Winter provide costly for salt in Geneva

Geneva, like many other towns around here, is going to spend more than it anticipated on road salt this winter.

But it seems to have caught a small break, for at least some of the ice-melting substance it intends to buy.

Besides buying 200 tons of salt at $97 a ton from Central Salt, it also has found some for less -- $51 per ton -- from a West Chicago firm, Discipio Enterprises. Discipio does parking lot and commercial building maintenance, including removing snow and ice.

Aldermen approved buying 125 tons from that firm Monday night.

Geneva started the winter with 1,000 tons leftover from last year. It has used most of the 2,600 tons it was allowed to purchase through the state's joint purchasing program, in which the state solicits bidders for items that many towns will want to buy, typically getting lower prices because of buying in bulk. (That salt cost $42 a ton.)

"It's been a rough year," said Dan Dinges, public works superintendent. To conserve salt, the city may cut down on the salt it spreads in parking lots, cul de sacs and residential side streets that don't get much traffic.

He prefers not to stretch the sand with salt. Salt only provides traction, and "It does make a mess with the area," Dinges said.

The $25,775 for the salt will be paid for partially with reserve funds and partially with motor fuel sales tax money.