New sand/salt shed approved by City Council
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- This wood shed has been where New Ulm has kept it’s salt and salt/sand mixture since 1994. With an approved contract for $172,444, a new galvanized steel building covered by fabric will be put in its place.
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- Accumulated sweat from the salt stored in the wooden building has taken its toll, breaking down the interior and exterior. Public Works Superintendent Jeff Hoffmann said the building should be good until the new one can be built next spring.
This wood shed has been where New Ulm has kept it’s salt and salt/sand mixture since 1994. With an approved contract for $172,444, a new galvanized steel building covered by fabric will be put in its place.
NEW ULM — A new sand/road salt shed approved by the New Ulm City Council Tuesday ensures local roads will have plenty of mixture for winters to come.
The current shed is wooden and was built in 1994. It is divided into two sections, with the left side holding a sand/road salt mixture and the right side holding salt only. Public Works superintendent Jeff Hoffmann said the wood has been eaten away by the salt and a new building is necessary. The current shed will be demolished and the new one put in its place.
The new shed will be built by Greystone and the project’s total cost is $172,444. The new shed will be a galvanized steel frame building with a coverall fabric roof. Hoffmann said the new building has several advantages.
“It’s better air flow,” he said. “The newer one would have more capacity. [Our current one is] only at 250 ton capacity per side. This new one has a 525 ton capacity per side. It would help us out a lot. I talked to [Greystone] last week. They were saying if we lock it in now it’d be good for the end of the year and we don’t have to take ownership until next year. They’ll put it up next spring. But if we wait till next spring to order it, he thinks they’re going up 20%.”
Councilman Les Schultz asked what the size of the current shed is and how much bigger this new shed would be. Hoffmann said he was unsure of the current shed’s dimensions, but the new shed’s dimensions would be 53 by 64 feet. He said the increased size will solve problems from severe winter events in previous years.
Accumulated sweat from the salt stored in the wooden building has taken its toll, breaking down the interior and exterior. Public Works Superintendent Jeff Hoffmann said the building should be good until the new one can be built next spring.
“On a three day storm, we would run out of salt,” Hoffmann said. “We would have to mix in between. This way we would have plenty of salt.”
Councilman Larry Mack asked what the life expectancy is on this building. Hoffmann said the fabric has a lifespan of 20 years and is replaceable. The frame of the building itself has an expectancy of up to 75 years. Councilman Dave Christian commented these buildings are the same the State of Minnesota uses. Hoffmann confirmed Christian was correct and said Greystone is the only company state and county agencies go to for this building type in Minnesota.
Christian made the motion to approve the construction of a new sand/road salt shed. Councilman Eric Warmka seconded the motion
