Council Can't Stomach Melrose's Request For $1.75M Salt Shed

MELROSE, MA — In April 2020, the City Council denied authorizing a $1.45 million bond to fund the creation of a new salt shed on the Department of Public Works yard. Rather, the Council approved a $100,000 loan for the design of a replacement shed.

"The salt shed is beyond the end of its useful life and presents hazards in its present shape," DPW Director Elena Proakis Ellis and CFO Patrick Dello Russo said in a memo at the time.

On Monday night, the City Council again denied the city's request for a new shed. The price tag this time ballooned to $1.65 million — plus the previous $100,000 loan.

"After another difficult winter, the condition of the salt shed has deteriorated, which compromises our ability to deliver snow emergency operations and to make our streets safe for travel during winter storms," reads the memo from this most recent attempt.

The DPW says its salt shed — which is exactly what it sounds like — is hazardous and must be replaced. The Council largely agrees, but too many members can't stomach the cost.

"Anything over a million dollars for a building that houses salt is really a nonstarter for me," Councilor Shawn MacMaster said.

"The need is there ... but the price tag is so much," Councilor Cory Thomas said.

"I totally agree with you that something needs to be done ... but at what value, what cost?" Councilor Mark Garipay said.

Seven councilors voted to deny DPW's request. Councilors Jack Eccles, Jen Grigoraitis, Maya Jamaleddine and Leila Migliorelli voted against denying the authorization.

Officials said that without the shed, the city's ability to respond to winter storms could be hampered.

"I ... can't sense enough the sense of urgency that is front of the DPW with this replacement," DPW Administration and Finance Director James Troup said.

The Council's 2020 hope for a more cost-effective solution did not age well. The pandemic has brought with it "skyrocketing costs" officials said — the price of lumber, specifically, has shot up. The soil was also found to be contaminated.

The deteriorating salt shed, built in 1978, has been getting cozy atop the city's capital improvement plan. Again, city officials said last year it is "beyond the end of its useful life."

It's also in a choice piece of land at the Tremont Street DPW facility the city could wish to redevelop in the future, a fact not lost on some councilors Monday night.

It was briefly suggested the DPW facilities consider a move to Route 99, but Proakis Ellis noted topographical challenges and said moving from the current centralized location could impact storm response.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi and Instagram at Melrose Happening. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.