Pushback against another Kwik Trip

STEVENS POINT — On Jan. 5, the city’s Plan Commission unanimously decided to postpone their decision on a potential Kwik Trip near County Trunk HH and Hoover Road, pushing the vote to February after hours of community feedback.
The meeting began at 6 p.m. and stretched to nearly 10 p.m., with several community members voicing their concern for the potential gas station.
In August 2025, the property in question was approved to be re-zoned for commercial use. Kwik Trip is looking for approval for a conditional use permit to operate a gas station and a car wash located at 3383 Hoover Road and 5278 County Road HH, and to construct an off-premise side on the property located at 3383 Hoover Road.
During the four-hour meeting, concerns ranged from the proximity of the gas station to groundwater near the property that is used by thousands of residents, groundwater contamination, what would happen in the event of a leak or spill, health risks, noise and light pollution, and the question if Stevens Point needs another gas station.
One of the main concerns raised by residents is the close proximity the gas station would reside in relation to groundwater. The Village of Whiting’s water supply is near the property, and near the potential gas station. Among the filled room of concerned residents who spoke during the meeting was Chris Mechenich, a retired groundwater scientist with 40 years of experience in groundwater and public health issues.

Mechenich provided a hand out to the commission along with her testimony that warned of how quickly water contamination can occur, but also how difficult it can be to clean and fix after contamination occurs. In addition, she provided feedback on how the city’s Groundwater Protection Plan could be strengthened to protect the groundwater in the event of a gas leak, car wash chemicals seeping into sewers, and more.
Resident Donna Mott spoke on the potential danger of benzene. Mott stated she has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and holds a chemotherapy certification. “What I am here to talk to you about is benzene, that clear, odorless gas.”
Benzene is found in crude oil and gasoline, but can be used in other manners, and according to the CDC can lead to short term and long term health effects. The CDC classifies benzene as a carcinogen, which is a substance that can cause cancer. According to the CDC, benzene will primarily cause blood cancer or bone marrow damage in addition to potential fertility irregularities, such as irregular menstrual cycles and a decrease in the size of ovaries.
“There is no safe level of benzene exposure,” Mott said. She shared research studies with the commission that discussed the dangers of benzene at gas stations, that she said existed even with safety measures in place.
Others in the meeting raised the question: does the Stevens Point area need another gas station? The Stevens Point area, including Plover and Whiting, currently has around 20 gas stations. Seven of those gas stations are Kwik Trip. The closest Kwik Trip to the proposed property is just over two miles away, while the nearest gas station is one and a half miles away from the property.
“We are not in desperate need of another gas station,” one resident said, who later stated there are over fifteen gas stations within a five mile radius of the proposed Hoover Road location.
“Kwik Trip takes our responsibilities with the environment—and being good neighbors—very seriously.” Scott Teigen, a vice president with Kwik Trip stores, spoke during the meeting while addressing some of the community concerns. He stated this Kwik Trip location would bring over 40 new jobs to the area with around one and a half million to two million dollars in payroll and benefits.
The environmental manager for Kwik Trip, Kevin Nestingen, addressed the concerns raised by the community. He noted that Kwik Trip’s preventative and safety measures include spill buckets, electronic leak detection vapory recovery systems, double-walled tanks and piping, and a companywide spill response program that come with a 24/7 operations center.
In response to the community concern over potential spills or leaks, Fire Chief J.B. Moody said, “We respond 365, 24/7. There has not been a spill in 2025 or prior, to my knowledge, that we did not respond to in the appropriate manner.” Moody stated that in 2025 there were 27 spill responses in Stevens Point, to which he said the fire department responded and mitigated each and every scene.
Dale Steinmetz, alderperson for District 6 where the parcel of land is located, spoke in favor of approving the conditional use permit. “The conditional use permit process is carefully regulated. Site plan review, building code, site specific conditions, and city oversight are designed to protect stakeholders every step of the way.” Steinmetz said, “Denial means developers may take their investment elsewhere. Stevens Point may lose that growth to communities who will say yes.”
Following Steinmetz’ feedback, residents of his district spoke out against his support for the project. One community member spoke at the podium, asking for the nearly full room to raise their hands if they had tried calling Dale Steinmetz to discuss the potential Kwik Trip, which led to a handful of hands being raised. Then, the community member asked the room to raise their hand if Steinmetz had talked to them or returned their call, to which no one raised their hand.
In reply, Mayor Mike Wiza, said, “I got to stop you there, Alderperson Steinmetz isn’t what we’re discussing here. Everyone has the opportunity to speak regardless of their representation, and that’s what we’re doing here tonight.”
The owner of the property spoke about feeling as though the community felt the Kwik Trip proposal was being viewed as “guilty until proven innocent, rather than innocent until proven guilty.” He stated that prior to the Kwik Trip proposal; he had interest from other potential spaces to use the land including mobile home parks, storage center, distribution centers, residential housing, daycare centers, a wealth management company, retail and restaurant spaces, and a laser-surgery center.
Following the hours of public feedback, commission members spoke on the potential gas station and echoed some of the community’s concern.
District 7 councilwomen, Mary Kneebone, said, “Putting a gas station in a wellhead protection area is like playing Russian roulette. You hope nothing goes wrong, but you don’t spin the chamber and put it to your head.”
The commission unanimously voted to postpone any action taken on the gas station, car wash, and sign permits until February. In part of the postponement, Mayor Mike Wiza stated he would like to see more specific preventative and safety measures outlined before the next meeting.