What’s in store? Ice remains abundant; melter isn’t
Staff writer
A week after an ice storm, a blizzard, and a second snowfall, the county still has plenty of ice and snow.
All that’s missing is ice melter. A run on local stores has made it a precious commodity for many county residents. Some have even resorted to using propane torches instead.
Marion Hardware ran out of ice melter soon after the Jan. 4 blizzard, but its supply was replenished Tuesday.
Hillsboro Hardware had no ice melter in stock Tuesday. An employee said 10-pound bags were expected to arrive today, and 40-pound bags were expected to arrive Thursday.
Bomgaars in Hillsboro also ran out of ice melter, but a truck with two pallets of it came Tuesday afternoon.
Dollar General in Marion does not sell ice melter. What comes on a truck is for store use only, an employee said.
Greg Carlson, co-owner of Carlsons’ Grocery in Marion, said Tuesday that he had nine bags of ice melter on hand, but it had been hard to get from a warehouse.
“I ordered 50 bags and got two,” he said. “I’ve ordered for two trucks now.”
Dale’s Supermarket in Hillsboro ran out at one point but has had no problem getting it in to replenish supplies.
Owner Dale Franz said the store still had ice melter from last year when the Jan. 4 storm hit.
“We’ve had two trucks since this started and had no problem getting it in,” he said. “With society right now, they expect you to have multiple piles of it when a freak storm happens like this. It’s just one of those things that happens, and when it’s solved, it’s solved.”
Franz noted that Hillsboro’s downtown was “pretty well cleaned.”
Because ice was so thick on sidewalks around and leading to Marion County courthouse, the county bought a propane torch for maintenance workers to use.
“The propane torches have been out for a while,” administrator Tina Spencer said. “They were having a rough time getting ice off.”
Once the sidewalks were melted down to concrete, Spencer said, they stayed pretty clear except for ice formed overnight after snow melted during the day.
Propane torch heads cost $80 at Ace Hardware in Marion. Propane bottles are purchased separately.