Starke County Highway Department Well Stocked to Wrap Up Winter

 The Starke County Highway Department has plenty of salt and sand on hand to finish winter operations. Superintendent Rik Ritzler says even with the significant amount of snow that fell in February they’ve used considerably less than last year. Last month Starke County Highway Department employees plowed just under 50,000 miles of roadway and used 683 tons of salt. Ritzler told the county commissioners Monday the county so far has received about half the snowfall of last season. Also the number of plowing days has decreased from 56 to 32. Even with snow and ice to start the month of March, Ritzler says the long-range forecast for the month indicates warmer weather could arrive within the next few weeks. He adds there’s plenty of sand available and the county’s front-line trucks are in working order.