Many discussion of salt brine have taken place over the past year. To hear and address more issues that have been popping up recently, there will be a meeting on October 11th with members of the Department of Transportation.
While a great deal of residents have shown uneasiness on the topic of brine, one person has worked extremely hard to get the ball rolling, and ensure everyone’s voice were heard. Mike Arnold, a resident of the Kenai Peninsula, started a petition back in March as an attempt to help everyone’s concerns to the issue of road brine be heard.
Since then, he has received over 4,000 signatures for this petition. One common concern that many members of the Peninsula have, is how the brine is damaging to the under carrier of their cars. But this small bit of damage can lead to an even bigger issue.
Safety.
As a response, Arnold went to all the auto mechanics on the Peninsula to get more information about some the potential dangers of the brine, but also get their signature on the petition as well. “Many things are being compromised, such as the brake lines, the the brakes themselves, the wiring harnesses, the timing could be bad. On the airbag deployment, these things are all affected,” said Arnold.
Arnold also makes a reference to Anchorage, and how they do not use any brine, but instead, they use a different material that works well against ice, and isn’t damaging to cars. “But they have lots of stop lights in Anchorage and that’s they do not use any brine, they do not use any salt. There is no chemicals on the road whatsoever. It’s a crushed gravel and it’s a very small crushed gravel. It’s bigger than sand, but it’s small enough that it won’t hurt your windshields,” says Arnold.
Mayor Peter Micciche is proud of the members of the community for taking action on this issue, and hopes to have a big turnout with attendees. “When a group of citizens unite in a grassroots effort to make life better in our borough, community leaders should take notice and take action. I’m inviting everyone to a community discussion with Commissioner Ryan Anderson of the Alaska DOT As he responds to my August 2nd letter requesting that brine is no longer used on the Kenai,” said Micciche.
For individuals who would like to participate but cannot be there in person, there is also a zoom link to watch and speak on as well. Once again, there will be a meeting on October 11th at the Borough Assembly Hall at 6:30 pm. to discuss the topic of salt brine.
