Carl Baden, Pine Plains Highway Superintendent, shown in a photo last year with one of the town’s trucks. A study is underway by Dutchess County Comptroller Gregg Pulver to determine whether using a brine mixture on county roads instead of rock salt for winter storms would help save both the environment and money for Dutchess County.
POUGHKEEPSIE — Dutchess County Comptroller Gregg Pulver has launched a study to consider alternatives to using road salt on county roads.
Pulver said, “We are always looking to save taxpayer’s money and launching environmentally friendly road salt is a great way to accomplish both saving your money and protecting our environment.
“The brine solution may significantly reduce costs for our highway department while removing the harmful impact traditional road salt has on our waterways, roads, and soil in Dutchess County, not to mention the excessive damage it does to vehicles by prematurely rusting.”
Pulver said he has long been aware of the effects road salt can have.
“My parents well was contaminated from road salt years ago. Since then, I’ve always advocated for less usage.”
The inspiration for the study came from Rhinebeck where highway superintenden Bob Wyant saw a video on how to make a brine mixer.
The brine mixer churns salt and water to make a mixture, which when applied to winter roads has been shown to be more effective and cheaper than the traditional rock salt used now. It is also safer for the environment.
Once it is applied, the water in the brine evaporates, leaving a coating of salt which sticks to the roads. Traditional rock salt tends to bounce and roll off the roads and into waterways where it gets into drinking water and raises salinity, which can be unhealthy, especially for people with high blood pressure.
It also affects fish, plants, gets into soil, and affects ecosystems, according to “ROAD SALT, The Problem, The Solution, and How to Get There,” a study by the Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies in Millbrook.
Where rock salt must be applied right before or during a storm, brine can be applied up to forty-eight hours before a storm, which also can save on labor.
The Cary study recommends “a 23% salt brine solution to pre-treat roads before the onset of storms. Estimates suggest that road pre-treatment with brine can yield a 75% savings in total salt applied.”
It is noted that brine, while a good solution, is not a perfect one.
Studies note winter rains can wash brine away and into waterways. Brine may not be as effective as rock salt in certain conditions. Rock salt is more effective on ice caused by freezing rain.
In Halifax, Canada, municipality spokesperson Erin DiCarlo noted, “Conditions must be correct in order to apply this liquid chemical to a roadway and be effective. If the storm is forecast to begin with rain, the city may avoid using brine. Also, the temperature can’t be too low, and the humidity can’t be too high.”
It is also more caustic than rock salt and can cause rust on cars and trucks.
As brine sticks to roads, it will also adhere to automobiles. It is recommended to wash cars periodically.
According to ADK Action (Adirondack Mountain Club), which has studied the effects of salt on the environment, particularly in the Adirondacks, brine should be used in conjunction with other methods of reducing salt use, such as precise application (computerized release of salt/brine), listening to RWIS (Road Weather Information System) to plan ahead for storms, making a map of sensitives areas (such as near waterways), upgrading equipment, improved training of plow drivers, educating the public, good storage and clean-up of salt, including the possibility of recycling water from washing plow trucks for the brine mixture, and monitoring and evaluating salt use.
Comptroller Pulver said, “We are putting together the scope of the study now and hope to have that complete early next week. I have already reached out for preliminary information from several sources including Cornell Local Roads Program and Washington County DPW. Once we get the facts, we will be able to make evidence-based recommendations on whether or not to proceed.”
He added, “This is a brand-new study, we’re going to begin immediately, and I’m not sure I can place an exact timeline on an implementation. My office provides oversight and official recommendations. It would be on the Department of Public Works to implement.
“And to clarify, this would be for county roads. We will of course share the results of our studies with local municipalities like Pine Plains, but I have no control over their decision-making process,” he emphasized.
NORTH CANAAN — Dr.f Donald Terance “Doc” Martin, 86, of North Canaan, passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, at his home in North Canaan, which was his last wish. Dr. Martin was a dentist in Canaan, retiring in 2014. He served the community and their needs whether they could pay or not, and at all hours of the day and night. They do not make men like Don “Doc” Martin anymore.
Born on Aug. 27, 1938 in Walla Walla, Washington, he was the youngest of George T. and Anna Mae (McGrath) Martin’s eight children. Don proudly served in the US Navy with the Seabees during the Vietnam War. He adopted the Seabee’s “Can Do” attitude that served him for the rest of his life. Don married Lynne Horner in 1964.
Don was a 50-year friend of Bill W. He sponsored numerous others through his devotion to Alcoholics Anonymous. When people asked how he managed to stay sober for five decades, he said, “Don’t drink. Go to meetings. And don’t die.” And, “If you’re going to get old, you should do it in the program.”
Don fiercely loved his family, and he embraced his community. Wherever he went, people shouted, “Hi, Doc!” He enthusiastically supported local causes. In the early 1980s, he founded Friends of Football, a booster club for the Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s football team. He was a regular at Housy athletic events during his children’s years as students there, and continued to support the teams even after his youngest child graduated.
In addition to his loving wife of 60 years, Don is survived by a son, Rick Martin of Canaan, and two daughters, Kelley Marshall and her husband, Bill, of Hyde Park, New York, and Laura McCarthy and her husband, Neil, of Berlin, Connecticut. He is also survived by four grandchildren; William Marshall, V, Meagan Marshall and her fiancé, Cameron Jones, Maxim Martin and Meave McCarthy; a special friend, Jeff King, cousins Ann Kaufman, Jay Martin, Kathy Horner, Dan Horner, John Horner, Katherine Edlund, and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A memorial service will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at the North Canaan Congregational Church, 172 Lower Rd, East Canaan, with Pastor Mark Brady officiating. The repass follows from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at the VFW Post #6851, 104 S. Canaan Rd., Canaan, CT. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Doc Martin should be made to the Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry, P.O. Box 306, North Canaan, CT 06018 or VFW Post #6851, P.O. Box 913, Canaan, CT 06018. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home, 118 Main Street, Canaan, CT.
Busy as he is these days, Santa took a bit of time to join in congratulating Wassaic’s Citizen of the Year, Ana Hajduk, following a presentation ceremony at the Wassaic Fire Department on Saturday, Dec. 14, all in conjunction with the 2024 Wassaic Parade of Lights.
WASSAIC — Wassaic residents turned out to celebrate the 2024 Parade of Lights on Saturday, Dec. 14, enjoying the traditional parade and festivities with refreshments at the firehouse.
One of the highlights was the naming of Wassaic’s Citizen of the Year, Ana Hajduk, honoring her many contributions to the improvement of community life.
Presenting the award certificate was Amenia Town Supervisor Leo Blackman who spoke of Hajduk’s talents as garden designer and her work with designing and faithfully tending the small garden in front of the post office where a veterans’ memorial stands.
She also looks after the needs of the newly planted pine tree which has replaced the old Wassaic Christmas tree. She also lends her talents to tending the beds planted by the Amenia Garden Club. And, she has successfully conquered the mugwort infestation at the Borden plant.
Blackman praised Hajduk also for her work with the Fountain Square plantings, and her willingness to lug buckets of water to a variety of growing things.
Hajduk lived for a time in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where her mother had rehabilitated an abandoned rail line to create a six-block long public park over a period of 20 years.
“Ana has it in her blood to improve the places where she lives,” Blackman said.
Mary Albasi, resident of The Fountains at Millbrook, knitting for one of the community’s donations.
MILLBROOK — A long-established tradition of giving to deserving community organizations is continuing throughout the holiday season at The Fountains at Millbrook.
Three area charities were selected for this year’s charitable giving. The Center for Compassion in Dover Plains has received 26 bags of food and several boxes of clothing collected by Fountains residents since the Thanksgiving season and continuing through the holidays. The extensive history of giving was described on Wednesday, Dec. 11, by Lisa Rieckermann, community life director at The Fountains.
Infants housed at the Care Net Pregnancy Center in Poughkeepsie are being kept warm by hand-knit items produced by the Knit/Crochet Group at The Fountains. Resident Mary Albasi was praised by Rieckermann for her dedication, having created more than 100 pieces for the center.
“Mary’s passion is truly shown through the dedication she has for her work,” Rieckermann said.
Families at the Grace Smith House, a domestic violence support center in Poughkeepsie, are also being assisted by residents at The Fountains. This month, Rieckermann reported, Terri Smith, a staff member in The Fountains’ Café, is raising funds for gift cards to be provided to the Grace Smith House. Skilled at crafting, Smith is using her talents to create centerpieces for Café tables. Residents purchase the centerpieces, thereby raising the funds to purchase the gift cards.
“It makes my heart happy to give back,” Smith said.
Residents also maintain an ongoing interest in supporting the Holiday Toy Drive with the American Legion and the Hudson Valley Animal Rescue organization.
Dutchess County Legislator Chris Drago and Town of North East Councilwoman Meg Winkler help welcome Habitat for Humanity homeowners Anthony and Vanessa Macagnone (center) to their new home on Rudd Pond Road in Millerton, Wednesday, Dec. 18.
