Lack of road salt deliveries prompts Jeannette mayor to declare emergency

Time is ticking for Jeannette officials to secure road salt, and Mayor Curtis Antoniak declared a public health emergency as the city’s supply dwindles.

City manager Ethan Keedy said Tuesday he was checking with other suppliers after five salt orders this month totaling 500 tons have gone unfilled by Compass Minerals. Because the city is contracted to use the supplier, the emergency declaration allows Keedy until Saturday to seek another option, which likely is going to come at a cost.

“It’s not that we don’t have the money to buy the salt. It’s not that we didn’t order the salt,” he said, but rather a lack of delivery by the supplier within seven days of the order, as required by the contract.

Solicitor Tim Witt said the city is reviewing that contract.

The issue has been building over the past several weeks while snow has been falling on a daily basis. The city had 600 tons of salt before January, Keedy said.

Orders on Jan. 3, 6, 9, 13 and 15 to Compass Minerals have not been filled, Keedy said. The contract is through the state’s cooperative purchasing program known as COSTARS, which allows government entities to come together to get a lower price on services or goods.

Road salt contracts are put out for bid, and suppliers are awarded an entire county, according to information from COSTARS. Eight counties, including Westmoreland and Butler, are using Compass Minerals, which is based in Kansas, this fiscal year. Municipalities in those counties can decide if they want to take part in the contract, and 52 of 65 municipalities in Westmoreland did.

In an emailed statement, Compass Minerals officials said salt volume requests have been significant in a short time frame because of weather. The company said it has distributed an average of more than 5,000 tons of salt daily over the past week. There are 248 municipalities in Pennsylvania that contract with Compass Minerals, according to the COSTARS information.

Jeannette is still waiting, said Antoniak, who signed off on the declaration Monday.

It’s a move typically reserved for flooding and other large-scale emergencies, Witt said. He called the declaration a “last resort solution to address something that could result in significant risk to the public.” It could be extended beyond five days, but that would require a vote from city council.

Suppliers Keedy is contacting are obligated to fulfill any contracts before adding a new customer, he said. If any are available, that could mean city taxpayers likely will be paying much more than $89 per ton under the COSTARS contract with Compass Minerals, he said.

Salt and plow trucks were out Tuesday morning on some of the snow-covered streets near Wylie Avenue. Salt was being used sparingly.

“We’re not completely out … we’re just running low,” Keedy said. “If this continues to progress, it’s going to become a serious issue.”

The goal is to increase the salt stockpile quickly and get some spread later Wednesday so, when temperatures start to rise on Thursday, road conditions will improve.

“The unfortunate part is … even if we had salt (Monday), it would’ve done nothing to spread it,” he said. “The cold temperatures, it’s just not going to allow it to work.”

City officials have reached out to state lawmakers. Keedy said he hopes state officials look at the issues Jeannette has had and consider whether Compass Minerals is eligible for future contracts.