Perry Township Road Department ready for winter season
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PERRY TOWNSHIP -- The Perry Township Road Department is ready to meet this winter season's weather needs.
Perry Township Trustee Tony Ierepoli said that the township's three trucks, (one International, and two Freightliners), were all fitted with their plows and spinners for the season, and ready for service as soon as this year's winter weather season begins. Ierepoli said each truck had a capacity of up to 10 tons of material, but typically carried loads of approximately eight tons.
The township uses a mixture of number nine grit and rock salt for its winter road treatment, Road Supervisor Darreck Ferrell said that adding grit to the mixture helps provide traction for drivers. Ferrell also explained that using a mixture also helps to reduce the cost per mile of treatment to the township as salt costs significantly more per ton than grit.
Ferrell said that while the township typically employs a roughly 50% mixture of salt and grit, the ratio can be adjusted to respond to changing weather conditions as necessary. Ferrell explained that the speed of the vehicle, temperature of the road and air, and the accumulation of snow and ice, are all considered when determining how best to treat township roads and ensure the safety of residents.
"The Ohio Department of Transportation has road sensors that allow us to see the temperature of the road, and if you know the road is 40 degrees your salt is going to work fast, and you don't need as much as if it's 20 degrees when the salts going to work slower. So there is a bit of a science to it," said Ferrell.
Ferrell said that typically the township does not pre-treat roads but can do so to ensure the safety of residents if expected severe weather calls for it
"The problem with pre-treating is if the weatherman is wrong you just wasted a whole lot of material and money," said Ferrell.
Ferrell said the township had roughly 100 tons of pre-mixed material ready for use, and a further 100 tons of grit and 150 tons of salt unmixed on hand to meet the treatment needs of the nearly 26 miles of township road the department covers this season.
"We always have salt on hand in case we need it," said Ferrell.
Ferrell said that the process for ordering salt --which sees municipalities place orders in the spring before the price for the year is known --presents a certain amount of guess work. Ferrell explained that last year the township only ordered 100 tons but had ordered 400 tons for 2024 as the price of salt had been expected to see a decrease due to last year's mild winter.
Ferrell said that while he was hoping the township would need to treat less than last year the amount used by the township was always dependent on the severity of the weather this winter.
"We don't really have any choice but to take whatever mother nature gives us," said Ferrell.