OREGON – A lot of people who live in Ogle County are getting a little tired of winter right about now.
But maybe no one is more tired of it than Jeremy Ciesiel.
Ciesiel, Ogle County engineer, is the man responsible for keeping the county’s roads clear of snow and ice. And this year has been busy.
“It’s been brutal,” Ciesiel said, hours before another storm was expected to drop snow and ice on the region.
The county has gone through approximately 3,800 tons of salt, which it stores in its two large bins on Illinois Route 2, this season. Not all of it has been used on county roads, as Ciesiel said the county does sell salt to certain area townships.
To make the material go further, the county mixes stone chips with the salt. Still, he said the county is, “running a bit low.”
Ciesiel said the salt supplier is having a difficult time keeping up with demand this year. He said he has spoken with other counties and the state and they have the same issue.

“They can’t deliver it as fast as you are using it,” he said.
So, is he concerned?
“Yeah, I’m getting a little nervous.”
Having two full bins to start the season was a big help, he said. But continued bad weather could be a problem.
“It’s getting to the point that one of two things has to happen: Either winter has to end, or the salt has to start coming in at a more regular, timely fashion,” Ciesiel said.
There is also the matter of the hours being put in by the 14 workers who keep the county’s 270 miles of roads salted and plowed. Of that number 10-11 drive the plows, with three working in graders.
Due to the amount of time they have been out during storms this year, Ciesiel said he has used up about 85 percent of his overtime budget for the year. The good news is that, outside of winter, not much overtime is used.
And once the snow is done, the county will have to fix all of the problems winter caused on the roads. Ciesiel said they do cold patch the roads during the winter, and don’t expect the roads to be worse than usual after this tough winter ends.
In the meantime, Ciesiel said the plows are out there working every time it snows, and he advises drivers to be cautious.
“Take it slow, take it easy when the weather is (bad) my No. 1 wish that drivers would do,” he said.
He does have another wish, of course.
“Hopefully, the spring season comes sooner than later,” he said with a chuckle.  “It’s been a long winter for our employees here.”