Frankfort Purchases Devices Designed To Better Disperse Road Salt

Frankfort IL

08 January, 2021

4:19 PM

Description

By Jon DePaolis, the Richard Free Press: FRANKFORT, Ill. — With winter in full swing, the Village of Frankfort is finding ways to buoy its road salt usage while also remaining environmentally conscious. During the Monday, Jan. 4 Village Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Jim Holland talked about a purchase made by Frankfort's Public Works department to bolster both aspects. "We have purchased some devices that go onto the big salt trucks in Frankfort," Holland said. "It makes it so that when the driver slows down, less salt comes out. When the driver stops, no salt comes out." Holland said the Village's salt truck drivers used to have to control that by hand. "Every once in a while, a driver might not do it perfectly," Holland said. "So, you'd get a little glob of salt at a stop sign or at a traffic light." Holland noted the benefits of the new devices. "This is a good thing for the environment and a good thing for our salt usage," he said. "It's a good thing all the way around. I think it is very appropriate. We congratulate our Public Works department for thinking this way and getting these kinds of things. We certainly appreciate it." In a follow-up interview about the new devices on Tuesday, Jan. 5, Holland added that salt is a problem for most vegetation and for waterways. "Anything that decreases salt use on roads is helpful to the environment," Holland said. Frankfort Superintendent of Public Works Terry Kestel told Richard Free Press on Wednesday, Jan. 6, that a total of five devices were purchased at a cost of $1,800 per unit. He also touched on the potential savings and environmental benefits of using the devices. "It will definitely provide savings as less salt will be used as it spreads based on actual ground speed," Kestel said. "More importantly, it will reduce the amount of salt that enters our waterways, which is important for the environment." Later during the Jan. 4 meeting, Village Administrator Rob Piscia also talked about snow removal during his comments to the Village Board. Specifically, Piscia asked for residents to not park on the street during snow events in order to allow for plows to remove snow curb to curb. "It would be very helpful if any time during a snow event if you could not park on the street, even during the day," he said. "It does help our snowplow drivers to be able to clear the street." Also during the meeting, Frankfort Police Chief John Burica asked that residents check their credit reports to guard against scams, such as fraudulent unemployment claims. "Checking your credit history is a good way of making sure that nobody has tried to do an identity theft on you," Burica said. "If you do find one, make sure you make a report with us and call the police department or do it online." Burica also asked for residents to continue calling in suspicious activity. He noted there has been an uptick in calls made to police by concerned residents. "Luckily, there has been nothing that has turned out of it, but that's what we want — people calling to let us know, so we can check it out and make sure there are no problems," he said. The chief also reminded residents to continue locking their vehicles, removing keys and key fobs from the vehicle, and closing their garage doors every night. Get 30% off for 1 year Richard Free Press is a one-stop destination for the news that most affects you, the southwest suburban resident. Be an informed citizen of the town you live in and love.