DeKalb Township road staff detail plowing, salt treatment and upcoming paving

DeKalb Township Highway staff described routine operations, a treated‑salt program they say reduces salt use, and upcoming paving work during the township board meeting.

The road district’s long‑time equipment operator, Jeff Harness, introduced himself and explained his role performing large‑equipment moves and plowing primary routes. “I’m Jeff Harness,” he said, listing his tenure and responsibilities. He and Highway Commissioner Craig Smith said they trade on‑call duties and cover the district year‑round.

Board members heard that the district operates with three full‑time employees and relies on mutual coverage when staff are off. Smith (the highway commissioner) described how the township buys salt through the Illinois state contract and then treats part of its supply with a liquid additive. “I treat all our salt with a chemical that’s a byproduct of vodka and gin and food‑grade calcium,” he said, adding that the treatment lowers the salt’s freeze point and has lowered the district’s salt usage by about 60 percent since the district began the program in 2016.

Smith said the district orders salt in April through the state procurement process and learned its 2024–25 prices only recently. He cited wide year‑to‑year price variation and noted proximity to major delivery points likely affects per‑ton pricing. The board was told the township ordered 400 tons for the coming winter and that larger buyers in the county take far more.

The road commissioner explained the treated salt is blended by an outside vendor. The district pulls salt into the vendor’s blending equipment, treats it in a daylong process, and returns it to township storage. He said treated salt is used for the coldest hours and regular, untreated salt is used when daytime temperatures are expected to rise.

On capital work, Smith said paving on a road that reaches a railroad will begin later this week but will stop at the railroad crossing because the railroad has not responded to permission requests; the crossing remains the roughest portion of the project. The district also finished a widening on Nelson Road, may extend it farther south if weather permits, and follows a roughly 10‑year rotation for vehicle replacement. The board learned a 2014 truck was sold to Franklin Township under an intergovernmental payment arrangement.

Board members asked about environmental effects and costs. Smith said the additive is food‑grade, that the district’s treated‑salt approach has lowered salt volumes used on the roads, and that less salt reduces corrosive effects on vehicles and infrastructure. He also cautioned that treated salt can increase drifting in high wind and that the district will not use it when drifting is likely.

The presentation concluded with general operational details about mowing, cemetery care, and that major, heavier projects consume much of staff time. No formal action was taken on the discussion items; the meeting continued to other agenda items.