U-Gas Now Open In Ballwin; Dirt Cheap Ruffles Feathers

U-Gas representatives said they hoped to open the company's latest gas station/convenience store/car wash concept before October 1, but never publicly stood by a particular opening day.

That appears to have happened Thursday at the site of the former Rothman Furniture site along Manchester Road next to Vlasis Park and the city of Ballwin Government Center. The business joins a Wendy's restaurant already open on the site. An indoor shooting range will also be located there, with Pace Properties still soliciting for a tenant on just under 2 acres still left for development.

As part of opening that location, the existing U-Gas outlet at 15221 Manchester Road will be branded as a Dirt Cheap franchise. The companies are under the same corporate umbrella.

Minutes from Monday's Ballwin Board of Aldermen meeting, where the switch was on the agenda, along with a liquor license for the location, show lawmakers were at odds over the move. 

The minutes, which are unofficial and in draft form, showed disagreement over whether the "Dirt Cheap" monicker was appropriate for Manchester Road, along with an interest in looking at "pulling back" on liquor stores and smoke shops on Manchester Road. 

Approval of Dirt Cheap's liquor license was pulled from the agenda.