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New road-salt shed may strain township budget
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - September 09, 2010)
New road-salt shed may strain township budget
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Cash-strapped Chardon Township began to look last week at another component of its plans to resolve a problem with road salt migrating into nearby residential water wells.
Township Trustees are looking at a permanent storage shed for the road salt supply in an effort to comply with an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency order to prevent further problems.
Two weeks ago, trustees approved contracts with the engineering firm Burgess and Niple to assess and monitor the migration of road salt from its maintenance facility.
The approximately $32,000 of contracts were in response to a notice of violation the township received from the EPA in March, citing the practice of mixing salt and cinders on an unpaved area in the maintenance yard.
In addition to monitoring up to 19 private water wells, township officials were directed to bring their salt operations under roof by EPA officials to avoid future problems.
Township Fiscal Officer Joan Windnagel told trustees that money set aside for constructing a salt shed stands at $145,000, which officials fear may fall short of what is needed.
Trustees said about $17,000 in deductions from two paving projects this year also may be thrown into the mix but noted that a needed paving roller may cost between $25,000 and $30,000. Trustees said receipts from recycling and an oil and gas well on township park property also may be used.
Trustee Steven Borawski, who heads the City of Chardon Road Department, said he would "love" to build a wood structure with a concrete foundation.
However, he said, he fears the township falls well short of that cost with only $145,000. He said he priced a 5,000-ton capacity salt shed for the city about two years ago and the price was $450,000. The price now may be around $475,000, he said.
Mr. Borawski said he believed the township may need to save another $150,000 to add to the $145,000 to have enough money to build a 3,000-ton capacity shed. But, he said, he questioned whether that would be acceptable to the EPA. "Can we afford to do that and do we have the time?" he asked.
Trustees Charles Strazinsky Jr. and Michael Brown have each expressed a preference for building a salt shed using a tarp for a roof, but the cost of such a structure has not been identified.
One tarp has been priced at $65,000, but that does not include installation, Mr. Borawski said.
Mr. Brown said the township may be able to cut costs by using cement blocks that are dry stacked to form wall for the base of the structure.
Photographs of possible tarped sheds, however, showed walls only about 6 feet high.
But Township Road Superintendent Donald Mohney said such a short wall would lead to problems. "That's not going to work," he said. "You need 8- to 10-foot-high walls, or an accident's going to happen."
He said backhoes used to scoop the salt likely would strike the concrete blocks, which could threaten the integrity of the wall or the tarp itself. "One bump and there goes your tarp and your wall," Mr. Mohney said.
Mr. Borawski said Mother Nature also could cause damage to the tarp. He said he researched some existing tarp shelters and found insurance companies will cover the first tear, but not subsequent ones.
He said he would check with insurance companies to learn what type of coverage they provide.
He said he preferred a poured concrete wall about 8 to 10 feet high.
Mr. Strazinsky said the poured concrete wall may be best if trustees go with a tarp building. He said while the township may not have the money for a wood structure now, it could convert the building at a later time to wood with a poured concrete foundation. "If we go this route (tarp) and there are problems, we have the base," he said.
Mr. Borawski said the township should be forward in its thinking in planning for a salt shed. "We want to build for the future, we're only going to grow.
Mr. Brown said the board should be prepared to make a decision on the matter at its Sept. 15 meeting.
Mr. Borawski said while he preferred to have the wood structure that likely would mean the township would have to suspend all road projects in the coming year to afford it. He said that would not be a likely scenario. He said even with a tarp building, the township will have to cut back on some road work.
He said in addition to construction costs, the township will have to hire a firm to design the building. He said the cost of the project will require competitive bidding, meaning the township will need to have specifications that bidders can use to base their bids on.
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