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DPW says salt supplies adequate for now, outlines EV engagement plan and bridge design step
Summary
Department of Public Works officials briefed the Buffalo Common Council on winter salt supplies, an $80,000 EV community engagement plan and progress toward Ferry Street Bridge design.
Department of Public Works officials told the Buffalo Common Council they are managing winter salt supplies despite industry-wide mining production delays, announced an $80,000 community engagement plan for electrification across all nine council districts, and said the Ferry Street Bridge design process can move forward now that a committee has been assigned.
DPW leadership said salt deliveries have been slower because of production problems at the supplier27s mine but that the city has maintained an emergency pile at the Perry Street project site and has been using that stockpile for about a week and a half. The DPW commissioner said municipalities have remained at the top of suppliers27 priority lists and that some deliveries arrived the morning of the meeting; he added, "we continue to push for deliveries" and that the city has already shared salt with municipal partners.
The commissioner said the stockpile, supplemented by intermittent deliveries, should cover needs for "a couple to few weeks" depending on weather and usage rates and noted the city could take other measures if deliveries falter. Council members asked how long current supplies would last; the commissioner said it depends on how heavily salt is used each day but that the department was "not too worried" given recent deliveries and the emergency pile.
Acting Commissioner Nosworthy described several administrative items for council consideration. He said the city will request permission to auction surplus equipment and a vehicle left at the former Save A Lot location inside Broadway Market. He told the council the city is entering into an $80,000 agreement for community engagement tied to an electrification coalition; the funds will support outreach across all nine council districts as the city plans EV fleet conversions and charging infrastructure.
Nosworthy also said the department will seek a budget transfer to move planning capital funds into traffic engineering for DPW. On the Ferry Street Bridge, DPW officials said a matter that had been tabled previously had since been placed with a committee and that moving it through will allow the design process to begin.
Ending: Council members thanked DPW and asked follow-up questions about the auction process and the schedule for the EV engagement plan; no formal votes on these specific items were recorded during the discussion recorded in the transcript.
