[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=50534.33

County Spending $50,000 For More Road Salt

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - Given this winter's frequent snowstorms, road salt has become a precious commodity. La Porte County has enough thus far, but is preparing for more bad weather by ordering more.

Paul Young, La Porte County highway superintendent, received appr-oval from the La Porte County Board of Commissioners on Tue-sday to spend an additional $50,000 in riverboat funds to buy salt from Cargill, the county's supplier.

Some area communities have asked about the county's supply, Young said, because they aren't able to purchase more salt from their suppliers.

Young said he's willing to sell salt at cost to communities that need it. La Porte and Westville have asked about availability, but so far, only Michigan City has made a purchase, asking for 200 tons. With another month of winter remaining, Young said he wants to be prepared.

"We have storage buildings to store it and it won't go bad," Young said of the additional salt. "It's better to have too much."

At the same time, he said, potholes are becoming a problem on county roads, and there have been some minor problems with rutting, which he said is an indication of problems with the road base. The county has enough patch for pothole repairs, he said, but demand could dramatically increase with the spring thaw.

"The stage is set for roads to show a lot of damage when the spring thaw occurs," Young said. "We're keeping our fingers crossed that it's a friendly thaw. The quicker it thaws, the less the damage."