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Kankakee officials highlight salt supplies, new salt barn and outreach ahead of winter storms
Summary
ESU staff told the board the city has ordered roughly 900 tons of salt, budgeted conservatively at $100/ton though the state bid ran about $65/ton, and opened a rebuilt salt barn that holds about 600 tons; staff outlined multilingual outreach and a proposed spring leaf cleanup.
KANKAKEE, Ill. — On Dec. 15 city staff briefed the Environmental Services Utility board on winter preparedness, saying Kankakee has ordered substantial road salt, opened a new salt barn and is launching outreach to residents about snow routes and expectations.
Mr. Lopez, who led the ESU street report, summarized recent storm response and thanked crews for work during parades and heavy snowfall. He told aldermen the city participates in a state bid for road salt, typically ordering 2,000 tons with an 80% purchase obligation (1,600 tons minimum), and that the current state bid price was about $65 per ton while staff budgeted $100 per ton to allow for possible market volatility.
“We budgeted at a 100 because you never know what it's gonna be,” Lopez said.
Lopez said the city had ordered roughly 900 tons so far and that a rebuilt salt barn at the DPW can hold about 600 tons, reducing the need to stage salt at remote locations such as the armory during storms. He explained that more salt is used in colder conditions and that storage across multiple locations helps maintain readiness.
Staff also discussed leaf collection complications caused when plows push leaves into yards and proposed a two-week spring cleanup window (April/May) once plow season ends. Lopez said the city will distribute printed handouts on snow-route expectations; the materials will be available in English and Spanish and seasonal staff will hand them out door-to-door and place them on vehicles on designated snow routes.
Next steps: staff will post outreach materials, distribute multilingual handouts during snow-route shifts, and follow up at upcoming council meetings about timing for a spring leaf pickup.
