OWASSO — Last week, the Owasso Police and Fire Departments evacuated everyone from the Cornerstone Shopping Center due to a gas leak, but authorities quickly realized it wasn’t a natural gas leak.
It was methane gas, and all of the businesses are currently closed until the leak is contained.
Owner of Screaming Earth Records, Ben Sloma, tells KRMG that all the businesses are closed until ONG gets five days of consecutive clean readings. Still, the shopping center owner must install a ventilation system first.
“We’ve been told it could be three weeks to a month. I know it’s at least going to be another week because, like I said, the fire department needed five days of clear readings,” Sloma said.
The store owner isn’t sure where the methane is coming from, but some have suggested it could be a natural pocket of methane gas or an old abandoned well. Some businesses are considering setting up temporary shops at other locations, and Sloma is storing some of his records somewhere else because vinyl and heat don’t play well together.
“Obviously, we’re closed. We’re not having any customers come in. We’re not making any revenue, but the bills don’t stop coming. So, we still have quite a few expenses that need to be paid for,” Sloma said. “We’re at a standstill until we know more.”
Someone started a GoFundMe page for the record store to help with expenses while they are closed.
“Owasso has been really good to us since we’ve opened. It’s a great community, and they’ve done a lot to keep us in business and to help us out through this situation,” Sloma said.
