Township Gas Station's Future Uncertain in Face of Corporate Reposession

Ted Foundopoulos doesn't know what is going to happen to his business, the at 615 Washington Avenue which has not had a shipment of fuel for about two weeks.

"Nobody's telling us anything," Foundopoulos said.

Foundopoulos was a tenant of Getty Petroleum Marketing (GPMI) and a sub-tenant of Getty Realty, a separate company which leases gas stations and convenience stores to distributors. Last December, GPMI filed for bankruptcy. Two weeks ago, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in New York found the lease between GPMI and Getty Realty was void, allowing the real estate company to repossess 788 gas stations, including the Getty in Washington Township.

Since then, Foundopoulos has received no new shipments of fuel — though one may come in the next few days — as Getty Realty has had to find a new distributor to replace GPMI. Foundopoulos has kept the garage open, but in the meantime he has been missing the 6.5 cents per gallon of gas sold GPMI paid him. Getty Realty has switched Foundopoulus and other stations to a monthly lease and the exact amount they will pay remains undetermined, Foundopoulos said.

"Now they want to pay us less," Foundopoulos said.

Getty Realty recently attempted to evict 63 tenants from gas stations in Connecticut and New York, but withdrew the motion last week. Foundopoulos said he was worried they might try to evict him from the Washington Township location, which has been open since 1959.

"We're at the whim of whatever the judge orders in New York," Foundopoulos said. "It's mind-boggling."