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.