Rochester Hills Council Approves $725,150 Salt Storage Improvement

The Rochester Hills City Council on Monday approved a $725,150 upgrade to the Department of Public Services' salt-storage and cold storage facilities at 511 Auburn Road.

The building will accommodate 3,500 tons of road salt, and the size of the facility was a sticking point for councilman James Rosen, who cast the lone dissenting vote.

Rosen argued that the city could save money by using a smaller facility and not storing an entire winter's worth of salt all at once.

Mayor Bryan Barnett said having an adequate salt supply provides a service for residents so there won't be a shortage when the city needs it most during inclement weather.

The DPS used nearly 4,428 tons of salt in 2011.

The $725,150 contract includes a 10 percent contingency for a total not to exceed $‎825‎,‎165 for the salt and cold storage facilities. The council unanimously approved a $40,000 contract with Livonia-based Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc. for construction engineering services with a cost not to exceed $104,000.

The construction will include demolition of part of the older DPS facility, built in 1972. It also will include 8-12-foot concrete support walls, a rubber membrane roof and will use materials resistant to salt corrosion. The facility will offer an enclosed space to store the salt, at the insistence of the Department of Environmental Quality.

Resident Lee Zendel characterized the expenditure as "a million-dollar Taj Mahal for salt," referring to the combined costs of the salt and cold-storage buildings and construction engineering services. 

Zendel advocated for a pre-made structure to store the salt, such as a domed facility and likened the proposed facility to buying a high-end dog house for a $100 mutt.

"A Taj Mahal of salt is a waste of residents' money," Zendel said. "It's just salt."

According to the DPS, Rochester Hills received 18 bids for construction of the building, with MJC Construction Management coming in as the lowest adequate bid, below the city's estimate of $880,000. Work is slated to begin in May with an estimated completion date of mid-September.