Tuesday, December 07, 1999
Middletown adds salt storage
Snow removal on east side should go faster
BY JANET C. WETZEL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Mike Horrall (in bucket), Don Steed (center) and Anthony D. Thomas help Monday to build an equipment storage barn near Lefferson Park in Middletown.
(Dick Swaim photo)
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MIDDLETOWN — When fall gives way to winter snow, the city will be ready.
Anticipating the needs of road crews for salt, the city has built a 1,200-ton salt storage dome near the east end of town. And maintenance workers are constructing a 40-by-60-foot storage barn there to house snow-fighting equipment.
The new structures should save time and money, said Ginger Smith, senior adminis trative assistant for the public works department.
Crews no longer will have to drive several miles to and from the city garage in downtown Middletown to get equipment and salt to treat snowy or icy roads in the east end. Both will be available in the new buildings at Breiel Boulevard and Lefferson Road near Lefferson Park.
“This will help improve our response because the equipment and supplies will be more convenient to that area that we're servicing,” Mrs. Smith said.
And it saves up to an hour round-trip for every time crews avoid having to go back to the Main Street garage for more salt, allowing more time to work on the roads, said Art Baer, public service administrator.
Work on the storage building began in mid-November and will be finished by the end of the year, Mrs. Smith said. The materials cost $10,500. City crews are supplying the labor.
The new salt dome more than doubles the city's salt-storage capacity, giving the city more insurance against running out of salt to treat its 230 miles of road, Mr. Baer said. Next year, the city plans to replace the old, 900-ton storage barn on Main Street with one that can hold 1,800 tons.
Total cost for the two is $239,000.
“We're moving forward with our plans to give us a larger salt storage capacity so that we can absorb the winter storms that are heavier than normal and avoid running out of salt as we nearly did last year,” Mr. Baer said. Last winter, the city had to mix grit with the salt to keep from completely running out.
The city also recently bought eight new trucks with snow plows and salt-spreading equipment to help with the work.
Most are replacing old equipment, but some will be upgraded from just standard pickup or dump trucks to include snow removal and salt-spreading equipment. That means more help during winter storms, Mr. Baer said.
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