Thursday, July 08, 1999
Clermont to build salt storage site
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BATAVIA — In the midst of a punishing heat wave that has kept temperatures in the 90s, Clermont County officials on Wednesday addressed an unusual summer topic: salt supplies for snow-covered roads.
County commissioners at their regular meeting approved taking bids for design and construction of a Washington Township facility that could hold up to 2,500 tons of road salt.
That's more than half of the total amount the county currently can hold and comes on the heels of a winter in which the engi neer's office scrambled to replenish salt supplies, particularly in the southern half of the county.
“It would definitely help,” said Steve Roark, maintenance supervisor in Moscow. “They cut us off (last winter).”
$170,000 cost
And Moscow wasn't alone. County Engineer's Department Administrator Joe Uecker said Wednesday he couldn't recall a winter in which the county wasn't forced to cut off, or curtail, salt supplies.
“It has caused us a lot of heartache when we cut
them off because they're our neighbors as well,” he said, “but it was necessary.”
The county last winter could hold 4,300 tons of salt — 4,100 tons at its Batavia facility and 200 tons at a satellite barn in Washington Township.
The new, 2,500-ton-capacity facility will be at that same Washington Township site on Ohio 734. The type of structure — a dome or barn — has not been established. The project is expected to be completed by Dec. 31.
The county has put a bid estimate of $170,000 for design and construction. Clermont would then own and operate it. Funding comes from the engineer's department budget.
Deputy Engineer Doug Royer noted the expense, and wear and tear, to continually transport small amounts to the Washington Township facility. Bigger trucks used by salt vendors cannot negotiate the steep hills there, so all deliveries go to Batavia.
Some communities “salt away” small supplies for emergencies.
New Richmond is fortunate to have an Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) facility there, and Village Manager Dave Kennedy said ODOT has in the past advanced salt to the village.
"Every last grain'
“They lend us 10 tons,” Mr. Kennedy said. “We give it back, every last grain.”
But in emergencies, some communities and the county must buy smaller amounts at higher prices.
Mr. Kennedy said the county has been receptive to his village's needs, but part of the problem has been the lack of a large storage area in the south. Also, county trucks have difficulty delivering salt from Batavia during storms, when it's needed most.
The county last winter used 4,500 tons of salt, for which it budgeted $150,000.
Mr. Uecker said there is no alternative to salt. Grit and sand, he said, are far less effective, don't wash away, and continual driving on them tends to “erase” the lines on the road.
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