The Daviess County Commissioners met Tuesday morning with Commissioner Michael Keith presiding in the absence of Commission President Nathan Gabhart.
County Highway Superintendent Chris Winkler told the Commissioners that work on Old U.S. 50 west of Washington, along with paving projects on Edwardsport Road and County Road 500 N, has been completed. However, Winkler recommended that the Commissioners not accept completion of the bridge on Old 50 west of Washington. Winkler said that INDOT had questions about the concrete used in repairing the bridge and recommended that the county not accept the bridge until testing could be done in the spring. The commissioners accepted Winkler’s recommendation. Winkler also presented LPA vouchers for preliminary engineering for a roundabout at the intersection of Old 50 and County Road 150 W. The state is paying 90% of the project to upgrade one of the county’s most accident-prone intersections. In another safety matter, Winkler shared concerns about the U.S. 50/State Road 257 intersection, citing accidents and near misses at the intersection. With the support of the commissioners, Winkler is asking INDOT to add turn lanes to the 257 approaches to the intersection.
Winkler also said that milling work will begin Wednesday. at the intersection of 11th Street and County Road 100 S on the south edge of Washington
In other business, the Commissioners approved support requests from several county not-for-profit organizations at the same level as last year, and the Commissioners approved Emergency Management Director Scott Myers’ request to apply for two annual grants from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
At the end of the meeting, Commissioner TC Cook questioned the County Council’s implementation of a 1/10th of 1 percent local income tax to support ambulance service throughout the county. The Council enacted the tax to replace funding lost through cuts to County funds as a result of Senate Bill 1 enacted by the State Legislature.
