Gas tanks ordered removed from property
TERRY AHNER/TIMES NEWS Ed Ziegler (left) and Richard C. Firely (right), project manager, look on during a subcontractors meeting Monday morning at the site of Ziegler's business along Route 873 in Slatington.
State Department of Environmental Protection officials have ordered gas tanks to be removed from a controversial Slatington property.
On Monday, several DEP officials and subcontractors gathered at the property owned by Ed Ziegler, located off State Route 873.
Richard C. Firely, project manager, said three 6,000 gallon tanks of gasoline, and one 1,000 gallon tank of kerosene must be removed from the property.
Firely said DEP has identified the property as an old abandoned gas station, and requested the tanks be taken out of the ground since the gas station is no longer in use.
He said concrete/asphalt will be broken up, the tanks opened, cleaned, and later removed off-site to either be recycled or properly disposed.
Ziegler told the TIMES NEWS he plans to work with DEP officials.
"I'm cooperating with DEP," Ziegler said.
Last month, District Judge Rod Beck of Slatington levied 48 charges against Ziegler for the southern property he owns on the east side of N. Walnut Street.
Ziegler was told he has until the new year to clean up his properties or face fines, as Beck granted him an additional 45 days to clean up his southern properties by Jan. 4.
In the event Ziegler doesn't clean them up within that time frame, he could face a maximum penalty of $1,000 per day.
As part of an agreement with the borough, Ziegler also has until Dec. 31 to clean up his northern properties at the same address or face fines.
Ziegler said he "inherited" the former Hilltop Texaco in the mid-1980s, when it served as a gas station/ car wash.
