The previous barn was antiquated and inefficient, and it created safety issues for the city’s public service staff, officials said.
“I look at it from a safety component ... because the old building was dark and dingy and (public service staff) had to kind of crawl into it and get things out. This will allow them to drive up, load up and leave,” said Mayor Don Adams.
The new salt storage facility site will allow for easier salt deliveries and streamlined truck loading, and the city will be able to order salt and other materials in larger quantities, which cuts down on price, said Beavercreek Public Service Superintendent Joey Shope.
“It was pretty bad, especially on the salt side of things,” he said. “It’s going to cut the time down in half of just unloading and storing the salt.”
The new facility cost approximately $2.4 million and is a result of the road levy Beavercreek residents passed in 2022, city officials said. That same levy also resulted in hiring five new staff members and ordering additional snow plows. Last year the city was able to increase the number of snow routes from 18 to 21.
These, along with the facility upgrades, will result in better and quicker treatment of roads during winter weather, Shope said.
“We hear a lot from our residents who want the roads clear sooner, so we’ll see that now. We’ll have salt on hand always, we’re doing more pre-treatment,...and we have more operators and trucks to get out and tackle winter events,” he said.
The project was designed by Garmann Miller and completed by Brumbaugh Construction.
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