Ballville Township has started the construction of its new salt garage across from the Township Hall. The trustee started 4 years ago setting aside funding for this project. This past winter, the project went out to bid and with 9 contractors, S and S Builders and Excavating was the low bidder at $150,250.00. Construction started in May and will be completed in August of this year.
Presently, we can only store 200 tons in a metal building in the middle of Conner Park. The remainder has to be stored by the City of Fremont in their salt garage. The Township uses approximately 400 tons of salt per year during an average winter.
Salt costs vary every year depending on the previous winter conditions. We have to estimate how many tons of salt we want in a contract, and it is then submitted to ODOT to bid out as a co-op bid with other government subdivisions. The price of salt can vary from the upper $30/ton to as high as $110/ton. During a severe winter, the price of salt can increase our budget by $40,000 a year.
With our new salt garage, we will be able to buy the salt at a lower price and store it when prices increase. The Township now has the ability to hold up to 3 years of salt to protect itself from high prices. We also will save time having the ability to load our trucks on site. The new location will, also save the parking lot at Conner Park as a loading zone and the metal building from the corrosive effects of the salt.
We are planning for the present and future of the Township. It is estimated, the new garage will pay for itself in approximately seven years. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Trustees.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Kusmer
Ballville Township Trustee, Chairman