The Eastern Graphic
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
JANET MACLEOD

Victim of Oil Theft Moves Tank Indoors


APM president Tim Banks says the cost of cleaning up an oil spill at the former House of Excellence in Montague is “a cost of doing business.”

In this case, Mr. Banks said the cost of doing business was in the range of $35,000 to $38,000 to clean up oil spilled on the ground after the tank was vandalized and oil was stolen about a month ago.

Mr. Banks said his company found the spill while one of APM’s maintenance managers was doing a check on the property. “He took his routine walk around the property, and noticed the oil line was disconnected,” said Mr. Banks.

He said the company immediately called the RCMP and the Department of Environment.
Danny McInnis, field supervisor with the Department of Environment, said the department was notified of the spill on November 8, and the site was cleaned up between November 8 and 10. Mr. McInnis said the department excavated the contaminated soil, and tested the soil on-site.

Mr. McInnis said the 417 tons of contaminated soil, dug up by the department, was hauled to the East Prince Waste Management Facility to be cleaned, and the hole was back-filled with new soil. Mr. McInnis said there was no groundwater contamination form the spill, since his department was notified shortly after the spill happened.

Mr. Banks does not know how much oil was stolen from the tank, but he speculated that whoever did it probably used five-gallon containers to transport the oil. The oil tank was located at the back of the building prior to the incident, but it has since been moved inside.

Mr. Banks offered words of advice to anyone who has an oil tank outside of their home or business. “You want to make sure you’re checking them on a routine basis,” he said.

Mr. McInnis said the Department of Environment recommends placing oil tanks inside building whenever possible, because the tank and its contents are more secure, and protected not only from vandals, but from the elements as well.

“It’s unfortunate that people are up to this these days with the price of oil,” said Mr. Banks.
Mr. Banks said the House of Excellence building has been rented to Frenchies. Business owner Judy Taylor, of Murray River, is opening the used clothing store because, “with the economy today, people can’t afford to go pay the big bucks for clothing,” she said.
Ms. Taylor is spelling her business’ name a bit differently than other Frenchy’s because her own first name, Judalon, is different from anyone else’s.

“When I opened my business I wanted it to be my Frenchies, my goal, my business,” she said.

Ms. Taylor is currently getting her business ready to open on January 2, 2007. She also is an artisan and will eventually sell her crafts, from quilts to angles to flower arrangements, at the store.