Boardman township looks to replace road-salt barn

Staff report

BOARDMAN

The township is looking to replace part of a structure that officials say is the township’s oldest: its salt barn.

Located on the same property as the township government center at 8299 Market St., the barn has stored the township’s road-salt supply for the last 35 years.

“It’s in really bad shape,” said township road Superintendent Larry Wilson of the barn’s wooden top.

At this point, the township plans only to replace the barn’s top, rather than the entire structure, engineer Gary Diorio of MS Consultants Inc. said. Officials do not yet have a cost estimate.

Township trustees authorized the bidding process last month and will open bids at a meeting Dec. 28.

Since the barn was built more than three decades ago, the township’s road-salt needs have changed, Wilson said.

“It’s increased over the years, because of getting more roads as the township gets larger,” he said. The township maintains 144 miles of road that include more than 500 streets and 164 culs-de-sac, according to the township website.

Wilson doesn’t anticipate a continued growth in the need for road salt, he said, because “we’re pretty much built out right now as far as development goes.”

The road department disperses about 5,000 tons of road salt on township roads each winter, Wilson said. He expects that to hold true in the future, but hopes that less salt – the price of which skyrocketed to nearly $150 per ton last year – will be needed this year, since snow has yet to fall.

The barn, which currently is full, stores up to 4,500 tons of road salt.