and it looks like now there’s going to be another gas station/convenience store.”
According to Procter, the gas station will be staffed by nine employees and be open from 6:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. It will supply regular gasoline and diesel fuel.
This will be 24th Gas n Go on Vancouver Island and the fourth in the Comox Valley, said Procter. The others are located in Cumberland, Black Creek, and on the K’omoks First Nation.
Roughly 1,600 people live in Royston.