Bellmore-Merrick businesses, residents feeling pinch at the pump

Rapidly rising gasoline prices have forced Bellmore-Merrick residents and business owners to make tough budget choices of late as they search for more economical ways to travel.

Gas prices, which recently surpassed $4 per gallon for regular unleaded, are hitting businesses that depend heavily on driving particularly hard.

Experts attribute the spike in gasoline prices to turmoil in oil-producing Middle Eastern nations, as well as increased demand for oil in countries like China, where more people are now driving than in the past.

Lawrence Blessinger Jr., owner of All Island Transportation, a taxi company with a Merrick branch, said that business has remained “status quo” in recent weeks, and that the company has not raised fares. But, he noted, the recent jump in gasoline prices has made it more difficult to find drivers, since they pay for fuel themselves. “It’s also hurt the drivers who are currently driving because they’re not making as much money,” he said.

Expecting increased gasoline prices, Blessinger said, the company has incorporated four-cylinder Ford Fusions into its fleet in recent years because they are smaller and thus do not burn as much gas.

Local restaurant owners like Tom Valenti, owner of Piccolo Ristorante on Sunrise Highway in Bellmore, have also felt the effect of rising gasoline costs. Valenti said that gas bills for his catering trucks have doubled since prices began to climb. Valenti’s suppliers are also now charging an extra fuel cost. “It pushes up the cost of all the goods I have to buy,” he said. Valenti noted, though, that he has kept prices at his restaurant stable. Other business owners like Eddie Milos, owner of Milos Pizzeria in the Merrick Mall, said they hope that increased gasoline prices will motivate more people to shop and dine locally. “Gas prices are what it is. It affects everybody,” said Milos. “I think if people would shop more locally, they’d save on gas and help out local merchants.”