Mokena 'Thrilled' About New Station on Planned Gas City Site
Mokena planning staff said they're "thrilled" the new Gas N Wash has come to the site once planned for a Gas City station. Check out photos of the store and Wednesday's ribbon-cutting.
Photos
Correction: The original version of this story identified Len McEnery as a co-owner of Gas City. This is incorrect. Patch regrets the error.
A drive-thru Dunkin Donuts, a car wash, a pet wash and more await 191st Street drivers passing by the new Gas N Wash in Mokena.
"It's the best part of my commute so far," said Dennis Safka, admissions director at nearby Rasmussen College.
Gas N Wash is the newest venture by Len McEnery, whose family owned Gas City. McEnery managed operations for Gas City.
The chain filed Chapter 11 bankrupcy in 2010. Last May, all the Gas City stations changed over to Speedway.
McEnery bought the property at 191st Street and 88th Avenue, originally intended for a new Gas City, back from the bank and set about building Gas N Wash.
"We were thrilled when he came back and said, 'We're going to do it,'" village Economic and Communty Development Director Alan Zordan said at a ribbon-cutting for the new station.
McEnery said Mokena was a good site for the first of what he hopes becomes many Gas N Wash stations.
"Mokena has always been very good to the businesses," McEnery said.
The village approved a special use permit for the combination gas station and car wash as a Gas City back in 2006, Zordan said. The economy delayed the project, then the bankrupcy killed it, or so the village thought.
Construction started in November and the gas station was up and running by February.
"(McEnery) took a gamble on building through the winter and did a fantastic job," Zordan said.
The 24-hour station and convenience store has a drive-thru Dunkin Donuts, car wash and even a pet wash.
"We knew that this family, this company, were the right people to put a gas station on this lot," Mokena Mayor Joe Werner said.
Gas N Wash will serve motorists along a stretch of the 191st Street corridor that's still mostly farmland.
"If you look around, we need to build up this area and I'm really glad they decided to locate here," Mokena Chamber of Commerce President Diana Grove said.
In This article
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Gas N Wash
8810 W 191st St, Mokena, IL -
Rasmussen College
8650 Spring Lake Dr, Mokena, IL -
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Mokena Chamber of Commerce
19820 Wolf Rd, Mokena, IL
a mom
10:34 am on Thursday, March 15, 2012
Someone please explain what a "pet wash" at a gas station is? I have never heard of that one before; interesting.
Paul Dailing
12:08 pm on Thursday, March 15, 2012
It's exactly what it sounds like. You can wash your pet there. It's a little room off to the side of the car wash part. They have a tub for pets and different shampoos, including oatmeal, several fragrances and some medicinal ones. One of the employees was telling us how she takes her dog there.
Jesco White
2:19 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
Good idea but , 7 $ and there is no water pressure !! So you cant get all of the soap off . There is no air in the room, So when you close the door you cook ! I could go on but, all i can say it was my first and last.
Suzi Voss
11:39 am on Thursday, March 15, 2012
Will be great to have a gas station there....it was much needed. Now if someone would just build one on Route 6 between Parker and 355 I'd be REALLY happy!
Ron Kenning
12:47 pm on Thursday, March 15, 2012
Love the comment about the area needing to be built up! Seems to be never enough development for some!
Steve Spurck
10:16 am on Saturday, March 17, 2012
Couldn't agree with you more. The word 'farm' seems to be a dirty 4-letter word to a lot of people these days.
Jill
6:13 pm on Thursday, March 15, 2012
Hmmmm.... The pet wash sounds nice. Just wondering how clean/sanitary that would be. Who cleans/disinfects it & how often?
Metro
10:53 am on Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Jill,
Have you seen it? It's seperate and self enclosed from the station and car wash. I think it's a great idea. I'm sure the employees that work the car wash clean it. I think it's a cute idea!!!
Rick
10:32 am on Saturday, March 17, 2012
Its sad to see that you can let an "empire" of gas stations fail and go Bankrupt while screwing all your vendors out of tons of money and then start it all over again. Oh America...We are in trouble!
Joe Vince
12:54 pm on Saturday, March 17, 2012
@Rick:
William McEnery was the owner of the Gas City gas station chain, not Len. Although related, they did not share in the business. Len had nothing to do with the failure--or the previous success--of Gas City.
Joe Vince
Local Editor, Frankfort
Metro
8:52 am on Monday, March 26, 2012
A gas station was really needed at that location. Great idea and love the pet wash. Very cute!!
NC
4:26 pm on Monday, April 9, 2012
And his son never had anything to do with the Creamery until...
dee
12:05 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Did you people complain to our govt, when they bailed out all of theose banks and airlines and we are paying for it. An honorable man built a great business and when the chips are down you kick him.
Our country is in trouble because of people like you!
NC
6:35 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
It is exactly the people like me, the American Taxpayer that pays for the disharged debt of this honorable man who filed bankruptcy. The businesses that receive pennies on the dollar write it off as a business loss resulting in less money they pay the government in taxes, thus taxes paid by people like me.
The banks that absorb these losses usually raise operating costs in the short term and overall costs in the long run. Other good companies forced to cut prices to compete with a company who knows they are going to file bankruptcy loses money and customers, like people like me.
And not to mention those who have lost jobs due to bankruptcies, like people like me.... I highly doubt that our country is in trouble because of people like me.
X Driver
8:22 am on Saturday, May 12, 2012
Hey Joe Vince
I think you better look at the facts before you write an untruth. I worked for Bill Mcenery for 30 years and I can tell you that Lenny was as close to the operation of Gas City as anyone could be. Its funny how Lenny and his nephew( Billy Mcenery ) all of a sudden come up with money to retain the Mcenery Enterprises. All of the money Lenny has made came from and still comes from Mr. Mcenery. Billy had nothing before the bankruptcy and all of a sudden he comes up with 3 million dollars to buy the Creamerys. Im sure there is something fishy going on here. If you dig deep enough you will see that Mr. Bill Mcenery is behind all this. There are ways of hiding the money he has (and should be paying back his debtors) and he is doing it. I saw him the other day driving around in his fancy Escalade. Where does the money come from to still have fancy cars and still live in a beautiful home in Homer Glen. All the Mcenerys are connected one way or another. I lost my job of 30 years to the bankruptcy of Gas City. He owes alot of people like me a lot of money. While he still finds ways to live lavishly I am forced to scrimp so that I can put food on the table. I guess thats the American way.
fusion
12:23 am on Wednesday, June 27, 2012
I agree 100 %. I worked as a DM for over 15 years. The McEnery's are no differnet than the mob.