Area to see gas prices dip below $3

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

The economy is fueling the decrease in prices, some say.

YOUNGSTOWN — Lower gas prices have invaded the Buckeye State, but it may take a few extra days before the Youngstown area sees the full effect of the invasion.

The fuel-watching Web site Fuelgaugereport.com lists current fuel prices in the Youngstown-Warren regional area at an average of $3.33 a gallon for regular gasoline. The area listed an average price of about $3.55 a month ago.

Other areas in the state have seen a more rapid decline in gas prices. Many stations in the Columbus and Cleveland areas have recently listed prices below the $3 mark.

Pat LaVecchia, government affairs director for the Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers in Ohio and Michigan, said the downward spiral in prices is being fueled by speculation that the global economy is in poor shape.

LaVecchia said the Youngstown area will see prices dip below $3 a gallon for gas, but that may take to the end of the week.

“Usually, Youngstown is one of the first places to have lower cost compared to other areas in the state,” he said. “The jobbers, or distributors, who buy gasoline then resell it to independent dealers, may be stuck with some very high-priced gasoline. By the end of the weekend you should see prices below $3 a gallon.”

Kenny Burton, assistant manager at Ultimate Food Mart on Belmont Avenue, said the station uses a gas mixture that allows them to keep the price relatively low. The station listed a price of $3.14, well below the area average, Wednesday afternoon.

Burton said competition for customer volume also is part of what is driving the prices down.

“It’s getting really competitive. We were the lowest for a while, but everyone is trying to match our prices,” he said.

LaVecchia said people living in states like Ohio and Michigan are fortunate. States such as Alabama and Mississippi will continue to pay the price — figuratively and literally — for the damage done by recent hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, he said.

Some of those states getting gas from the Gulf region, LaVecchia said, will continue to see high prices.

“We are lucky in Northeast Ohio and Michigan that we get most of our gas from a refinery in Detroit and large refineries in Toledo as well as in Northern Indiana and Illinois,” he said. “People in the Carolinas, Alabama and Mississippi get gas from refineries in the Gulf which was knocked senseless with the hurricanes. They are seeing shortages from refineries that were down for a month.”

Ultimately, LaVecchia said, Ohio will continue to see lower prices than seen in past months at least through spring.

“You may have a few spikes here and there, but it is not going to stay. I believe the price will stay down,” he added.

jgoodwin@vindy.com