RoadsFriday, November 13
Mahoning County could get about one-third of its usual road salt this winter
The Daily Youngstown team
If you drive Mahoning or Trumbull county roads this winter, expect a thinner salt supply. Morton Salt's Fairport Harbor mine has been closed about three weeks after water got in. Mahoning County Engineer Pat Ginnetti said Thursday that Morton has about 50,000 tons on the ground to split among communities in six counties.
That could leave Mahoning County with as little as 2,500 tons, well below the 8,000 to 10,000 tons it usually buys, as Ginnetti told commissioners. Trumbull County will receive much less than it ordered, too.
Mahoning County could get as little as 2,500 tons, not its usual 8,000 to 10,000
Sources: The Vindicator, WFMJ
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Usual low | 8,000 tons |
| Usual high | 10,000 tons |
| Could get | 2,500 tons |
- Counties supplied: Ashtabula, Lake, Geauga, Mahoning, Portage, Trumbull
- Mine layoffs: 77 employees
- Share of contract: about 32% under Morton's proposal
Buying elsewhere isn't an easy fix. Ginnetti estimated other sources could cost four to five times the contracted price. The county plans to use liquid brine to stretch what it has. Snow and ice are expected this weekend, and county EMA Director Conner O'Halloran encouraged drivers to give road crews room to work.
4 to 5 timesthe contracted price: Ginnetti's estimate for buying salt elsewhere
That assumes enough salt is available at all.
Sources: The Vindicator, WFMJ
Sources: The Vindicator, WFMJ, Tribune Chronicle