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Dorr completing construction at road district
Dorr Township is completing a $1.2 million construction project at its road district facilities along Davis Road.
The project called for the demolition of one structure and the addition of three new buildings. The buildings will allow for additional salt storage and will eliminate the need for the township to rent vehicle-storage facilities elsewhere.
“This should work forever,” said highway commissioner Tom Thurman when asked how long this project should keep the facilities on current property.
Several years ago, Thurman advocated moving the road district to a new location. 
“We’ve been saving for nearly 10 years with a goal to move to another location,” Thurman said.
A committee was formed to access the needs of the district and found the additional space needed could fit on the current property. Instead of using the saved money to move locations, the committee decided to use the money to improve the current location. The township broke ground on the project in late April.
The project is expected to be completed in November, just past the October expected completion. Thurman said an unexpected $90,000 soil stabilization fee caused the project to go over budget by about $50,000.
The project includes three buildings – one for salt storage, one to make the district’s salt brine solution and to clean the vehicles and another to store vehicles.
“Originally we could hold 2,500 tons of salt, which was not quite enough to get through the season,” Thurman said. “Now we can hold 3,000 tons. In the middle of the season, sometimes it’s tough [and expensive] to get additional salt.”
The salt brine mix area can now use recycled water used to wash the township vehicles.
“The biggest benefit to salt brine is that we can use less salt,” Thurman said. He added that the brine provides a more effective and quicker method to de-icing roads during extreme cold.
Finally, the third building will provide adequate space for the township to store all of its vehicles. The township will no longer have to lease space to house vehicles and will have access to all equipment at all times.
Thurman said the one remaining building, which houses some vehicle storage and offices, will likely need to be replaced at some point down the line. He said that project would not happen for at least a decade.
