Saturday, January 15, 2000
Road departments replenish salt supplies
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Last winter's late snowstorms provided local municipalities a three-part reminder about road salt: This is Cincinnati. Weather is unpredictable. Never run low.
Despite this winter's far-below-average snowfall, road-maintenance departments have quickly replaced what little salt they've used.
They hope to avoid a repeat of last February and March. Ten inches of snow fell during an early-March storm for which some communities scrambled to fortify dwindling salt supplies — typically at about 20 percent above regular cost.
Temperatures today are expected to hit the 50s, forecasters say.
Though we had a white Christmas, Greater Cincinnati has had only 2.3 inches of snow so far this winter, AccuWeather meteorologist Mark Tobin said Thursday. On this date in 1999, we had 13 inches on our way to 26.6 inches total for the winter.
“I'm sitting right now in a full (salt storage) building,” said Anderson Township road superintendent Dave Sparke, whose annual road-salt budget is $70,000. “Normally, I got down to 2,250 tons and I filled it back up.”
Mr. Sparke's crew has put down 250 tons this winter on Anderson's 110 miles of township road. Then, he quickly restocked to full capacity.
Anderson Township is one of about 30 local municipalities that contract with salt provider IMC, formerly North American Salt. Others include Hamilton County, Blue Ash and Colerain Township. IMC has a storage facility in Sayler Park containing 60,000 tons of road salt.
“In Cincinnati, and places like Pittsburgh, it's like that old joke, "If you don't like the weather, wait an hour,'” IMC Vice President for Sales Steve Briggs said from the firm's office in Overland Park, Kan.
He acknowledged that replenishing supplies is crucial if communities are to avoid urgent orders at higher prices.
Salt typically costs about $25 per ton in season, Mr. Briggs said. Prices rise to more than $30 per ton when buyers are in a pinch and shipping costs are higher.
“Whenever there's a run on salt, and salt is gold, they have to wait in line,” he said.
Late last winter, some local communities did.
Anderson's contract, for instance, again calls for 3,000 tons of salt, but between last January and March alone, Mr. Sparke ordered 2,979 tons. In the same period in 1998, he bought just 1,800 tons.
Hamilton County, which is responsible for maintenance of 1,500 miles of road, has used just 5,000 tons so far but has 22,000 tons stockpiled.
“We've replaced what we've used,” said Aaron Fairbanks, senior purchasing agent for the county's Engineers Department. “That's why you stockpile because you never know what you're going to get,” he said.
In Kentucky, some officials are more optimistic.
Boone County has 1,000 tons on hand — no more and no less than usual, said Kenneth Crooker, Public Works chief road technician. As the stock is used up, more will be ordered. In a typical year, the county goes through 3,000 to 4,000 tons.
“We're not trying to horde it or stockpile it,” Mr. Crooker said. Al though a near-shortage last year made county officials think twice about changing their policy, it all balanced out in the end and the 1999-2000 salt order remained the same.
Hamilton County, however, moved last year to open a New Burlington-area facility at which it has two domes holding 3,000-plus tons of salt.
And it wasn't the only county attempting a pre-emptive strike against snow.
In the first week of July, when temperatures consistently reached the 90s, Clermont County commissioners allocated $170,000 for design and construction of a new salt-storage facility in Washington Township that would increase countywide salt capacity from 4,300 tons to 6,800 tons.
They were mindful of last winter, when the county began rationing smaller amounts to communities.
“It has caused us a lot of heartache when we cut them off because they're our neighbors as well, but it was necessary,” County Engineer Department Administrator Joe Uecker said at the time.
Rachel Melcer contributed to this report.
King should be martyr, clergy say
Martin Luther King Day events
The forgotten children are our future, too
Law would ID criminal teachers
Dog day care fetches clients
FWW costs mount to $300.8M
UC to build better mouse
Inmates study ideas of peace, harmony
New radios putting each part of county on same network
XU moves graduation to Firstar
Butler Co. now billing inmates
Case dismissed against TV host
Complaint filed against Leis rival
Queen City's moments to shine reflected in book
Road departments replenish salt supplies
Search continues for sex-assault suspect
Taft plan seeks funding for roads in city limits
GET TO IT
Lopez-Cobos marks 500th with concert 'Lohengrin'
14-screen theater set for Wilder
2nd suit remains vs. steel company
Buttermilk Pike to be widened
Lakota evaluates its policy on gifted
Lebanon choosing treasurer
Man wanted in connection with fatal fight
N.Ky. could have urban opportunity zone
New school stays empty
Norwood has deal with ex-chief
Ohio to fight ruling letting minor-party tags on ballot
Program a hoot for all ages
Project a model for road levies
TRISTATE DIGEST
Twister damage hits $70 million in three counties
