By HOLLY GASKILL
When it comes to the county’s new highway department building, it’s a “night and day” difference, says Supervisor Shawn Bonar.
Crews broke ground on the site last fall and, barring a few hiccups, the project continues toward its original projected completion date. Conor Jackson, project manager from James S. Jackson Construction, said they plan to release the building to the county on Feb. 5. From there, he hopes the remaining work will be small punch list items.
Bonar estimates roughly 90 percent of the construction items are already complete. The remaining parts, like electrical work, are much less visually noticeable but remain a significant part of the project nonetheless. As the building’s lights flickered on for the first time on Dec. 1, Bonar exclaimed, “Is that real?”
Wells County’s current building was built in 1906 as a train maintenance station. The county had since constructed two additions to adapt the building for highway department use, but it had long been a temporary fix, facing numerous building problems.
County officials and department employees had discussed the need for a new building for decades — project plans were finally inked in September 2022 for $10.9 million.
“This was much needed,” Bonar said. “We’re going to be so much more efficient.”
The current building’s garage requires trucks boxed into two parallel rows, limiting access. Additionally, due to the relatively narrow passageway and grate between the large machinery, the area poses a danger to employees — two of whom were injured in the area in recent years.
With this and other areas of need in mind, Bonar worked with project engineers to consider the day-to-day needs and employee safety.
The new site, located at 0828 E 200 S in Bluffton, contains a main garage building with warmed vehicle storage, an indoor vehicle wash bay, a cold storage building, and a salt and aggregate storage structure.
“There’s probably more square footage in this room alone than the other buildings put together,” Bonar said, referring to the warm storage building.
The increase in space and new technology allows for a much more intentional use of resources, says Bonar. Where Wells has previously given waste oil to Adams County, there is now room for equipment that will use the oil to offset the cost of heating the building.
With a larger parts room, Bonar plans to have an electronic check-out system where employees scan a part and mark how it’s being used. Bonar hopes this not only increases accountability but also allows him to monitor which vehicles are routinely garnering repairs and why.
Alongside this, the department will be able to house some new equipment, allowing more in-house work and repairs. Referring to new equipment for changing tractor tires, Bonar said, “I think it’s huge, especially for people who have been here for 35 years and need proper equipment to complete repairs like this.”
Additionally, new safety measures will be put in place. Multiple spaces in the building have ventilation fans that automatically turn on with detection of harmful gas or chemicals.
Employees will also directly access the gate and multiple building entryways through a key fob system, offering better security and employee access than the current system. Bonar stated there is currently an unnecessary delay in accessing the building or supplies — should emergency signs be needed for a road issue, for example, employees have access through one door and maneuver the large signs through the entire garage building.
Another large area of improvement is the expansion of office spaces. Walking into the current building, visitors are immediately met with the bookkeeper’s desk and filing cabinets. Just a few steps behind is Bonar’s desk.
The new building has a small welcome area, with a reception window into the bookkeeper’s office, which already nearly matches the size of the current offices. Down a hallway lies a separate conference room, offices for the supervisor, engineer, and a possible contractor, as well as separate storage for highway documents and engineering records. The foreman will also gain an office in the garage.
Past the offices, employees will enjoy an expanded break room with an adjacent separate locker room and bathroom. While seemingly straightforward, it’s vastly different from the prone-to-flooding break room and lockers scattered throughout the garage.
Although Bonar’s priority is efficiency and safety, he also hopes these changes bring a renewed spirit among his crew.
“I hoping this helps morality,” Bonar added. “I like being able to collectively grab the whole group in one area in a nice, decent place … right now training over there is so difficult. We have no good place unless we pull trucks out and do it in the middle of the truck parking bay.”
Altogether, it’ll be a starkly new chapter for the Wells County Highway Department.
holly@news-banner.com
