Waushara highway committee outlines road, equipment plans and approves asphalt bid for Hancock project

Waushara County’s highway committee on July 7 reviewed recent maintenance work, plans for multiple paving and chip-seal projects, discussed equipment utilization and fleet-management options, and approved an asphalt contract for a Hancock town project.

At the start of the highway report, a staff member summarized recent work: mowing in several towns, crack filling on County Highway 152, pulverizing on County J and the Village of Plainfield, and paver patch work in Bloomfield. Staff said several paving and chip-seal projects for Aurora, Saxville, Hancock, Rose, Coloma and Bloomfield are scheduled this month and described the month as "busy."

Why it matters: The committee discussed long-term trade-offs between paving and maintaining gravel roads as construction costs have risen. One commissioner said the options are narrowing: "Either it's gotta be a change in the funding level or at some point, we're gonna have to admit that these roads are getting so bad," emphasizing pressure on county budgets and road turnover rates.

Equipment and operations: Committee members confirmed the county has three graders and discussed strategies to reduce single-purpose vehicles and increase utilization. Staff said they are tracking equipment hours and usage to support a four-year plan that would reduce fleet size by about 18 vehicles and prioritize multiuse equipment. On vehicle maintenance, staff proposed a pilot oil-sampling program to test whether oil-change intervals could be adjusted safely; the per-sample cost cited was $23.77, and benchmarking five vehicles would cost roughly $713 including shipping.

Procurement action: For a Hancock paving request, two bids were received: Northeast at $59.90 per ton and American at $56.55 per ton. The committee moved to accept the lower bid at $56.55 per ton and the motion passed by voice vote with ayes recorded and no opposition noted.

Other updates: A staff member said he submitted a Department of Natural Resources application for a boat-ramp installation on Spring Lake; DNR has a 30-day window to respond and the Bureau of Structures in Madison will review a steel bar detail. Staff also reported work on County D (a bridge/road) was running about a week ahead of schedule.

Next steps: Staff will return with finalized audit numbers related to equipment funding to support upcoming equipment purchases and provide updates on the boat-ramp permit and the asphalt contract implementation. The committee did not schedule additional public hearings at this meeting.

Quote-at-a-glance: "If we can keep our cars longer because we're upping the oil change or decreasing the oil change interval, that there could be a real... cost savings," a committee member said while discussing the oil-sampling pilot.

The committee adjourned after approving the bid and handling remaining business.