Mt. Prospect board OKs plan for village salt dome

Mount Prospect should soon put its salt storage challenges behind it.

Village trustees this week approved zoning variations that will allow the public works department to build a 6,600-ton salt storage dome in the storage yard of the public works facility.

Community Development Director Bill Cooney said the 62.5-foot dome will allow the public works department to purchase salt ahead of time and store it on site at 1700 W. Central Road. This would cushion the village in times when there are large snows and salt is hard to get.

The village currently only has the capacity for 1,200 tons, while a typical winter requires 4,400 tons.

"We rely on 'just in time' delivery, if you will, (from) salt trucks," Public Works Director Sean Dorsey said, adding that there have been delays of eight to 12 days between the ordering and the delivery of salt.

"Last year, it was a significant problem," he added. "We actually had to find other sources of salt and other delivery methods for about 600 tons."

Acting Village Manager David Strahl said the additional storage space will allow the village to buy more salt during the offseason, when it costs less.

The village initially hoped to build a salt dome with the Mount Prospect Park District and Village of Arlington Heights, but Dorsey said that would have required of a larger space that was not available except through a commercial lease with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

Dorsey estimates the cost of the dome at $450,000 to $500,000, and said it would be funded by Motor Fuel Tax dollars.

Trustee Michael Zadel said that in addition to savings on salt, the village would gain from operational efficiencies.

"We're going to pick our time when we want to buy. Weather is not going to pick the time for us," Trustee Steven Polit added. "We're certainly going to be able to purchase at a time when salt is less, no matter whether the price is high or low."

Polit noted that the light towers installed nearby by the Arlington Heights Park District are 75 feet high.

"So it definitely won't be the tallest thing in the area," he said.