On the job since September 2, Dirk Heckman, Mackinac County Road Commission engineer and manager, plans to improve communications with local municipalities and citizens. He is attending township meetings, and this month road commissioners and Mr. Heckman will review the winter maintenance program with interested residents at a meeting set for Tuesday, November 11, at 7 p.m. at the Road Commission building on North State Street in St. Ignace. The Mackinac County Road Commission will adjust services in the county to meet escalating salt and steel costs and decreasing gas tax revenue. Depending on winter weather, residents should not expect clear, dry roads this winter season and drivers should allot more time to reach destinations, said Dirk Heckman, the commission's new engineer and manager, whose first day on the job was September 2.

"That's not our choice," said Mr. Heckman, "that's due to our available resources. It's not something we're happy about."

No crew layoffs are planned, but one seasonal position will not be filled.

A $400,000 decline in state gas tax revenue over the last four years and the continued decline in federal gas tax funds have caused the road commission to reduce services.

For 2008, the state estimates the county road commission will receive $2,056,146 in gas taxes, said Mr. Heckman, and it is predicting a 4% reduction in funding for 2009, about $80,000 less than this year. The road commission will also received about $450,000 in revenue from the federal gas tax. Those funds are earmarked for capital improvements and are estimated to be reduced by 10% next year.

After nine weeks on the job, Mr. Heckman is facing challenging times common to road commissions across the state. Drivers are using more gas-efficient vehicles, traveling fewer miles, and buying less fuel.

For each gallon of gas sold, 19¢ is collected by the state as gas tax. Of that money, 39.1% is distributed to the Michigan Department of Transportation, 21.8% is given to cities and villages, and the remaining 39.1% is divided among Michigan's 83 counties. Counties receive funding based on a formula that considers the county's population, the number of registered vehicles, and miles of county roadway.

To adjust to the shrinking operating dollars, the Mackinac County Road Commission this month will not fill one of nine seasonal positions. Seasonal employees, depending on weather conditions, are employed from November through April.

Coupled with the revenue loss, road commissions are facing a continued rise in the price of materials and supplies.

Since 2001, the cost of plow drag blades, diesel fuel, and tires has tripled.

Last month, road commissioners approved a plan to dispatch plows on county roads on nights and weekends only after at least a four-inch to six-inch snowfall. This is the same policy adopted last year, a result of years of falling revenues.

This year, a new measure is that straight salt will not be applied on county roadways, although there are exceptions to every rule, such as in freezing rain, said Mr. Heckman.

Salt now is too expensive, he said, so crews will mix sand with salt or a chloride brine solution, creating a 10 to 1 ratio of sand to salt, called ice sand.

The product provides traction, he said, although the roads still may remain covered with snow. In the past, a straight salt application normally would melt the snow down to the pavement.

The ice-sand will be applied on hills, curves, and at intersections, he said.

"We don't have the resources to go out and sand and salt straightaways on every county road," said Mr. Heckman.

The price of salt has shot up from $30 a ton three years ago to $53 a ton now. Salt already was ordered for this season before Mr. Heckman was hired, but next year his goal is not to order more than 600 tons of salt for use on county roads.

On average, a "very, very rough" estimate of the amount of ice-sand that will be used on a plow route would be one truck full, said Mr. Heckman, and that depends on the number of hills, curves, and intersections. One load of ice-sand weighs approximately 10 tons and a plow route covers about 30 miles of roadway.

The road commssion maintains 650 miles of county roads.

If Mackinac County experiences a rough winter, said Mr. Heckman, the road commission will do all that is possible based on available funds and material resources.

"There may be times when roads are impassable," he said, "and I think there have been times in the past when roads have become impassable. We'll do our best to keep them reasonably safe and convenient for public travel."

The budget for the road commission in 2008 was $5.8 million, although the amount is misleading, said Mr. Heckman, because the figure includes money coming from the state that is paying for more than 90% of a more than $500,000 state salt shed being constructed at the East District garage.

Funds also are received through a state maintenance contract that generates approximately $271,000 in revenue. The road commission maintains 61 lane-miles of state highway, which includes M-129 and M-134.

Townships contribute $365,000 for road improvements and the budget also includes any passthrough funding. When asked, the road commission can act as a pass through agency for funding on other projects, including state park roads on Mackinac Island.

The commission, which is on the calendar year, is working on its 2009 budget now. The new budget must be adopted by road commissioners by December 31.

A 1994 graduate of LaSalle High School, Mr. Heckman said he is happy to be back working in his hometown, helping to contribute and make improvements to the community.

From his second floor office in the old State Police building on North State Street in St. Ignace, he can see the house he grew up in. Now, he lives in Marquette Township near the East District road commission garage.

Mr. Heckman came to Mackinac County after serving in the same capacity in Chippewa County. He had been the assistant manager and engineer there until his boss retired and he was appointed to the top spot.

He attended Michigan Technological University in Houghton for three years before transferring to Michigan State University (MSU), where he was graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1999. While a student at MSU, he was accepted for an internship with the Michigan Department of Transportation, which took him to the Mackinac Bridge, where he served as a paint inspector.

One of his first priorities after stepping into the Mackinac County lead role, which was vacated when Karrie Abbitt resigned earlier this year, has been to improve communication with local municipalities and the public.

"Public relations are key," he said.

Since September, he has been attending township meetings across the county. He also attended a meeting of the county's local chapter of the Michigan Townships Association.

The road commission plans to continue in 2009 with the county's three-way match program for road preservation, said Mr. Heckman. The program calls for both the road commission and the county commission to match township funds spent for road work, up to $10,000.

"Road commissions work very closely with townships," he said. "That's why I've made a point to meet with the townships. We're working with townships more than any other governmental entity."

A meeting to review the winter maintenance program with residents, township officials, state and local law enforcement agencies, and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11, at 7 p.m. at the Road Commission building on North State Street in St. Ignace.