RUSSELL, HUNTINGTON – John Hoppe, Russell’s highway superintendent, talked about winter preparations for the town as he was following the line painting truck on General Knox Road, which he said had almost reached the Westfield line.
“We’re already full of salt and sand. I do that at the end of the fiscal year,” he said, explaining that any money left over in his budget is used to top off the supplies so they’re full, although “it doesn’t always work out that way.”
Hoppe said he’s been servicing the plows, and going over the trucks to make sure they’re ready for the winter. The town did purchase a brand new F350 pickup this year with a nine foot plow.
Hoppe is also working on a salt brine to spray the roads for pre-treatment before a storm. The salt brine will dry to the crevices of the road, and help to stretch the salt.
“I can take 1000 lbs. of rock salt and mix it with 800 gallons of salt brine, and I can just about do the whole town,” he said. The brine is put into tanks in the trucks, and dribbled on the road as early as the day before a storm, although it can’t be used during a storm.
This is the first year the highway department will be using the brine, which he said is eco-friendly, because less rock salt is used. He said he still has to be careful of how much is used.
“I tried it a couple of times last year and it worked. I just have to fine tune it, that’s all,” Hoppe said.
As for whether he anticipates any difficulties, he said it all depends on the weather.
“If we have another mild winter, it would be good for us. Or maybe we’ll get some big storms like we used to, back in the day,” he said.
In Huntington, highway superintendent Charles “Chip” Dazelle said the town and his three-man road crew are basically all set.
“Officially we are, mentally, no,” Dazelle said.
Dazelle said the sand and salt contracts are all awarded. The town has a MassDOT salt contract, and goes out to bid for sand every year. Right now, he has sand and salt supplies from last year. As they use them up, they call to get what they need.
“We don’t have the capacity for a large amount of material. I try to keep 60 ton of salt, 300 to 400 ton of sand in the shed at all times,” he said.
He still has to get the plows inside for the winter, and put the spinners on the all-season trucks, which he said is a 15-minute job. His department doesn’t have any new equipment this year, but Dazelle said next year, they’ll be going for a new dump truck to replace the 2004 freight liner.
“Everything works well when it sits in the garage, it’s when you use them they break down,” he said.
Dazelle said the town is fortunate to have Gateway Farm & Pets in Huntington, which makes hydraulic hoses up to a certain size, so they don’t have to go far for them. He said for the “bigger stuff” they go to Westfield Auto Parts.
“Both (businesses) are accommodating. If they’re there, they get you on the road,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dazelle is applying for grants for projects after the winter. He’s applied for a $1 million grant to MassWorks for Route 66 milling and rebuilding of 180 catch basins, which he should hear about by the end of October.
He also put in a grant to MassDOT for the Searle Road bridge, which connects to Norwich Lake residents and is technically down to one lane. He said the cost for the bridge will be $250,000 to $300,000.
“There are a lot of people that live down that way, and if the bridge were to be closed, there’s no way to get out,” Dazelle said. He said the grant period closes at the end of October, and he should hear in January.
“Small towns fall short of raising taxes. We’ve been pretty fortunate to get some grants to help out,” he said.
