Residents pumping for joy

Joe Johnson, who said gas in California is still more than $2 a gallon for regular unleaded, fills up Sunday at the Shell station at the corner of Prince and 21st streets. CNJ photo by Loretta Kos.

Clovis’ gas prices last week dropped to their lowest levels in three months, with most stations charging $1.70 per gallon for regular unleaded.

It’s welcome news for retailers as well as customers.

Ursula Vega worked the cash register at Clovis Oil Chevron, 90l N. Prince, on Sunday. She said the station was packed Friday because of lower gas prices.

“Our price now is $1.69 a gallon for regular,” Vega said. “When prices were higher we had a lot of drive-offs, and we had to make people prepay inside the store. People were complaining a lot.”

On Sunday, regular unleaded prices ranged from $1.669 to $1.799 per gallon in the city, a noticeable drop from much of the summer when averages were higher than $1.90 per gallon.

The city’s average price, based on daily checks at seven stations along Prince Street and Mabry Drive, was $1.72 per gallon late last week and on Sunday. Clovis’ average price was $1.94 per gallon on June 3.

Margaret Romero, a Clovis resident, stopped by the Chevron station on Sunday to gas up her pickup. She said she did not appreciate the prices earlier this year.

“It was horrible,” Romero said. “I have a big truck and before the prices went way up I could put $20 in the tank and it would last a week. When the prices were way up, it seemed like I was putting $20 in every other day. My family and I did a lot more walking back then.”

Ruben Sierra, an employee of Ward Bros. Tractor, said when gas prices were higher, he had to change his daily lunch plans.

“It was really bad, the price of gas,” Sierra said. “I used to drive home for lunch every day, but when the gas prices went up, I had to start taking my lunch to work.”

Jerry Brown, a local welder, said he took fewer recreational trips in June and July.

“I usually like to drive up to Ute Lake, but I didn’t do that as much this summer,” Brown said on Sunday. “It’s $1.69 a gallon now. That’s not a bad price.”

Irene Rhoads said this week’s prices were still too high.

“I’m still not happy,” she said. “I’d be happy if it was down to about $1.17 to $1.25. I like to take my kids and grandkids to the malls in Amarillo and Lubbock and we didn’t get to do that as much this summer because gas was so high.”

John Snipes summed up the feelings of many customers at local gas stations.

“A lot of my driving was work related, so I had to buy the same amount of gas even when prices were higher,” he said. “I wish it had been cheaper, but if you’ve got to have it, you’ve got to have it.”