PADDOCK LAKE — In the wake of two tough winters and tight supplies of road salt, the Village Board decided Wednesday to enter into its own contract with the state to purchase salt and to build a storage facility to handle the supply.

Paddock Lake has been contracting with Kenosha County for its winter supply of road salt, working under an agreement that allowed the village to pay just for the salt it used during inclement weather.

But with salt supplies uneven over the past two winters, the county asked the village to commit to a specific amount of salt for the winter of 2009-10, and to take the entire amount ordered.

Trustee Joseph Riesselmann, chairman of the Public Works Committee, said the committee decided the best option for the village would be to forgo purchasing through the county and purchase directly through the state program.

To do that, he said, the village would have to build a salt storage facility.

“We decided it was best if we got our own salt shed, then we could have our salt delivered directly to us and save money per ton that way,” he said.

Administrator John Burg said in purchasing its own salt directly, the village could apply pure road salt rather than the salt-sand mix used by the county.

The Village Board voted unanimously Wednesday to build the salt storage building and contract directly with the state. It also voted to put the building project out to bid.

The estimated cost of the building — a 40-foot-by-60-foot pole storage building with concrete extending up the walls about eight feet — is about $96,400.

Burg said the building would be constructed near the public works garage and water treatment facility on 62nd Place. Reisselmann told the board there is money available in the budget for the project.

According to Burg, the village had money set aside in the budget for a past plan to purchase additional land and build a new public works facility. When that option proved too costly, he said, the village opted for the less expensive option of renovating an existing cold-storage building into a heated public works garage, a project that is nearly complete. He said money is still available as part of that overall public works project to pay for the salt storage building.

Also Wednesday, the board approved spending $22,500 to repair a portion of the sewer treatment plant. Money for that project will come from an ongoing sewer system update.

In other business Wednesday, the board approved the Sharing Center’s lease of a village-owned building. The Sharing Center, which operates a food pantry and other programs for residents of western Kenosha County, moved into 7001 236th Ave. next to Village Hall last year.

The new lease raises the monthly rent on the building from $750 to $900 a month, said Trustee Terry Burns. As part of the new agreement, Burg said, the village will provide snow removal and lawn service for the building.