Infrastructure Updates Coming to Dubois County

The Dubois County Board of Commissioners assembled on Monday morning to discuss a number of high-priority infrastructure items. 

County Highway Superintendent Donnie Lueken discussed the weather-related road closures of the last week. He told the Commissioners that the County used to have about 35 fold-up road closure signs, which is now down to 4 due to theft and vandalism. The department has transitioned to flip signs and will need more to replace them. 

The Highway Department will be painting 59 roads for a total of 69 miles, and a quote was approved for materials. The 5-year rotation plan for trucks was presented, and it was noted that the department is out of space, and they would like to try to buy a few acres to create more storage space for some of the machinery currently housed outside. Questions surrounding the Midstates Corridor have delayed movement on that, but discussions will begin to evaluate the idea. 

County Highway Engineer Brent Wendholt presented the County-wide bridge inspection contract, which was approved for signature. Bids were opened for the Community Crossings Matching Grant project update bids. The Commission approved the bid from Calcar Paving for just over $1.6 million. Comprehensive Plan Proposals were also opened. They will be evaluated, graded, and presented for later discussion. 

The Dubois County Soil and Water Conservation District, along with other similar agencies, was sked to develop a contingency plan. They are currently housed at the USDA building in Jasper, but with potential federal funding cuts, a plan was approved to utilize the Fairgrounds as an alternate office space if necessary. 

In other business, the contract proposal was approved for a Next Gen 911 update grant. This will fund work to bring the department up to the new standard established in 2022. The Sultan’s Run right-of-way dedication was also approved. 

The Commissioners supported recommended repairs to the awning at the health department’s St. Charles Annex drive-through. The repairs will use stronger material that will be screwed down at shorter intervals. 

A local resident suggested the establishment of an ordinance to prevent grass being blown on roadways to reduce safety hazards that contribute to motorcycle accidents. The Commission agreed to review a preliminary ordinance draft for future discussion. 

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


 - By Drew Hasselbring