Monroe shelves program to pretreat roads with melting agent

| 09 May 2012 | 05:50

    MONROE — The Town of Monroe has shelved the one-year pilot program to use a melting agent to pre-treat roads before a snow and ice storms.

    Councilman Rick Colon said the melting agent wasn’t working as promised. “It did not live up to specifications,” he said.

    The melting agent called sodium chloride was spread down the center of town roadways to create a brine layer before precipitation fell

    The potential savings by not using salt was expected to be about $100,000; he board had the option of canceling the program if not satisfied with the results.

    In other business The owner of the antiquated Orchard Hills water system off Center Hill Road has walked away and left the 86 homeowners high and dry, according to attorney James Sweeney, hired by the homeowners.

    As a result, some homeowners are advocating for the creation of a town water district with water piped in from the Village of Monroe system at Mombasha Lake.

    Others are not in favor of a water district because it would be costly - from the purchase of bonds to float the project to the user fees for village water and to the annual cost to the property owners.

    Others contend they have their own wells while some say they would prefer to dig their own wells.

    Supervisor Sandy Leonard assured the current well owners they can continue using them once a district is formed but do have to pay their share of the district formation.

    The next step will be a meeting between the village and town regarding the details. The supervisor said anyone who does not want to have the project go forward must submit a petition to the board.

    - Claudia Wysocki