Portions of south Mena Street in Mena, primarily between Highway 71 and Martin Street, are shut down for the time being after an oil seal on a Blackstone Construction truck blew off. There was no explosion. The sidewalks, most of the banners and furniture as well as some of the windows on the west side of Mena Street were coated in oil on the first block.
ARDOT and Blackstone are in the process of using biodegradable cleaners and equipment to clear the oil residue. They have blocked off storm drains and are containing the oil run off in a dam near the intersection of Mena and Martin Streets.
Some businesses have closed for the day, including Colt’s Barber Shop, Honey & Pearl and Rich Mountain Music. A few businesses have remained open.
The business traffic has made a mess of many of the floors in those businesses.
Adam Carrillo, a supervisor for Blackstone Construction, said they hope to have the oil cleaned up by the end of Thursday, and that they had a good team working on rectifying the situation.
There will be more on this story in the Christmas-week edition of The Mena Star.
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