DuBois County highway crews plan chip-seal work and consider buying used self-propelled chipper

Donnie Leakin of the DuBois County Highway Department told commissioners the crew has resumed pothole patching after changing materials and will respond to county requests. He urged the county to consider bidding on a used self-propelled chipper and distributor being sold by another county, saying the units “are very clean, very nice” and that, if purchased for the seller’s asking price, “it'd be a steal.”

Leakin said the self-propelled chipper would be safer and more efficient than the current method, which requires three workers on the back of a dump truck. He recommended the county pursue a sealed bid and consider deferring the purchase of a planned truck to finance the equipment if the numbers align.

The highway official also warned that a recent hard freeze followed by thawing will create numerous road repairs requiring rip-ups and dig-outs. He said crews will survey county roads over the next month to identify problem segments and prioritize work. Leakin asked residents to call the highway office with pothole locations.

Separately, Leakin described repeated problems with Frontier Plains utility pedestals: boxes left broken or with exposed wires and inconsistent marking of buried lines. He said crews are documenting damage and disputing bills from the carrier when the county claims to have struck unmarked lines.

Commissioners approved routine inventory actions Leakin requested, including removing broken calculators from surplus inventory, and asked staff to coordinate with the county attorney or purchasing official to review the conditions and bid strategy if the county pursues the used equipment.

The highway report also included approvals for temporary road closures for community events and a reminder that chip-seal overlay remains a cost-effective option given rising asphalt prices.