Salt

of the

streets

City closely monitors

dwindling supplies

By CHRIS VETTER

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Despite heavy and persistent snowfalls throughout the winter, the New Ulm street department believes it has enough salt and sand to make it through the season.

"I think we are good as far as our salt and sand and chemical mix," said Tom Patterson, city street commissioner on Monday.

The winter has been hectic for Patterson and his staff. Workers have been busy clearing streets, while Patterson has monitored the city's dwindling salt supply and ordering more, when possible.

"We purchased 400 tons of salt in the state bid," Patterson said.

That purchase agreement, compiled in July, requires the supplier to provide a 20 percent additional reserve. The salt is then shipped from mines in Louisiana to Minnesota on barges throughout the summer and fall.

With the heavy snowfall in November and December, Patterson could quickly tell that the salt supply would not be enough.

"By the end of December, we had purchased and gone through all 480 tons," Patterson said.

In total, the street department has now purchased 700 tons of salt for this winter, with about 60-80 tons remaining in a storage shed.

"We recently bought an extra 100 tons on an emergency basis," Patterson said. "That should carry us over for the year."

The department purchased the last 100 tons in mid-January from Morton Salt in Minneapolis at a higher-than-usual cost.

If the city needs more salt before the winter ends, Patterson will be scrambling. The salt mined in Louisiana is all gone or spoken for from other towns across the nation.

"There will be no more salt," Patterson said. "We don't have a source for any more."

The city paid $24 per ton in the state bid. The Morton salt came at $42 per ton. However, Patterson considers his department fortunate to get the commodity at that price because the salt shortage has pushed current prices to $70 per ton.

Including shipping costs, the last 100 tons cost about $5,000.

Patterson is not aware of any area towns that have run out of their salt supply.

A half-dozen city trucks stayed busy Friday through Monday, pouring the mixture of salt and sand on city streets. Patterson said the typical formula is five parts sand for every one part salt. Although the city's salt supply is dwindling, Patterson said he does not plan to change the formula.

"It's important we use that salt as efficiently as possible," he said.

The department usually pours straight salt (no sand mixture) in the downtown area and on hills, but that practice has been curtailed to save salt.

Over the weekend, Patterson estimates that a couple hundred tons of salt/sand mixture were poured on city roads.

"If we didn't have that last 100 tons, we'd be in trouble right now," Patterson said. He credited office personnel for getting the emergency salt from Morton. "Two more weekends like this, and I'm going to start worrying again."

The city has gone through almost 2,000 tons of sand this year, Patterson added.

"The sand gives (vehicles) traction on the ice," he explained.

Each of the past two winters, the street department only used about 320 tons of salt, or about 80 percent of what the city contracts for in the state bid. The city submits its salt request to the state in mid-summer, long before snow piles up on the ground.

"You never know what the year will bring," Patterson said.

The salt purchases come from the department's street and alley maintenance fund, which totals $146,775 for 2001, according to the city budget.

City Manager Dick Salvati approved the additional salt purchases. Salvati praised the city street department for its long hours of work all winter.

"I think (the roads) have been remarkably good," Salvati said. "We've had relatively few complaints. Given the amount of snow and ice we've had, that shows they've done a good job."

Patterson said he could ask the city council for additional funding to offset the salt purchase, but in all likelihood, he will simply eliminate some summer projects to balance the budget.

"We have to make sure we monitor that (fund) this summer," Patterson said.