Sheetz in Youngwood to close
YOUNGWOOD, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Sheetz in the center of Youngwood is about to close, and the community is not happy about it.
The Sheetz in Youngwood, Pennsylvania, along Route 119 has stood proudly for over 22 years and during that time it has given its customers a place to not only fill up their cars but to grab a bite to eat before getting back on the road.
To the naked eye it would not appear that the location is lacking in business. In fact, the facility and pumps were remodeled just four years ago. But all the same, the Youngwood branch of the popular gas station and convenience store will be closing for good on Oct. 7.
Youngwood Mayor Kris Long says that he was surprised when he got the notice that their Sheetz would be closing, especially because Sheetz gave no reason for the closure.
"You know, I live only a half a block away from it, two streets up," said Long. "And it's convenient for myself and my wife and my neighbors. And that is a concern for my part of town, as well as the passers who come through town, north and south on 119."
While Sheetz did release an official statement announcing the closure and the moving of the branch's employees to other locations, they could not be reached for further comment on this matter.
Long would like to see the space filled quickly by another similar company, but he added that Youngwood still has a 7-Eleven-Sunoco and a BFS, all along Route 119 that folks can use.
Still, every customer KDKA-TV spoke with on Thursday echoed in one way or another the sentiments of Caleb McClintock, who comes to the Sheetz almost daily.
"It's going to affect a lot of people around here," McClintock said. "We fill up our welding machine here every other day or so. We travel an hour or an hour or two away, then when we come back, we end up filling up our machine and trucks and stuff. But it is going to be a little bit harder now because we've got to go the whole way to New Stanton."
For all who live or are passing through Youngwood and are looking for a Sheetz, there are two close by. There is one at 205 North Center Avenue in New Stanton and one in South Greensburg at 1312 South Main Street.
