Spot checks reveal few gas price violations

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Although gas prices are beginning to ease off from the highs showns here, they are hovering near $3 per gallon (iBerkshires file photo)
With regular unleaded prices hovering around $3 per gallon and the busy Memorial Day holiday approaching, state inspectors recently conducted spot-checks at service stations across the state to ensure accurate pricing and octane authenticity. During the first week of May, inspectors tested 167 octane samples at 56 service stations and found just one instance of gasoline that didn’t meet its posted octane level. J.C. Gas at 537 Bedford Street in Fall River was fined $475 for the violation. Four service stations in Leicester, Mansfield, Middleboro and Raynham were fined a total of $550 for pricing or branding violations. “Historically, we find few instances of dealers taking advantage of price uncertainty in the market. We think unannounced inspections serve as a good deterrent and provide a good gauge of pricing accuracy statewide,” said Charles Carroll, Deputy Director of the state Division of Standards. “We’re encouraged that stations are pricing accurately and motorists are getting what they pay for, particularly in the face of ongoing price uncertainty. Long term, consumers really need to make fuel efficiency and conservation a priority,” said Janice S. Tatarka, Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Tatarka urged consumers to following the Federal Trade Commission’s fuel efficiency steps to achieve your car’s best mileage capabilities: Drive More Efficiently: Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 miles per hour. Stop aggressive driving. Avoiding “jackrabbit” starts and stops around town can improve your gas mileage by up to five percent. Avoid unnecessary idling. It wastes fuel, money and pollutes the air. Turn off the engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait. Combine errands. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Carpooling and ride sharing provides savings for you and others. Using overdrive gears and cruise control improves fuel economy on a highway. Remove excess weight from the trunk. 100 pounds in the trunk can reduce a typical car’s fuel economy by up to two percent. Avoid packing items on top of your car. A loaded roof rack creates wind resistance and can decrease fuel economy by five percent. Maintain Your Car: Keeping your engine tuned to the manufacturer’s specifications can increase gas mileage by an average of four percent. Keeping tires properly inflated and aligned can increase gas mileage up to three percent. Change oil regularly. Use the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil. Look for oil that carries the performance symbol of the American Petroleum Institute. These motor oils contain friction-reducing additives that can improve fuel economy. Replacing air filters regularly can increase gas mileage up to ten percent. Use the Octane Level You Need: Use the octane level recommended for your car. For most cars, the recommended gasoline is regular octane. In most cases, using a higher octane gas than the manufacturer recommends offers no benefit. Looking for a New Car? Make Fuel Efficiency Priority # 1: Alternative Fuel Vehicles typically operate on fuels such as methanol, ethanol, compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and electricity as designated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Using alternative fuels may reduce harmful pollutants and exhaust emissions. Federal Trade Commission rules require disclosure of all alternative fuel vehicles’ cruising ranges and general descriptive information. It’s important to understand the mileage on these vehicles’ fuel supplies because some don’t travel as far as gasoline-powered vehicles. Hybrid Electric Vehicles offer another option for car buyers. These vehicles combine the benefits of gasoline engines and electric motors and can be configured to achieve different objectives, such as improved fuel economy and increased power.
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Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building. 

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu. 

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building. 

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.  

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns. 

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot. 

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use. 

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