BEAVERCREEK — Highway departments across Ohio are preparing for winter. The difference between this year and last year is the price of salt and diesel.
News Center 7’s Cody Butler was in Beavercreek Wednesday, where the city is planning ahead to save money.
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Beavercreek filled their salt barns early, saving thousands of dollars. Now, the goal is to use it.
Tom Barker, of Beavercreek, said, “No, I’m never ready for winter.” He doesn’t even want to think about snow in the final days of October.
“I don’t get prepared until the first hard frost. It’s a little early. We’ve got beautiful weather. Don’t need to be ready,” Barker said.
Plow drivers spent the day going through training and practicing their routes
Zackary Wike, Interim Public Services Director for Beavercreek, said, “We want to make sure there aren’t any obstructions from tree limbs or lines of sight issues. Those are addressed and taken care of ahead of time so that they’re not an issue out in the middle of the night when we address a snow issue.”
Part of making sure they are ready is buying salt in July.
“Salt prices this year are up over 70%, which is insane from the previous year,” Wike said.
Wike said by buying 6,000 tons of salt under last year’s contract, they were able to save $300,000.
Greene County did the same, saving $48,000. Now, Wike is hoping he doesn’t need to use that salt this winter.
“A mild winter certainly helps, especially with fuel prices and salt prices,” Wike said.
AAA says the average price for diesel on Wednesday was %6.49 a gallon. Wike said he increased his fuel budget, but needs a mild November and December to make it work.
“We have significantly increased our budget amounts for 2027 with the increase in fuel costs,” Wike said.
Beavercreek’s plow drivers are also helping cut costs. A few years ago, the trucks got new technology so they can monitor road trips. They can adjust how much salt they use based on road conditions.
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