Gas prices climbing again

MARTINSBURG — Fuel prices continued an upward dance this week as the price for a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline rose yet again. Across the nation, the average price for a gallon of self-serve gasoline rose from $2.21 to $2.22 between Monday and Tuesday. According to AAA, the cost was still down slightly from a month ago, when gasoline cost $2.24 per gallon. A year ago, a gallon of gasoline cost drivers $2.29. “We have been trending lower than last year,” said Beverly Powell, a spokeswoman for the agency. While prices remain lower than in the recent past, the days of declining costs may have reached an end, she said. Drivers could see increases in fuel costs following a jump in the price of a barrel of oil recently from $51 to $57, and a decision by OPEC to cut production levels. And soon, as the weather warms and families head out on vacations, prices could climb further. In the spring, Powell said production slows as companies perform seasonal maintenance. The switch to more expensive, summertime blends of fuel is also a factor in higher prices. Employees at area gas stations say such dips and dives in fuel prices are no longer noticed by their customers. Drivers may complain about prices, but for the most part, they have become accustomed to the rising cost of gasoline, said Tracy Gladden, a manager at ROCS in Inwood. “You don’t hear too much (complaining) anymore,” Gladden said. These days, as long as gasoline remains below $3 a gallon, customers seem happy, employees said. “Everyone is pretty much expecting that (the price of fuel) is going to go up,” agreed Sunny Mahavadi, owner of Sunny’s One Stop in Martinsburg. Customers are more concerned about how expensive local gas is in comparison to neighboring states, Mahavadi said, adding that West Virginia’s gas tax increase has pushed local gas prices above those in Maryland and Virginia. The average cost for a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline stands at $2.10 in Virginia, AAA reported. In Maryland, prices average $2.18, while in West Virginia, prices stood at an average of $2.31 per gallon, higher even than in Washington, D.C., where gasoline averages $2.26 per gallon. Martinsburg’s gas prices, meanwhile, were slightly less than the rest of the state. According to WestVirginiaGasPrices.com, a gallon of gasoline cost an average of $2.29 per gallon in Martinsburg. Only one of the 12 gas stations listed on the Web site featured prices lower than this, with Mystik on Raleigh Street coming in at $2.28 per gallon.