Cobleskill Feels Salt Scarcity

COBLESKILL - On Monday, the Cobleskill Town Board talked with their highway superintendent about the recent shortage of salt, as well as the taxation on Oak Meadow Drive.

While giving his report, Superintendent Lee Johnson raised concerns about keeping the roads safe during the winter season, as his supply of salt is waning.

“If you heard anything in the news about salt being scarce, it’s all true,” he said. “I have a seventy ton order sitting over a week now.”

He further explained that their salt source said municipalities have to wait up to nearly ten days for a delivery of salt, which isn’t good enough when the snow keeps coming down.

To combat this, Superintendent Johnson said he may have to resort to mixed material instead to save on supplies and ensure the safety of anyone on the roads.

He noted that the mixed material does not run off the roads as well as salt does, meaning he’ll need extra hands in the spring for clean-up, of which the Board was in full agreement.

“We will use extra manpower to ensure that it gets clean,” said Town Supervisor Werner Hampel, who went on to say that safety for winter drivers comes first.

In other news, Supervisor Hampel quickly touched on the Oak Meadow Drive situation, stating that he will have the proper deeds signed later in the week to sort out proper taxation for 2025.

The Board also recognized that the annual court audit had turned out very well, with Town Clerk Tina Ward saying “Everything is good, there’s generally good keeping.” She followed up by saying that the audit will be filed within the court system to mark the end of the process.

Finally, the Board entered into executive session at the end of the meeting for “the acquisition of land,” and expected no further business to take place after.