This winter is technically
not over, yet Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens is getting
his bids in early for next winter's road salt. The Engineer's
Office has traditionally awarded road salt contracts earlier
than most agencies but a nationwide salt shortage has prompted
Wilkens to begin the process even sooner.
"We typically
begin advertising for bids in May and award a contract in June,
about two or three months ahead of everyone else," Wilkens
said. "But with salt continuing to be in short supply and
prices potentially going even higher, we felt it best to get
a jump on it now."
The BCEO is currently
advertising for bids on bulk-treated sodium chloride -- road
salt -- according to Wilkens and will open bids for the 2009-2010
winter on March 24. "We expect to award a contract to the
lowest bidding supplier by the end of the month or in early April,"
he said.
The price being paid
for road salt by the Butler County Engineer's Office this winter
is $51.42 per ton. While that amount is $22.00 more than five
years ago, it is considerably less than what many other agencies
are paying locally and nationwide. Some government agencies that
received bids late last summer and in the fall are paying over
$170 per ton.
Road salt is presently
in good supply at the BCEO which has spread 5,320 tons of salt
on the County road system so far this winter. That's slightly
below the 6,000 tons spread in an average winter. "Our salt
usage could still increase," Wilkens added. "While
spring has been in the air recently, late winter snows are not
uncommon in this area."
Much of the early half
of this winter brought small snows in the one half to three inch
range until back to back snowstorms hit during late January and
early February. Those storms brought nearly a foot of snow and
considerable icing and then another six to eight inches a week
later.
# # #
For more information
contact:
Chris
Petrocy, BCEO Public Information Supervisor
Greg Wilkens, P.E., P.S.,
Butler County Engineer
Phone 513.867.5744 • Fax 513.867.5849
