As the Miami Valley continues to get pummeled with winter storms, the near-record amount of snow and ice creates multiple problems for public works departments.
“We’ve been pretty much doing winter since the middle of November, and every other week we’ve been dealing with a snow, or snow and ice event,” said Fred Stovall, Dayton’s Public Works director.
The city is still short on road salt, and even thoughthe state of Ohio is helping out with salt purchases for some communities, Dayton likely won’t be a part of that.
Stovall says he’s disappointed with the city’s supplier, North American Road Salt, which still isn’t filling orders completely.
“To me, if you knew what commitments you already made based on all the orders, you need to make sure you can meet those commitments,” he said.
Meanwhile, changing temperatures are tearing up the roads, leaving a slew of potholes that the city can’t fix until the snow and ice subsides. Stovall says they’ll work overtime this spring to get it all cleaned up, although he’s not sure what it will cost.“I’m gonna find the money to fix the potholes, so that’s gonna happen.”
