Owen County awards Hiden Road ditching contract to Dubo Excavating for $20,200

Owen County commissioners on July 1 approved awarding a contract to Dubo Excavating for ditching and driveway culvert replacements on Hiden Road for a total of $20,200. Highway staff presented two bids: Fender Excavating at $31,000 and Dubo Excavating at $20,200; commissioners accepted the lower bid and moved to proceed.

Highway staff said the work should allow the county to obtain accurate asphalt quotes once ditching and culvert replacements are complete. Commissioners asked to be notified when the contractor begins work and when the project is finished. The highway superintendent reported equipment challenges elsewhere in the department: a bucket truck with a broken boom/subframe is inoperable and staff plan to inspect used equipment as a potential replacement. Commissioners also noted receipt of an unexpected lane-mile restriction payment of $363,691 that must be used on roads and bridges and cannot be spent on equipment purchases.

The board also approved awarding the contract and asked highway staff to keep the commissioners updated on timing so paving contractors can provide apples-to-apples quotes.