Aunt B’s North demolished

A crew from Bill Driskell & Sons Construction worked Tuesday to demolish the former Aunt B’s North self-serve gas station and car wash. The site was acquired by the City of Maryville earlier this year at a county tax auction.

The City of Maryville moved forward Tuesday with demolition of the abandoned Aunt B’s North self-serve gasoline station and car wash.

The building, located on the southwest corner of South Main and Halsey Street had sat empty for years, it’s concrete lot often filled with weeds and debris.

In September 2015, the city acquired the building and paved grounds during a county tax auction for a little over $2,000. City Manager Greg McDanel said the amount of back taxes owed on the property had been approximately $30,000.

According to county records, the car wash was formerly owned by Mark Younger.

McDanel said one reason the city purchased the blighted property was because there are likely fuel tanks buried on site, which makes the real estate unattractive to potential private buyers.

He said the city is in a better position than a business or private individual to work with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to remove the tanks through the Brownfields/Voluntary Cleanup Program, possibly with the help of grant funds.

Once the lot is cleared and passes environmental muster, McDanel said the property holds potential for eventual economic development. In the short term, however, he said the city’s primary goal is just to clean up the lot and “eliminate some blight.”