Dubois County Plans Major Upgrades for 2025

The Dubois County Board of Commissioners held their first regular meeting of 2025 on Wednesday morning, making significant infrastructure preparations for projected County projects. The first item on the agenda was the Board reorganization, where the Commissioners nominated and reinstalled Chad Blessinger as President and Nick Hostetter as Vice President.

In his Highway Reports, County Superintendent Donnie Lueken addressed snow removal, saying that staff worked throughout Sunday and Monday with extended hours on Tuesday to clear county roadways. Lueken also discussed the score sheet for gravel road conversion re- evaluation for residents who have requested that their roads upgraded from dirt or gravel.

County Highway Engineer Brent Wendholt provided a status update on recent projects. The department completed paving projects with hot mix at Community Crossings sites and other local roads, some sealing projects with Rejuvtec, and chips and overlays. Approximately 2 ½ miles of road were converted from rock to chip seal with chip seal paving, existing chip seal roads were rehabbed and patched, and work was done on two major bridges. Various other safety improvement projects and a culvert replacement were also completed. The new Dubois County Safety Action Plan was approved by the Commission, and they were briefed on approximately $2 million in Community Crossings projects planned for 2025. The Commissioners approved the submitted list of paving projects, which will be submitted for state approval.

Wendholt received permission to approach the Council with a request for $200,000 for two county bridge rehabilitation projects. The bridges on St. Anthony Road W and St. Anthony Road N, both over Hall Creek, need the decks rehabbed, and the project will be completed in-house if approved. In another county bridge rehab project, the Council approved funds for the design phase for County bridge 78 and the Commissioners granted approval to move forward.

Director of Community Corrections Wyatt Madden requested a staffing addition of two new correction officers for the night shift. He said that having three officers per shift would ensure proper coverage and the ability for staff to attend training and utilize their paid time off. The Commissioners supported the request, which will next be presented to the Council.

Health Department Director Shawn Werner presented an updated Pre-to-3 interlocal agreement for signature, as well as additional expenses for Weyer Electric which were approved. Wener was also approved to sign the new FDA agreement for the County. Memorial Hospital’s Director of Pharmacy Angela Hoagland addressed the Commissioners regarding the care of uninsured and underinsured patients. She said that Memorial Hospital provides care for enough of these patients that they can apply to the 340B program, a governmental program that allows for manufacturer discounts on certain drugs. This would assist the hospital with funding to extend resources for these populations while helping to cover their costs. Since Memorial provides care without regard to a patient’s ability to pay, Hoagland said that the 340- B program would provide resources for the hospital to keep need prescription drugs in stock. The application requires a Memorandum of Understanding with the County, which was granted by the Commissioners.

In other business, the County vehicle policy on personal use was reviewed, which states that county vehicles are not to be utilized for personal business. County handbook updates are planned in the coming weeks to clarify the policy. The Grow Dubois County 2025 service agreement was approved, as was the Matrix Telecom agreement. Bids were opened for a Courthouse temperature control project, and the 4-H Council received permission to award a contract to Hopf Construction for repairs to the Swine Barn at the Fairgrounds. The Commissioners requested some changes to the extension office lease agreement before signature, and the Declaration for Sunday’s travel warning was signed.

For more information on these and other updates, visit duboiscountyin.org/government

- By Drew Hasselbring