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CORTLAND -- The shutdown of Morton Salt’s Fairport Harbor mine has left Cortland officials uncertain whether the city will be able to get the 300 tons of road salt on order for the coming winter.
Cortland purchases salt through the Trumbull County purchasing program, which obtains its supply from the Fairport Harbor facility. Morton Salt ceased mining operations there after water started pouring into the mine Oct. 22. The company evacuated workers, suspended underground operations and notified regulatory authorities. No injuries were reported.
The shutdown means additional salt shipments are uncertain, Mayor Jim Bradley told city council on Monday.
“We have 400 tons on the ground now to get started and we will be monitoring our salt stores very closely,” Bradley said.
The city typically uses between 500 and 600 tons during the winter season.
The company announced the shutdown Oct. 26, saying it was working with independent experts and regulatory authorities to investigate the water intrusion and determine the next steps.
According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Morton Salt laid off 77 employees, would pay workers for 60 days and continue unemployment benefits through the end of the year.
Bradley said the city requested written assurance that the additional salt would be delivered.
“They said no, not at this time,” Bradley said. “And that’s what every city and municipality is getting told right now.”
Council members questioned whether the city had alternatives if its remaining order cannot be filled.
“There’s multiple backup plans,” Bradley said.
Those options include mixing salt with other materials, using calcium-based products and limiting treatment to intersections and curves to save supplies.
“Hopefully none of that will be needed,” Bradley said.
In other business, council:
* Extended the moratorium on underground fiber-optic boring projects. At council's last meeting, proposed legislation was sent back to the Technical Review Committee to consider utility company comments and state regulations. The revised ordinance is expected at the next council meeting.
* Approved a $100,000 advance from the general fund to the fire levy fund because of delays in property tax distributions caused by a countywide software issue. The money will be repaid when the city receives its tax settlement.
* Approved second reading of an ordinance rezoning a Walnut Run Resources Plat from a service district to a residential district.
* Heard a reminder from the fire chief that burning yard waste and debris is prohibited within city limits. Small, attended recreational cooking fires are permitted, but fires creating excessive smoke or nuisance conditions are not.
* Heard that the city’s Trunk or Treat event drew an estimated 1,000 people to the city.
* Announced that the Cortland Veterans Memorial Committee will hold a Veterans Day ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday at Point Park, with Cortland Christian Church serving as the rain location.