By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
“Grind away” was the message Decatur’s board of work and safety gave city Operations Manager Jeremy Gilbert at a recent meeting after he asked for permission to grind up pieces of concrete stored at the city’s Elm St. base of operations.
The city saves concrete left over from replacing sidewalks and other projects, then has it crushed into small pieces to be to be used as fill on other projects.
It has to pay for the work, though, and so Gilbert was asking for permission to have further grinding done.
It was thought that the city had sufficient ground material to get it though the year, but numerous construction projects have lowered the stockpile considerably, Gilbert said.
He estimated that the city has used around 22,000 tons of the material since the start of 2024.
He was given permission to have approximately 10,000 tons done at a cost of $8.35 a ton, or $83,500 total. The money is budgeted.
A large supply (see photo) is on hand at the city’s Public Works site on Elm St.
The crushing is done by an Ohio firm, Bill Green Construction of Ottoville.
“This will more than get us through this construction season and do the rest of the year,” Gilbert explained.
Having the ground material on hand “is smart for us; we have it there ready for use,” he added.
The price is a good one, “a good savings for the city,” board member Craig Coshow noted.
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