Brine for Roads

[PScott]

Hello fellow Beaver Island peeps!
As the Fourth of July quickly approaches, it is always wonderful and highly appreciated to have brine put down on the roads to provide a safer and healthier environment as we travel the beautiful gravel roads on Beaver Island. The brine works so well for about a month. It allows for drivers to clearly see other cars, bicyclists and walkers. It also keeps the plants and trees on the sides of the roads unclogged with dust.

I mention safety as I’m sure many of you have experienced driving almost blind at times when the roads dry out and dust clouds form with each turn of the tires. Dust also finds its way into every nook and cranny of our vehicles causing long-term damage.

It would be amazing to have the brine put down more than once a year. How about August? That would be great!! Over Memorial Day weekend, the dust was a factor in diminishing the island’s beauty.

At the very least, it would be extremely welcome to have Peaine Township match St. James Township by providing bags of road salt to tax-paying residents. Peaine Township has many more miles of gravel road that need attention. The tourist traffic in Peaine Township is considerable. We need to protect their safety and provide the best view of our beautiful island.

Dust is a common allergen and for an Island known as an oasis for allergy sufferers, it would be a boon to tourism is we control the dust.

The intent of this post is to foster discussion and a call to action to township officials to strongly consider brine more than once a year. It is also a strong call to action for Peaine Township to at least provide road salt again for its tax-paying residents.

With full disclosure, I suffer greatly from allergies and dust is a big one for me. And we live right on the road. I’m quite sure other Peaine Township residents who are similarly effected by road dust may agree with me. If so, please make your voices heard.

In the interim, please also encourage Powers Hardware to carry calcium chloride as a staple in the summer months. Currently there is no local entity that provides salt to Peaine Township residents.


Trish Scott
If you managed to read this far, I salute you and thank you too.

[JFPowers]

Do It Best hardware has 50# bags in the warehouse of 100% calcium chloride, it is designed for ice melt but we could start carrying them in the hardware they would cost close to 30 dollars a bag, that price includes the boat freight, we will be glad to get it if folks desire. Please contact the hardware with your interest. You can tell the hardware staff it is sku #703070. a pallet of 50 bags would lower the price a dollar

[pbona]

Hi all,
As a regular walker of East Side Drive (since the beach has all but disappeared in some spots) I would remind all daily drivers to be aware and courteous to pedestrians. PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!. I have been literally left in the dust by folks who speed by. If you see a walker in the distance slow down early and you will get a wave of appreciation. Also, thanks to all of you who stop to ask if a ride is needed. In addition, McCauley hill is especially dangerous when you can't see who is in front or turning at the top and bottom. Please prioritize this stretch for brine.
Thanks (cough)
Pat B.

P.S. Or you could just pave that stretch!

[PScott]

Thank you, Jeff, for your quick response! You’re a problem solver! We will gladly call and order some. I’m hoping folks can afford to buy what Peaine Township used to provide its residents like St.James Township still does. While brine resolves the dusty road issue much better, having bags of road salt is a great option.

And I agree with Pat, we need to slow down on dusty days, especially for bicycles and walkers. Dust is very unhealthy for our lungs and eyes.

I plan to keep advocating for road brine. I’ll be searching for data on impacts of breathing dust on health and presenting it at Peaine Township board meetings. I will also look to see if data exists on accidents due to poor visibility.

Thanks again, Jeff!!

[Fish Camp]

https://www.oxy.com/OurBusinesses/Chemi ... ochure.pdf

50 pounds treats 300 or so square feet.

[DeerwoodLodge]

One more reason it is in the island's best interests in so many ways to pave at least a circle around the island from 4 corners down east side drive, across Betsey Smith Trail and back up West Side past the airport to Barney's Lake Road and back to 4 corners. At a minimum, island tax payers should be able to expect that we have adequate infrastructure in place to reach around the entire island for emergency, fire services, tourism, etc. An added bonus of course is that dust is held down, no more wash boards, our vehicles last longer, and aesthetically the island is improved. As the island continues to evolve and consider its role as a viable place to live, providing infrastructure that is adequate and equal to the mainland is a start. There is simply no downside to safe, paved, permanent, clean roads.

[PScott]

Thanks again to Power’s Hardware for ordering calcium chloride for dust control. I just talked to KK and they are ordering 8-10 bags. We are signed up for 4 of those bags. If anyone wants any, please give them a call and let them know how many bags you want.

Thanks, also, to the two replies from citizens who support dust control, slowing down and paving. Dust is not good for the environment, our health nor our vehicles.

I’m waiting for a response to my email and phone call to Peaine Township. I’ll gladly share what I find out when I hear back.

[Sharolyn]

I'm going to chime in on this discussion...
As Pat said please slow down when you see people out walking or riding bikes. Additionally, I'm going to respectfully ask you to move over a bit so we don't have to step off the road. It is a bumper crop of poison ivy along the road edge. I personally prefer to walk and bike on paved surfaces but I still have to be on the roadway to get to the bike path.... Maybe like Deerwood said we should pave some more of the roads.
FYI... New Michigan law mandates 3-foot distance when passing bicycles. ... In a tweet, the state Office of Highway Safety and Planning wrote: "The law requires motorists overtaking bicyclists traveling in the same direction to pass with at least three feet of distance to the left of a bicycle." Tomorrow is the day!Sep 27, 2018 www.Freep.com

[KaylynJ]

Just a reminder that calcium chloride itself can be an irritant to skin, eyes, lungs, etc. Take care when using it!

[PScott]

Good reminder for folks! It is important to protect one’s self when applying it. Steve wears tall rubber boots, long sleeves, gloves, hat, etc., only does when there’s no wind and the road is damp or wet. I think I’ll order face masks for him too. He puts it in a plastic spreader so it goes down evenly.

I don’t like applying chemicals to anything and always worry about environmental impact. But with my asthma and severe allergies, the trade off has to favor my health living right on the road.

[DeerwoodLodge]

Unspoiled Beaver Island. Ecotourism and natural beauty a cornerstone of what we offer and a key component of all articles and marketing materials selling the island to the outside world.

Let’s find a way to get the roads paved so we don’t have to show the world discussions about safe use of chemicals and minimizing dust’s impact on health.

If we want to be unspoiled, natural, and ecotourism oriented, we must live the part.

[Peaine Township]

My email to Trish Scott, sent at 10:20 am on Saturday, June 15, 2019, follows . . .

Trish . . .

While you may not agree, I believe the Peaine Township board has carefully considered the needs of its residents and has allocated township resources appropriately. Please consider that . . .
• The townships distributed bags of calcium chloride prior to the bulk application of brine.
o The program was abused by a handful of residents that horded calcium chloride despite the two-bag limit.
o As a result, supplies were rapidly depleted, and some residents were unable to get any calcium chloride.
o Demand dropped by +/- 75% or more when the township began charging 50% of its cost.
o There are no townships in Charlevoix County (other than St. James) that distribute bags of calcium chloride.
• The township has dramatically increased its budget for dust control.
o The township budgeted $55,000 for dust control in 2019 – 2020.
o In 2014 – 2015, the township spent $26,345.
o For comparison, the township will collect just under $55,000 for the fire department and about $47,000 for the airport.
o The cost of bulk commodities is disproportionally affected by transportation costs.
 One-third (1/3) of the $55,000 spent on calcium chloride reflects the additional transportation costs. (See attached bid tabulation from CCRC.)
• A second application of dust control would require as much as a 7.5% increase in taxes levied by the township.
• It’s not feasible to apply dust control products until the boat makes two-a-day trips.
• It takes roughly three weeks to complete the application of dust control across the Island.


William Kohls
Peaine Township, Supervisor
Beaver Island MI 49782
Office hours – Thursdays from 10:00 to 2:00
Office phone – 231.448.2389