County winter weather supplies holding up

Jan. 15—Pittsburg County commissioners say they still have supplies on-hand for the next round of inclement winter weather.

With a winter snow that fell Sunday covering many county roads, commissioners sent work crews out to help clear the roads on Sunday and in some spots, early Monday.

Wintry weather gave District 3 Commissioner Ross Selman an opportunity try out a new type of rock salt he had not previously tried.

Selman said he thought at first early Sunday the county might miss some of the predicted snowfall, but then he watched as a heavy snow began falling later that day — and kept falling.

That prompted him to send county crews out to work on the roads.

"We worked Sunday and Sunday evening," Selman said. "We did our normal bad spots, intersections and hills."

Prior to the snowfall, Selman had amassed 50 tons of a new type of rock salt that he wanted to try. It was touted as a stronger type salt that would keep melting snow at temperatures well below freezing.

Selman said he tried the new type of rock salt and it worked well.

"It keeps working," Selman said noting that the temperature was 3 degrees above zero on Monday morning.

To see how well it was working, Selman said he drove halfway up a hill, stopped his truck, then got out and walked around. He said he didn't slip.

Some of new rock salt was dispersed on Pyle Mountain, in the Bucks of Gaines Creek area and in the Shady Grove area, and at other sites.

"This stuff doesn't freeze back," Selman said. He compared it to some other types of rock salt that melts ice, but then the melted ice freezes back in extreme low temperatures.

Selman didn't have the name or type of what he called the new rock salt readily available when speaking to the News-Capital, but said it comes from New Mexico.

District 1 Commissioner Charlie Rogers said he also sent crews out during the winter weather over the weekend and into Monday, and he still has plenty of winter weather supplies on-hand.

Rogers sent crews out around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night. They came in around 6 a.m. on Monday, then Rogers sent out another crew in their place that stayed out until around 11 a.m.

Although temperatures were still well-below freezing Monday afternoon, Rogers noted that the sunshine melted snow in some places.

"It was melting off the county shop," he said.

Crews were to hit the roads the rest of the week, working on any spots where they were needed.