Portage County Highway Department staff gave an operations update on June 17, reporting recruitment activity, recent training, project schedules and a committee approval of recurring event road closures requested by the Town of Sharon.

County Highway Commissioner Nathan said the department has one full-time labor position under recruitment, three seasonal laborers applied for interviews and three external candidates were being considered though some lacked commercial driver licenses. Staff held an all-day MSHAW training and attended summer road school; Nathan said machinery operations currently show a $219,000 surplus and general maintenance spending is at about 46% through the budget year.

Project updates included a Highway B restart of concrete repairs (work resumed June 11) and a target completion date of June 25 for the Highway B project, weather permitting. Highway D work is expected after Labor Day: an initial phase will pave from Highway A to Lime Lake Road in about 1½ weeks, a mid-July phase will pave from Lime Lake Road to Highway K, and later phases will extend west from Highway K. Staff reported traffic impacts but said traffic had “not been terrible,” and noted several enforcement incidents where vehicles ignored stop signs at temporary work setups.

On a contractual issue, staff said the County R asphalt patch remains unresolved; the village plans a closed-session meeting to discuss its contract and has verbally reassured the county the matter will be addressed, possibly by payment to the county to perform repairs.

The committee approved temporary road closures requested by the Town of Sharon for two annual events (a fall festival and an annual parade). Staff said the events used Rochelle Fire Department EMS and town staff for traffic control in prior years; the committee recommended a two-year approval period for 2025–2027 and a motion was made and supported in the meeting. Minutes from the May 20 meeting were also approved by roll call.

Why it matters: staffing levels and training affect the county’s ability to keep projects on schedule; paving timelines and closures affect local traffic and events; unresolved contractor issues on County R affect how and when needed repairs will be completed.

Next steps: staff will continue recruitment and training, coordinate with the sheriff’s office on enforcement where necessary, and follow up after the village’s closed-session discussion on the County R patch contract.