Owner of Sheboygan gas stations owes $239,000 in unpaid property taxes
Six gas stations have not paid their 2023 and 2024 taxes
SHEBOYGAN — The owner of six gas stations in Sheboygan County, including four in the city, is refusing to pay his property taxes.
Alfaa Mart has four gas stations in the City of Sheboygan, one in Oostburg and one in the City of Sheboygan Falls. Six of the seven gas stations are behind in property taxes. According to the Sheboygan County Treasurer's Office, the total amount due for all of the properties is $238,562.53 and is actively incurring penalties, and interest. The gas stations are owned by a man who lives in Kentucky.
The last time property taxes were paid on the six gas station was in December 2022.
Property taxes fund essential services such as law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical services and street improvements. It also funds public education, Lakeshore College and the county’s Health & Human Services Department. When businesses fail to pay their fair share, the burden then falls onto homeowners to make up the difference in the way of higher property taxes for those who own homes and higher rent so landlords can account for the higher taxes.
All of the locations were originally owned by Sheboygan-based Quality State Oil under the Q-Mart name. Quality State Oil sold all of their gas stations in March 2016 to TravelCenters of America LLC and rebranded as Minit Mart. In January 2022, the Ohio company announced the closure of all Minit Mart gas stations and sold seven of them to the owner of Alfaa Mart.
In addition to unpaid property taxes, some of the gas stations have been neglected. The City of Sheboygan has received several complaints regarding uncut grass, out of control weeds and trash concerns at Alfaa Marts at North 10th Street and Geele Avenue. During a visit to the location at North Taylor Drive and Wilgus Avenue last weekend, WKTS News observed a retaining wall that collapsed on the west side of the building and piles of brush laying in the parking lot. The grass was two feet tall in some places with weeds growing through the cracks of the sidewalk and parking lot.
The location at South 12th Street and Weeden Creek Road has had an LED message board that hasn’t worked in several years, displaying an error message. WKTS News also observed overflowing dumpsters at the Oostburg location last weekend.
All but one of the former Q-Mart gas stations are open under new ownership. Basudev Adhikari, owner of The Spices and other Indian restaurants, owns the former stores at North 20th Street and Calumet Drive as well as Monroe Street and Broadway Street in Sheboygan Falls. Adhikari has recently listed two of his gas stations for sale including the Calumet Drive location.
There were two Q-Mart locations at South Taylor Drive and Washington Avenue but only one exists today. The Citgo location next to Tommy’s Express Car Wash is owned by Dhaval G. Patel of Grafton while the Mobil gas station was dismantled. It sat on property owned by the McDonald’s Corporation. The car wash just to the south is owned by Joseph Blake Smith, who was behind the failed SQRL convenience store chain. He owes over $50,000 in unpaid property taxes on that property.
READ MORE: Abandoned car wash racks up over $50,000 in unpaid taxes
The gas station at North Avenue and Calumet Drive next to Papa John’s remains vacant. It is owned by Michael Gelling of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania. It was to be a SQRL convenience store chain until plans fell through. He listed the 3,900-square-foot building for sale or lease. The asking price is $1.7 million or $7,250 per month if leased for 10 years.
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